My Last Post at Blogger...

Hi guys! So, this will be my last post here at Blogger. I'm going camping for the weekend, and when I get back on Monday, August 1st my blog will officially be at sarahsaysread.com .

I know that I said in a previous post that I'd be able to transfer Google Friend Connect over to Wordpress, but I was wrong. Something about wordpress.com versus wordpress.org, and I guess Wordpress doesn't allow javascript... I don't know. I tried, and it doesn't look like it's going to be possible. So I really, really hope that you guys will come on over to my new blog and subscribe there.

For those of you that use a reader, you probably already know how to add blogs to it - either hit the subscribe button on my blog, or copy the URL and paste into a "add a subscription" type of button on your reader.

For those that only use the Blogger dashboard, copy my URL and then go to your dashboard - click "Add" underneath the blogs that you're currently following, and paste my URL in there.

Sorry that I couldn't make it easier :-/ I tried.


On another note, I'm really excited about my switch to Wordpress. I've been thinking about it for months, and I've slowly been setting it up. My sister Heather at All You Need Designs made me a new header, and it is ADORABLE. You can head over there now - all of my posts have already been imported.

Along with the switch to my new blog, you might see some small changes around Sarah Says Read. For instance, I might include a more personal post every now and then. I have a separate, personal blog on Blogger called Enjoy the Little Things, but I think I'm going to close that down as well, and just do the occasional post-about-me thing on the new blog when I feel like it. My blog will definitely be about books first and foremost! But I hope that those of you who follow me over to Wordpress will enjoy seeing the occasional glimpse into my personal / social life.

For a few weeks, you'll see me participating in more blog hops - I want to get the word out about my new blog, and that's one of the good, fun ways to do it. Even though it will be a bit of a pain, considering that I normally work on Fridays and the work computer sucks... but yes. So expect some more memes during the first month or so that Sarah Says Read is up. This won't affect my review content at all - I'll still read and post reviews as often as I can.

I'll keep Blogger active for a little while, to see that everyone gets the message and has time to switch over to the new blog.

SO, see you guys on Monday at Sarah Says Read ! And thank you to EVERY ONE of my followers who joined me over the past year and a half or so. You guys are wonderful :-)


XOXO,

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

So... this was different. I picked it up because I heard that it was recommended reading for sci-fi fans, and that it was on some school reading lists. Basically the book is about Charlie, a slow 30-year old with an I.Q. of 68. Because he shows a lot of motivation and a strong desire to learn, he's chosen to be the first human for an experimental surgery that could potentially increase his intelligence. The surgery went really well for a lab mouse named Algernon, and now it's Charlie's chance. The surgery is considered a success and Charlie's intellingence significantly increases, even past that of the scientists that did it to him. But when Algernon starts to show signs of regression, Charlie has to figure out if he's about to lose all that he gained.

This was really interesting. In the beginning, Charlie's writing is misspelled and full of bad grammer, so as the book goes on and all that changes and you can almost "see" him getting more intelligent. The rate that he learns at is incredible - he learns new languages, and becomes a genius. It's not all great though - as he gets smarter, he realizes how mistreated he was when he was too slow to understand. The people that he thought of as friends were actually really mena to him, always making fun of him and laughing at him. He also almost develops a split personality, so that he actually feels like the old Charlie is watching and waiting to come back.

Even as a genius, he has emotional problems that make this overall a sad book. Whether he's unusually slow or crazy intelligent, he's kind of a tragic character. It definitely makes you think about all of the mentally ill people that you see in the world though, and how sad their lives are.

I definitely recommend this book for middle school or high school students (there's some sex in the book, but nothing really graphic). I think kids have the most to gain from this book, because kids tend to be mean to each other, and I know that a lot of kids pick on the child with mental disabilities if there's one in their school or in their neighborhood. Maybe this book would help kids see that these slow kids are people too, and see how cruel it would be to make fun of them. It also make students appreciate that they have SO much potential to learn, and it shouldn't be wasted because some people never have that chance.



Sarah Says: 3 stars


P.S. - The only thing that makes this a "sci-fi" book is the experimental brain surgery that makes people smarter. Otherwise, and book is just like the world now, except in the 1960's because that's when it was written.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Tackle Tough Issues

Good morning!!!! It's a great Tuesday, because this is the 2nd day of my vacation :-) A whole ten days off of work... there aren't words to describe the awesomeness. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is Top Ten Books That Tackle Tough Issues.

Before I get to the list, just another reminder that as of August 1st, my blog will be at sarahsaysread.com - you can visit there for a preview.

Anyways, ONWARD!

1. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: This is an AWESOME sci-fi book, about a traveler that comes to a planet in which there are no genders - the inhabitants only experience gender identities and sexual desires once a month, and during that time they're gender identity could be either male or female. It's one of the great feminist sci-fi books, and definitely a kick-ass read.

2. The Color of Water by James McBride: A great memoir about a bi-racial man and his relationship with his white mom. His mom was a Jewish woman who made the very controversial decision in the 1940's to marry a black man. A great book about bi-racial relationships, and race issues back then.

3. More Guns, Less Crime by John R Lott: A study about the correlations between gun ownership and crime rates, the findings of which that show when citizens are allowed and/or encouraged to legally own concealable weapons, crime rates actually decrease.

4. It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken by Greg Behrendt: Sadly, repeat relationships are a big issue among men and women. We all know those couples that break-up and then get back together every other week - this book helps you realize that once you break-up, there's never a good reason to get back together.

5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: To teach kids that if someone's beating them up after school, to HIT BACK HARD.

6. The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss: I think it's great that Dr. Seuss is the author of one of the greatest books about nuclear proliferation, and how it's possible that the world could be destroyed by a nuclear war.

7. He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt: Again, this is for those women that just don't seem to realize that the guy she's chasing isn't giving her the time of day. This book will hopefully give some girls higher standards, and make them realize that a guy will make it very obvious if he likes you. They should pass this book out to middle school and high school girls.

8. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: Man I loved this book. It's hilarious, plus it takes on a bajillion issues.... race, sexuality, consumerism, the media, self-esteem, intelligence, vanity, feminism, sexism, transgender identities, etc....

9. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan: The author makes the very obvious point that people don't need nutritionists, doctors, diets, etc to tell them what to eat - as humans, we KNOW what to eat - real food, not a lot of it. You know, planets and animals, that's really all you need.

10. Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel: I loved McDaniel's books when I was a pre-teen, they all talk about different terminal illnesses. They're actually really sad, I don't know what was wrong with me that I loved these books so much. But this one was my favorite, about a perfect high school couple - except the boyfriend gets a rare form of cancer.

So, those are my tough issues books! What are some of yours? And please, please don't say Thirteen Reasons Why, I have serious issues with that book.

DNF: Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Ahhh... my very first DNF post. Normally, when I decide to quit a book I just don't bother reviewing it. After all, I didn't finish it so how can I give it a fair review? I'm doing it now because this is one of the books that won my July poll. I had actually been looking forward to this book for along time; the premise sounded interesting, and I'll admit it - the cover totally lured me in.

Basically, three women (along with two little kids) go to a beach house on Nantucket to try to escape their problems for a bit and get themselves sorted out. Vicki is a married mother of two young boys, who just found out that she has lung cancer. Brenda (Vicki's sister) was recently fired from her job as a professor for having a relationship with one of her college students. And Melanie (Vicki's best friend) after being told by her husband that he's having an affair, learns that after years of trying she's finally pregnant. These women meet a young college student named Josh, and together they all try to heal, and enjoy their summer on Nantucket.

That's a whole lotta drama, but it all sounded really interesting. Now, I only got through the first 100 pages (book is about 400 pages), so here's why I'm stopping...

1. All the characters sound the same, including Josh. And there aren't really any chapters, so when the story was switching points of view among the characters it was really confusing.

2. One-fourth of the way in, and I have to say that I don't like any of the characters. Vicki strikes me as really negative, self-centered, and kind of stuck up. Melanie is acting like a doormat - her husband confesses to an affair, and instead of raging at him, kicking him out, and divorcing him, she wallows in self-pity and he moves into the guest bedroom. And while I kind of like Brenda for saying what she's thinking and being honest with herself, I can't sympathize with her too much because of course she caused her own problems.

3. The book (well, at least what I've read) occurs for the most part in each character's head - they're thoughts and responses to what's going on. And yet whenever something interesting started to happen, like two of the women arguing with each other, it was glazed over.

That's pretty much it. I don't mind books about tough issues, but this just wasn't for me. It was at turns boring me and annoying me.

Anyways, for those of you that voted for Barefoot... sorry. But July's almost over, and I have a lot of other books I want to get to. I don't want to spend my time dragging through this one. I am open to trying something else by Elin Hilderbrand though, if anyone has a favorite by her that you can suggest.

Since giving this one up, I decided instead to start Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I'm about half-way through it, so that review should be up in a day or two.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

So, onward with my Outlander-themed re-reads! Keep in mind that this is the third in the series - if you haven't read the first two, it could be pretty spoiler-y.

Also, I own three out of those four covers above... all but the last one, which I believe is the British edition. The plain green is what you find in stores now, but a small part of me really likes the campy old-school covers. This is what happens when I absolutely fall in love with a series though - I will collect has many different copies / editions of the book as possible.

The first time I read Voyager, I didn't like it. The second time I read it, I realized that I actually did like it, and wasn't sure what the deal was with past-Sarah that didn't enjoy it very much. And now on my third time reading it, I have to agree that it actually is one of the best in the series... it's at least as awesome as books 1 & 2.

So at the end of Dragonfly in Amber, Claire, Brianna, and Roger (in 1968) realize that Jamie didn't die at Culloden like they all thought that he did. The first 1/4 of the book contains them all doing further research, to find out if he was still alive - if they could find proof that he was alive roughly 200 years ago, then Claire might be able to travel back through the stones again to him.

That's all the information that the back of the book really gives you... so don't read any farther if you don't want to know what Claire's decision was.


Now seriously, you didn't think this book would be almost 1100 pages long if Claire decided not to go back through the stones, did you? Claire makes the decision to go back and try to find Jamie, so she goes through the stones again and comes out in 1766. Jamie and Claire's being reunited is one of the best things ever - even though this is my third time reading the series, that part of the book totally makes me cry. The reason I think that I didn't originally like this book that much is because from the moment they're reunited, the book gets very hectic. I felt like they never got to take a couple weeks to just catch up and be together. But now I'm all about the fast pace of the book. There's definitely lots of plot, intrigue, and action. Hell, there are PIRATES! Of course that's exciting.

Basically someone dear to Jamie is kidnapped, so Claire and Jamie travel all over the bloody place on a rescue mission. This gets really, really interesting since Jamie is so sea-sick, and almost all of the traveling is on ships. But their adventure also answers some questions that they had, ties off some mysteries / problems, and sets up the next book beautifully.

Some other perks of this book? I love seeing all the different ways in which Jamie and Claire have changed since they've been apart. I love seeing grown-up Fergus. And this book finally clarifies exactly how tall Jamie is - he's 6' 4". I remember debating with the honeyman a while back about how tall Jamie was, so I was excited when I came across that passage.

Anyways, this is a great book in the series. Jamie and Claire are just the best. (I actually miss them when I'm not reading these books.) And despite was Amazon says, it is not the "concluson of a trilogy". There are four more books out, and more to come. I'm already really itching to go re-read the fourth book now, Drums of Autumn, so expect that in the next month or so.

Sarah Says: 5 stars :-)

Come Vote! August Poll is Open!

Okay guys, the time is here to vote for the book you want me to read and review in August! The poll is on the right sidebar, and all the descriptions below come from http://www.goodreads.com/.

Also, here's a good place for a small announcement - starting August 1st, my blog will no longer be at blogspot. My new url is http://www.sarahsaysread.com/, which you can preview now. If you follow me via google friend connect, nothing should change for you because I'm going to switch it to the new site. However if you follow me in a feed reader, visit the new site to subscribe via email, or add the URL to your reader. So whichever book wins this poll, when I read and review it I'll be posting it to my new blog.

So, let's get to the poll choices!

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - the classic pick

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - the contemporary lit pick

"Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer, tapping his radiator each evening to let his upstairs neighbor know he's still alive, drawing attention to himself at the milk counter of Starbucks. But life wasn't always like this: sixty years ago, in the Polish village where he was born, Leo fell in love and wrote a book. And although he doesn't know it, that book also survived: it crossed oceans and generations, and changed lives." Fourteen-year-old Alma was named after a character in that book. She has her hands full keeping track of her little brother Bird (who thinks he might be the Messiah) and taking copious notes in her book, How to Survive in the Wild Volume Three. But when a mysterious letter arrives in the mail she undertakes an adventure to find her namesake and save her family.

Redwall by Brian Jacques - the childhood pick

As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. This dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with all the wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure of the other books in the collection, but has the added bonus of taking the reader right back to the heart and soul of Redwall Abbey and the characters who live there.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - the sci-fi pick

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.
Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - the re-read pick

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do...

Annnnddd..... VOTE!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Teens Should Be Required to Read

Hey ya'll! So today is a good day for two reasons: Firstly, it's the 2nd day of me & the honeyman's 4 Year Anniversary! (Yes, our anniversary is actually 3 days long... I'll tell that story some other time). So you know, yay :-) Secondly, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week's topic is awesome, and I might have trouble limiting myself to only ten picks... it's Ten Books That Should Be Required Reading for Teens.

(Also it should be noted that while a lot of these books are suggested reading for teens now, I never read any of them in school. How the hell that happened, I have no idea.)

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: This book is kind of kick-ass. In a world where kids are trained for battle, Ender himself stands out. I'd make kids read this to teach them to be compassionate and nice, but to defend themselves against bullies. I think the issue of bullies today is really being blow out of proportion, but this book shows what you should do if another kid is beating you for no reason.

2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: I just recently read this book, and am obsessed with how much I love it. I think it'd be an important read for teen girls, and it addresses so many issues - beauty, race, gender identity, sexuality, pressure from parents and society, etc... and I think it'd be interesting to see what teen boys could learn from it.

3. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: An awesome book about a really important civil rights figure. Middle schools annoyingly tend to skip Malcolm X and instead harp on and on about MLK Jr., so by the time teens get to high school they should be able to learn about another side of the same issues. Also, one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. It's interesting, thought-provoking, and really illuminating.

4. any Jane Austen book: I wasn't exposed to Austen until I was 22 or something crazy like that. Instead of high schools trying to focus on Shakespeare, they should go the route of Austen instead and leave Shakespeare for college students. That way they're still exposing teens to classic lit and an older version of language, but it's just easier. Plus, it would give the teen boys a hint to be more like the Austen heroes :-)

5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Do I really even need to explain this one?

6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: A good and really interesting book about what it'd be like to live in a world where you aren't allowed to read books. Hopefully will give the teens an appreciation for books and the ability to read them.

7. Anthem by Ayn Rand: Yes, Rand is kind of a controversial author. But I think that for teens, this could be a really important read. It's about someone living in a uniform society, where everyone is the same, and discovering the idea that he is an individual.

8. 1984 by George Orwell: Can you tell yet that I'm a big fan of teens reading classics and dystopians?

9. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman: One of my high school teachers gave me this book to read, and stupidly I ignored him. I read it like 7 years later, and it was really good. Definitely makes you contemplate time and such, and I think it'd be good to get more teens thinking about complex scientific issues.

10. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin: About a visitor coming to a planet where there are no genders. Can you even contemplate what it would be like to live in a genderless society? Exactly.

OKAY, I have to go over ten... these are some others that should be suggested reading for teens... Harry Potter, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Giver by Lois Lowry (duh), The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Lamb by Christopher Moore, The Princess Bride by William Goldman... okay I think I've run out of steam now.

Also... here are the books that I think teens should NEVER be subjected to. Why some of them are forced on high school kids, I'll never know.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton: The only book I've ever read that makes a very good case FOR adultery, and it has possibly the stupidest suicide method ever.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: Ohmygod, I think teens are whiny enough, thank you very much. Although maybe this would give them a taste of their own medicine and make them less whiny. Hmmm....

Moby Dick by Herman Melville: Unless you want teens to end up hating reading, of course.

Go Ask Alice by "Anonymous": This is so obviously some adult trying to scare kids away from drugs. And I hate to tell you, but teens are not stupid enough to swallow this crap. I read it in high school and was insulted that my teachers thought I would believe such a blatant scare tactic.


Anyways, what do you think teens should or should not be required to read?

Borders Likely Closing - and here starts the beginning of a new era

As some of you may have heard, Borders is once again in trouble. According to this WSJ article, unless a miracle happens it's likely that a group of liquidators will purchase Borders at auction on Tuesday and Borders will go out of business for good. Hell, even if a miracle happens it's only likely to be a temporary solution, keeping Borders alive for another year or two. So here is my thoughts and rants... I'm warning you, I'm pissed.

Borders is my favorite bookstore. It has an awesome membership program, and a good selection. My older sis Heather and I often go there to hang out and drink coffee and buy books. In fact, it's the first place I go to when a new book comes out that I want. So I cannot even articulate how much it's depressing me that by the end of the week, the approx. 400 Borders stores left might be closing.

Now, if Barnes and Noble were closing I would be bummed, because the loss of a bookstore is always a tragic thing. It would mean that there would be NO more bookstores in any of the malls in my area. But Barnes and Noble has been really lacking to me lately - their customer service isn't great, their coupons aren't very good, their membership program sucks. And all they do now is focus on the stupid Nook.

And yes, I'm blaming the closing of Borders for the most part on e-readers. Seems to me that once Borders closes, all other major chain bookstores are next in line. I can so easily see the only bookstores being left in my area only being small, used ones. And eventually not even those existing, and I'll have to hoard all the real print books that I can because they won't even be made anymore. I HATE the stupid digital age.

I understand that some of you think that's extreme, but I don't think so. After all, 4 years ago when the Kindle came out, I said that I thought it would put bookstores out of business. And here we are - Borders is likely closing. Barnes and Noble is still around mainly because they've thrown all their weight behind the damn Nook. But if the Nook is what's saving it right now, then I'm sure the company will realize that B&N can exist completely online and start closing some of it's stores.

I don't understand the public's obsession with e-readers. Were real books actually SO inconvenient to you that you had to purchase a $100-$300 device to download digital books instead? Even ignoring the large cost of the actual e-reader device, e-books aren't really cheaper. A mass market book that's normally $7.99 is still $7.99 on the Kindle, from what I've seen. Trades and hardcovers might be slightly cheaper, but printing a coupon and going to a real bookstore would save you even more money. Yes, you can buy a couple books for only 99 cents. You could also not be lazy and go to a used bookstore or sale and find used books for 99 cents. And for gods' sake, if you bought a print book it would actually be YOURS. You could literally hold it in your hand, and say "This is mine, and only fire or flood could take it away from me." Despite the various promises that these companies make about the e-books being yours, there's nothing stopping them from changing their minds and deleting them. Or their systems could crash. Or your computer could crash. Your e-reader could break and your warranty has expired and you need to buy a whole new stupid e-reader. Or a freaking solar flare could put ALL technology out of commission, and you wouldn't have access to your precious e-books anymore. My only regret in that case is that I wouldn't be able to go online and say "HAHA! I still have all my books!"

I understand that some e-reader owners love being able to download a book, right away. But you could also get in the car and drive to your local bookstore or library, right away. And when has it been proven that what's faster/easier is better? Drive-through fast food places should have squashed that notion ages ago.

I just don't get it. I've seen a TON of people say that while they prefer print books, they like their e-readers too. Well, I think it's time that you picked a side and stuck to it. But unfortunately, so many people are obsessed with their gadgets that it's likely real bookstores and eventually real books will become extinct. Again, is that so far-fetched? After all, it's been talked about for ages that newspapers are pretty much dying because everyone uses the internet. Why should it be any different for books?

So there, I've finally said it. E-readers SUCK. E-books SUCK. I've said it before in much nicer terms, because I didn't want to alienate any of my readers. But it's my blog, and I'm speaking my mind. And I am pissed off. If you love your e-reader that much, fine. If you don't want to read my blog anymore because I've offended your e-reading sensibilities, cool. I'm sick of holding back my disgust with the whole e-reading movement.

In the meantime, I'm probably going to go on crazy book buying splurges, trying to collect as many good books as I can before publishers decide it's just not worth printing real books anymore. And before bookstores shut their doors forever. And authors, I am refusing to read your book if it's only available in e-book format. I've recently made exceptions and read cheap e-books by my fave authors on my computer because they weren't available any other way. Not doing that anymore. If you want real readers, print real books. I get that you want to keep up with the times, but think long and hard about the history and importance of the printed word in our society.

Borders, if you're closing for good, I'm seriously going to miss you. I've tried showing my support lately by buying books at your store, and by being a Borders Rewards Plus member. I've given away Borders gift cards here before. And if you're not closing soon, seems like you'll be closing later.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I finished this book last night (and for those of you who voted, this was one of the poll winners for July). I've been having trouble trying to fit all the fabulous-ness of this book into an articulate review, but I'll try.

So the book is about an airplane of 50 Miss Teen Dream pageant contestants flying overseas for a photo-shoot and whatnot, and then their plane crashes on a remote island. The prologue does an AWESOME job at describing the moments before the crash, as well as establishing that the U.S. is run by "The Corporation" and they kind of rule everything, and they want to promote a vain, materialistic, dumbed-down society.

At first the girls all seem stupid and annoying, though funnily so. There are about 12 to 15 survivors, and the majority of them are more worried about practicing their routines than trying to survive, because they're convinced that they'll be saved soon enough. (I know, I know. It sounds just like Lost. They even make a funny reference to Lost in the book.)

The chapters are interspersed with "fun fact sheets" about each of the main character survivors, as well as glimpses into some members of The Corporation and some really hilarious commercial interruptions. Soon the characters realize that rescue is taking too long and they start to take a more proactive role in trying to survive - building huts, finding food and water, etc. And we learn more about each character - her history, hopes, dreams, feelings, etc. There's a lot more to these girls than you'd think, and they start to bond over they're struggles to survive as well as their feelings about pageanting and being a girl. How they feel like they always have something to apologize for, or always feel the need to be the absolute best. How their parents push them to pageant. They develop a strong sense of togetherness, and together they have to battle like hell to make it off the island.

I grew to genuinely like all of the main characters, but in particular my favorites were Adina, Tiara, and Mary Lou.

This book is basically a kick-ass promotion of feminism. It takes satirical jabs at society and the way marketing in the media is aimed at girls to make them feel too skinny/fat/ugly so that they buy more and more products. It makes fun of pop culture and reality TV. The book tackles tough issues for younger girls such as being gay, being transgender, feeling stupid, the idea of a girl needing to be "pure", racism, self-esteem, female bonding, safe sex, etc. But Bray does all this in such a great way. It's a really fun read, but at the same time it's thought-provoking and smart.

Anyways, I can go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book. It was so good that when I finished, I wanted to skim through it again and relive all my favorite parts. I tweeted lines that struck me as amusing while I read. And this will definitely be one of the next books that I buy. It's already on my re-read list for next year. I hope it can make it permanently onto summer reading lists everywhere.

So, you know. Go read it.

Sarah Says: 5 stars. Awesome.

Stay by Allie Larkin

Hey all. OK so Steph from StephTheBookworm and I are lucky enough to live in the same city, and recently Steph asked via Facebook if any of her friends were interested in forming a book club with her. Since I've never been in a real life book club before, I signed up pronto. Our first meeting is at the end of this month, and the book we all chose was Stay by local author Allie Larkin.

Stay is about Savannah "Van" Leone, who just watched her two best friends Peter and Janie get married. The problem is that Van's been in love with Peter since they first met about 6 years ago. After the newlyweds take off for their honeymoon, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid & vodka and watched reruns of Rin Tin Tin, and accidentally (drunkenly) orders a German Shepherd puppy online. Though he's bigger than she was counting on, she names him Joe and starts to get over her heartbreak.

Joe is an adorable puppy, and my favorite parts of the book were about him. He only responds to commands in Slovak, he's big and goofy, and he's instantly fills the role of girl's best friend.

Van on the other hand... she's not my favorite character. At first, I really liked her. I sympathized with her and her night of getting smashed on Kool-Aid vodka was kind of hilarious. But throughout the book it became obvious that she kind of causes her own problems, and I didn't see any character growth from her during the book. And here's why she didn't grow as a character... (highlight to read the spoilers)

Everything is handed to her on a silver platter. Van causes her own problems by constantly getting drunk and lying when she should just be honest. She "loves" Peter even though he has no real redeemable qualities and in fact acts like an ass pretty much the whole time. And any problem that Van has to face is instantly solved for her... she gets $175,000 to leave Peter alone, which she should have been doing anyways. She accidentally buys a $6000 dog, and has to move out of her condo because of it, but all of that is no problem since she has this huge check. A too-perfect vet named Alex falls for her, and hooks her up with a house at half the market price (only $40,000) and even though she lies to Alex, he of course decides to forgive her without any explanation for her behavior. She gets to stay friends with Peter (not realistic at all), she makes up with Janie, and even makes up with Janie's mother, who she's had issues with ever since childhood. All of this seemed WAY too easy and honestly, since Van didn't really have to work for any of it, I don't think deserved such a happy ending.

Anyways, I would have been happier if the book focused more on her relationship with Joe and dealing with his crazy puppy antics. Van and her personal life were just a little too frustrating for my taste.

I did overall like the book. I enjoyed the references to Rochester, my home town (YAY Wegmans!). And the book was a really quick read. I'll gladly try out the next book that Larkin publishes, because I really did enjoy her writing. And the characters she creates were really memorable. There's a secondary character named Louis that just cracked me up. If you're a fan of chick-lit (I'm thinking along the lines of the Shopaholic series), then you'll probably enjoy this. If you're considering this because you're a dog-lover or pet-owner, you might want to take a pass.

Sarah Says: 3.5 stars

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I'd Like to Shake Hands With

Yay, it's Tuesday! Time for Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the fabulous peeps over at The Broke & The Bookish! This week's topic is Top Ten Authors You'd Die to Meet.

Here's the thing though - I'm not the type that is dying to have convos with many, if any, authors. I wouldn't really know what to say, and I'd feel too awkward asking questions, if I could even think of good questions to ask. I'm the type of reader who would like to have an author sign my book, shake my hand, and maybe take a picture with me. But I'd just feel horribly awkward actually having like lunch with any of them, ya know? So these are the Top Ten Authors I'd Like to Shake Hands With.

1. Diana Gabaldon: She's the author of my most favorite series ever, Outlander. It's very unlikely that I'll ever be lucky enough to see Diana in person, since she resides in Arizona and what are the chances that she'll never come up north to my own little area of New York? However, a local bookstore in her town, The Poisoned Pen, allows you to request autographed copies of her books. You can have her personalize it and everything. They take the orders, and I think she comes to their store regularly to sign the books so they can be shipped out. I'm thinking of asking the honeyman to arrange a signed copy of Outlander for me for Christmas :-)

2. Christopher Moore: OK Chris Moore is probably the author I'd be most comfortable hanging out with, because he seems absolutely hysterical. His books never fail to make me laugh. Again, not likely that I'll ever get to meet him because I think he lives in Hawaii. But me and the honeyman want to move to Hawaii someday... and I actually have cousins that live there. So who knows, maybe I'll get my chance someday after all!

3. Jesse Petersen: She's the author of the Living With the Dead series that I've become oh-so-fond of lately. And I've actually had the honor of corresponding with her via email so that I could review a collection of short stories she's coming out with (In the Dead: Volume 1). Jesse seems like a really fun person, I'd definitely like to meet her IRL someday.

4. J.K. Rowling: Well duh. I don't have any deep, insightful questions to ask the queen of one of the best series ever. I'd just like to see her, maybe take a picture with her. She seems like a relatively private person anyways.

5. Jennifer Crusie: One of my favorite modern romance authors! I'd actually love it if me and my friend Doni could both meet her and take pics with her. And I might have to try to beg her to write another book about the Bet Me characters... I don't think I could resist.

6. Jane Austen: Well yeah, she's not living anymore. But it'd be cool to see her in today's world and her reactions to how skanky everything is nowadays.

7. The Brontes: Samesies for the Brontes, although they seemed a lot more open to the kind of wickedness that goes on today. I bet halter tops would come as a surprise to them, but they seemed to acknowledge that there's darkness and adultery and stuff in their world. Also, I want to see if Charlotte is really the snob I kind of think she is. And I really want to meet Anne, cause she's my fave. And I want to sympathize with Emily for only being able to publish one novel before she died.

8. Kristin Cashore: Dude, her books Graceling and Fire are AWESOME. And I follow her blog, and she seems like a cool chick. She takes trapeze lessons!

9. Patrick Rothfuss: His Kingkiller Chronicle books are ah-freaking-mazing. And his blog is kind of hilarious. I bet he'd be a really cool and laid-back guy to meet.

10. Sarah Addison Allen: S.A.A. takes the cake for magical realism novels. She was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, so besides the fact that it'd be cool to meet her, I'd also wish her well and hope she's feeling better.

Thanks to the digital age, it's possible to get in contact with almost all of these authors via their websites, blogs, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. And as cool and awesome as that is, I would still love to be able to meet these authors and more face-to-face. (Well, except Austen & the Brontes cause I bet they're pretty much just dust right now and that'd be gross. But you know what I mean.) Hopefully I'll get to go to more book festivals and stuff in the coming years and get to meet some of these cool people.

Cause technology just can't replace real-life experiences.

Readathon Winners!

OK guys, I just wanted to thank everybody for joining me for the Summer Mini-Readathon. It was SO much fun, I'm so happy that you guys participated and that I got to get to know all of you a little bit better. I'm already really excited about doing a Winter Mini-Readathon sometime in January, so keep your eyes peeled during the next several months for info on that, okay?

All of the winners for the prizes were chosen using random.org. And here they are...

For Heather's Bonus mini-challenge at All You Need Designs, the winner is....

Bookbelle!

Belle, please visit Heather's site here to contact her about receiving that cute bookmark!


And now for the Amazon e-gift card winners!

The 1st prize winner of the $30 Amazon e-gift card is...

Pepca at Beyond Strange New Words

The 2nd & 3rd prize winners will each receive a $10 Amazon gift card! They are...

Jenna (goodaljm) at The World of YA

and

Laura at Devouring Texts

*** Pepca, Jenna, and Laura - I need you guys to email me at sarahmay227@gmail.com within the next 48 hours so that I can send you your Amazon e-gift cards! ***


Again, thank you EVERYBODY who participated!

In the Dead: Volume 1 by Jesse Petersen

(There isn't a picture yet for In the Dead: Volume 1, so here's a picture of my beloved books in the zombie-fun series Living With the Dead!)

I've been gushing about author Jesse Petersen and her Living With the Dead series for a long while now. (In fact, click to see my reviews for book 1, book 2, and book 3.) This has become a favorite series of mine, about married couple Sarah and David battling zombies and saving their marriage during the zombie outbreak that occurs in the Northwest of the U.S. in 2010. So when Jesse Petersen tweeted one that day she would send a PDF copy of her new collection of short stories coming out to book bloggers that were interested, I jumped at the chance.

In the Dead: Volume 1 is a collection of 9 short stories set in the same zombie-apocalypse world as her LWTD series, but with new characters. Per her website, it will be released on August 1, 2011. I believe it will only be available in e-book format, though I could be wrong about that. And while it's not available on Amazon yet, it should show up there around the end of this month.

I really, really enjoyed getting these peek into other survivors' lives, and seeing other parts of the U.S. during the outbreak. Throughout the LWTD series, there are rumors of a Mid-West Wall that was erected and it's rumored that there are no zombies on the other side. In two of the short stories here, we actually get a glimpse of life on the other side of the Wall!

Overall, these stories are a great addition to this zombified world that Jesse has created. My favorites were...

...Bonewrecker 2, in which we meet a kid who misses the first days of the zombie apocalypse because he's a video game addict.

...I Call It Lost Wages, in which we meet Sam and Troy - two survivors traveling together to try to find a safe place. (I would be really interested in seeing their story expanded, I sense some romance there.)

...They're the Lions Now, in which we meet two brothers living on the other side of the Wall.

...and Reality Bites, in which reality TV takes a zombified-turn. I could totally see this happening if a zombie outbreak really occurred!

The great thing about Jesse's zombie books is that she can be funny, scary, or really thoughtful when it comes to the zombie apocalypse. One minute you're laughing about a zombie bridezilla, and the next you're contemplating humanity and the wonder at people helping each other out during such a scary time. There's just so much to explore.

While I'm still really craving a new novel in the LWTD series (I love Sarah and David), these short stories are a great way to get my zombie-world fix until then.

Also, since In the Dead: Volume 1 isn't available for purchase yet on Amazon, I'll make sure to post the link to it when it is :-)

Sarah Says: 4 stars



*Disclaimer: I accepted an advance PDF copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation for said review.

Two Mini-Reviews

So, for those of you that know me or have been following my blog awhile, you know that I dislike e-readers and I'm not a fan of the whole e-book movement. I really, really prefer IRL paper books. And I will always be willing to spend more on a paper book than on an e-book. Seriously, if I have the choice to buy either of these books in paperback form, even though they're super short stories, I'd do it. I'd pay regular mass market paperback price. Because I'm weird like that.

There are two authors that I am a big fan of that have put out short stories that are only available in e-book format. Jesse Petersen recently published a short story about the big-shot media during the zombie apocalypse, and Heather Webber put out a short story about one of my favorite romance characters, Lucy Valentine.

And because I adore these authors and really wanted to read these stories, I downloaded Kindle-for-PC onto the laptop and bought these e-books. They only cost me $3 total, but again I would've paid more if I could buy them in paper copies. Anyways, here are my mini-reviews for these mini e-books.


I adore Jesse Petersen's Living With the Dead series, and this book takes place in the same zombie-apocalypse setting but with different characters. Avery Andrews is a tv director, and is filming a telethon to get people to donate money going to research for "The Outbreak". It appears that some sort of sickness starting in the Northwest and is heading for L.A., but it couldn't actually reach the city of stars, could it?

I liked Avery, the main character. She had a cool head on her shoulders, and it was interesting to see one person's perspective on the walking dead reaching such a major city. Also, we get to see a little bit more about the zombie outbreak - symptoms, the time frame it takes to change, etc. Definitely worth the read if you enjoy the Living With the Dead series.

Heather Webber's series about Lucy Valentine is adorable. (These are cute romance novels about a girl with unusual psychic abilities solving mysteries and trying to date her handsome co-worker.) This mini-book is a short scene in which Lucy shares with her best friends just exactly how she thought she lost her inherent psychic ability, but then rediscovered that it wasn't lost, just changed. It was nice to get the specifics on that, and to visit Lucy while I'm waiting for a new novel in the series.

These e-books were so short that I'm not going to do my usual star rating on them. But I enjoyed them both, and they were welcome additions to some of my favorite series. If you haven't read anything by these authors before, I highly recommend them.

Mini-Readathon Last Challenge!

Well folks, I can't believe it went this quickly but here is the end of my 12-hour mini-readathon! Tomorrow will be spent working on reviews for what I read and visiting blogs and commenting on your posts. Tuesday morning will be spent on seeing who completed which mini-challenges, and picking and announcing the winners of the Amazon gift cards, as well as announcing the winner for my sister's bonus mini-challenge. Again, winners will be chosen randomly.

I want to thank my lovely sister Heather for hosting her bonus challenge / giveaway, and I want to thank the awesome Jenn for hosting her cover-themed mini-challenge. You guys rock :-)

Just as a reminder, you do have until 6 PM Eastern time tomorrow to complete whatever mini-challenges you want.

I had a lot of fun today, and thank you to everyone who signed up and who participated. It was amazing, and I'm definitely thinking of hosting a Winter Mini-Readathon in January :-)

SOOOOO, here is your last mini-challenge! It's a simple end-of-the-event survey. I'm A) a little lazy and B) having some issues with Mr. Linky right now for some reason, so you can either answer the questions below in a comment, or you can answer them in a blog post, and then leave a comment with a link to your post.

1. How many books and/or pages were you able to read?

2. About how many hours were you able to read for? (Were there many distractions, breaks, etc?)

3. Do you have any likes/dislikes about the 12-hour readathon, compared to a 24-hour readathon?

4. Favorite and least favorite books that you read today?

5. Do you have any suggestions for things you'd like me to do differently if I host another mini-readathon?

Thanks again everyone! And goodnight!

Mini-Readathon #4! ( I think? I'm losing count.)

Hey guys :-) OK I don't have any real updates this time. I'm about 100 pages into Beauty Queens, but I'm really liking it. It's made me laugh a few times already.

OK, so here's the next mini-challenge. Take a picture (using your camera, webcam, phone... whatever) of where you're reading today for the readathon, or your favorite places to read. Put the pictures in a post, link the post up in the Mr. Linky below, and wa-la! You've completed yet another entry for the gift card prizes at the end :-)

Just for funsies, here's the pics of the places in my apartment I like to read.

This is in the dining room, I spent the first part of the readathon sitting there reading short stories on the Kindle-for-PC. Kinda hurt my eyes after a while, but I like reading at the table.

This is the comfy couch that I like to lay on when I read. Especially during the day, because we get a lot of light through the windows. And the A/C is right there.

I don't read in the bedroom, cause we don't have a bed in there and it's not really comfy. And I don't read in the spare room where I keep all of my books. I cannot wait to get a futon in there. It'll be reading room heaven.

Anyways, link up! And see you folks in 3 hours for the last mini-challenge! How sad :-(

Mini-Readathon BONUS CHALLENGE!

Hello fellow readathoners! This is a BONUS challenge, conducted by my fabulous sister Heather over at All You Need Designs. When I told her I was hosting my own readathon, she instantly offered to do a mini-challenge and giveaway a beaded bookmark! (So please note - this is seperate from my mini-challenges that count as entries for the gift card prizes.)

To win this ADORABLE handmade bookmark, go over to Heather's blog and follow her instructions. (You have until 6 PM Eastern Time tomorrow to enter.) It's easy-peasy, I promise. The winner of the bookish bookmark will be announced on Tuesday!

I'll be back in an hour for the 4th mini-challenge :-)