I'm not really sure what happened to the February feature, but I'm back for March with a whole lot of great titles.
In My Mailbox #18
In My Mailbox explores the books I received during the week. If you would to have your own "In My Mailbox" post, you can find more information at The Story Siren.
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
1st August 2009 | Allen & Unwin
Ava Simpson is trying on a whole new image.Stripping the black dye from her hair, she heads off to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, leaving her uber-cool girlfriend, Chloe, behind. Ava is quickly taken under the wing of perky, popular Alexis, who insists that: a) she's a perfect match for handsome Ethan, and b) she absolutely must audition for the school musical.
But while she's busy trying to fit in - with Chloe, with Alexis and her Pastel friends, even with the misfits in the stage crew - Ava fails to notice that her shiny reinvented life is far more fragile than she imagined.
A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy
4th May 2010 | Disney Hyperion Books
When best friends Dessy and Veronica arrive in Prague for a prestigious writing workshop, their priorities diverge. Dessy, fragile from a recent breakup, has come to mend her broken heart by honing her craft. Veronica has just dumped her boyfriend and plans to blow off the workshop. She’d rather master a different subject—boys. Veronica gets right to work on her “man-wall”— one paper cutout for every hot-dude she meets— and embarks on her mission to cover a wall of their dorm by summer’s end.
At times, Dessy thinks her friend might be a genius. At others, Veronica seems more like an agent of chaos. As if their love lives weren’t complicated enough, soon a homicidal suitemate is bent on killing Veronica and Dessy, and both girls are hiding secrets that could wreck their friendship. Well, no one ever said breaking hearts was a simple craft. . . .
Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
29th June 2009 | Penguin Books
Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café.
Surfing is the one thing she loves doing ... and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago.
Then she meets Ryan and Carly has to decide ... Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?
Stephenie Meyer: The Unauthorized Biography of the Creator of the Twilight Saga
by Marc Shapiro
by Emily Maguire
by Patti Smith
Q: What was the first book that got you addicted to reading?
In My Mailbox #17
In My Mailbox explores the books I received during the week. If you would to have your own "In My Mailbox" post, you can find more information at The Story Siren.
As I leaped and kicked, taking care to be perfectly in line, I felt a quickening in my chest, a secret dance in my heart. I just had to get through rehearsal and the game itself, then I would finally get to talk to him . . .
Saph's life is pretty perfect. At sixteen, she's already doing what she loves: dancing in a cheerleading squad for a professional basketball team.
So when she gets a Valentine from her secret crush, all her dreams seem to be within reach. But the harder Saph dances after her dreams, the more her real life starts to get in the way. Worst of all, the Valentine turns out to be a hoax. Humiliated and angry, Saph and her best friend, Summer, are determined to get revenge.
A funny, energetic story about forgetting the moves and remembering what's important.
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
29th September 2009 | Feiwel & Friends
It's Jessie's sophomore year of high school. A self-professed 'mathelete,' she isn't sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . .
Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way - the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes?
If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
1st February 1999 | MTV
Standing on the fringes of life...
offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph
5th May 2009 | MTV
High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out -- doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather.
When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T -- and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize -- Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare....
by Melissa de la Cruz
Invisible I (The Amanda Project, #1) by Stella Lennon
Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell
Lady Gaga: "Just Dance" - The Biography by Helia Phoenix
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty
Q: Where do you get most of your books from and how do you first hear about them?
Books vs Movies // Uglies
Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series is going to be made into a movie by the developers of the recent Dear John book to movie adaptation.
Industry sources have confirmed to MTV News exclusively that Screen Gems, in the wake of the success of its current release “Dear John,” is developing — and in fact, fast tracking (!) — a film version of “The Uglies” series.While there haven’t been any decisions made regarding things like casting yet, we can tell you that our source said production of the movie is planned for later this year. That means we will all hopefully know soon enough who could be playing the beloved teen Tally Youngblood in the futuristic, meaningful tale about a dystopian society that places an incredible emphasis on looks.
Uglies has been on my wishlist for quite some time now and I will definately be putting it on the top of my wishlist with the news of a movie being made, the great thing is the series is so popular I can pick it up at my local library.
Too 100 Young Adult books
April from Good Books and Wine is putting together a list of the top 100 Young Adult books as compiled by book bloggers. I think this is a great idea and I can't wait to see the finalised list on March 19th.
Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks
A teenager whose life is dominated by her drug problems recounts in her diary her experiences from her indoctrination into the world of drugs to three weeks before her death.
Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
When someone starts stalking high school junior Camelia, everyone at school assumes that it is Ben, who is new at school and rumored to have killed his previous girlfriend, but Camelia is nevertheless inexplicably drawn to him.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
It's been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents' divorce-or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
Life As We Knew It (Moon, #1) by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
When she is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, high school senior Ruby winds up living with her sister Cora, whom she has not seen for ten years, where she learns about Cora's new life, what makes a family, how to allow people to help her when she needs it, and that she has something to offer others as well.
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad's obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany's lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?
She's So Money by Cherry Cheva
Maya, a high school senior bound for Stanford University, goes against her better judgement when she and a popular but somewhat disreputable boy start a profitable school-wide cheating ring in order to save her family's Thai restaurant, which she fears will be shut down due to her irresponsible actions.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
After fifteen-year-old Liz Hall is hit by a taxi and killed, she finds herself in a place that is both like and unlike Earth, where she must adjust to her new status and figure out how to "live."
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life.
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
When Naomi tries to piece back the fragments of the last three and a half years of her life, she discovers she has a boyfriend she can't remember, her mother and father are divorced, she and her mother have fallen out, and she has a group of friends she's just not sure she likes anymore.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
A high-intensity love story of two teenagers who fall into an accidental first date of music, laughter, heartache, confusion, passion, taxi driver wisdom . . . and share the kind of night you want to never end, when every minute counts and every moment flickers between love and disaster. All to a killer soundtrack.
Waiting on Wednesday #7
The Karma Club by Jessica Brody
27th April 2010 | Farrar Strauss Giroux
"Personally, I’m tired of waiting for the universe to get off its butt and start fixing stuff. I don’t want to wait around for Mason to get what’s coming to him. Or Heather Campbell, for that matter . . . I want to be there to see it happen."
Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. It’s that mysterious, powerful force that brings harmony to the universe. You know—do good things and you will be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what’s coming to you. A sort of cosmic balancing act.
But when Mason Brooks, Maddy’s boyfriend of two years, gets caught tongue-wrestling with Miss Perfect Body Heather Campbell, and absolutely nothing happens to either of them—except that they wind up the hot new couple of Colonial High School, it seems like Karma has officially left Maddy in the lurch. That’s why Maddy and her best friends, Angie and Jade, decide to start the Karma Club—a secret, members-only organization whose sole purpose is to clean up the messes that the universe has been leaving behind. Whether they’re modifying Heather Campbell’s acne cream as part of “Operation Butterface,” or righting a few wrongs when it comes to Angie and Jade’s own slimy exes, they know they’re just doing what Karma should have done in the first place. They’re taking care of one another.
Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. Because it turns out, when you mess with Karma, Karma messes back. Now Maddy must find a way to balance her life for good, even as everything around her seems to be toppling to the ground.
In My Mailbox #15
In My Mailbox explores the books I received during the week. If you would like to have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information at The Story Siren.
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
4th May 2009 | ChickenHouse
Gemma, 16, is on layover at Bangkok Airport, en route with her parents to a vacation in Vietnam. She steps away for just a second, to get a cup of coffee. Ty--rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar--pays for Gemma's drink. And drugs it.
They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. The unknowing object of a long obsession, Gemma has been kidnapped by her stalker and brought to the desolate Australian Outback.
STOLEN is her gripping story of survival, of how she has to come to terms with her living nightmare--or die trying to fight it.
This is an intriguing YA urban fantasy in the tradition of Holly Black and Wicked Lovely. Set in New Zealand, Ellie's main concerns at her boarding school are hanging out with her best friend Kevin, her crush on the mysterious Mark, and her paper deadline.
That is, until a mysterious older woman seems to set her sights on Kevin, who is Maori, and has more than just romantic plans for him. In an effort to save him, Ellie is thrown into the world of Maori lore, and eventually finds herself in an all-out war with mist dwelling Maori fairy people called the patupaiarehe who need human lives to gain immortality.
The strong, fresh voice of the narrator will pull readers in, along with all the deliciously scary details: the serial killer who removes victim's eyes; the mysterious crazy bum who forces a Bible on Ellie telling her she needs it; handsome, mysterious Mark who steals the Bible from her and then casts a forgetting charm on her. All of this culminates in a unique, incredible adventure steeped with mythology, Maori fairies, monsters, betrayal, and an epic battle.
Private (Private, #1) by Kate Brian
27th June 2006 | Simon Pulse
Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisible
Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.
Until she meets the Billings Girls.
They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.
Reed uses every part of herself -- the good, the bad, the beautiful -- to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.
The Returners by by Gemma Malley
2nd March 2010 | Bloomsbury
London teenager Will Hodge is miserable. His mother is dead, his father's political leanings have grown radical, and his friends barely talk to him. To top it off, he's having nightmares about things like concentration camps.
Then Will notices he's being followed by a group of people who claim to know him from another time in history. It turns out they are Returners, reincarnated people who carry with them the memory of atrocities they have witnessed in the past.
Will realizes that he, too, is a Returner. But something about his memories is different, and with dawning horror, Will suspects that he wasn't just a witness to the events, he was instrumental in making them happen.
Set in the near future, with the world on the verge of a new wave of ethnic cleansing, Will must choose to confront the cruelty he's known in his past lives, or be doomed to repeat it . . . again.
Sweet Life (Girlfriend Fiction, #7) by Rebecca Lim | A Letter from Luisa (Girlfriend Fiction, #16) by Rowena Mohr
In My Mailbox #14
In My Mailbox explores the books I received during the week. If you would like to have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information at The Story Siren.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
2nd March 2010 | HarperCollins
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High - from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death - and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
Q: What book-to-movie are you looking forward to seeing?
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