Saturday, April 30, 2011

LORD OF THE FLIES



LORD OF THE FLIES

by William Golding

1954

178 Pages
Summary taken from Good Reads:
William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.

My Thoughts:

I'm not going to try to write a review for a classic book that has had a million reviews written for it. I really can't do it justice. I will say that I very much enjoyed this little book. Its 178 pages pack a punch. Although this book is not traditionally thought of as a Young Adult novel it is usually considered required reading for high school students in schools across America.

In my quest to read 100 Classics in 5 years I choose Lord of the Flies for two reasons. First, I didn't read it in high school, instead was given The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway(In my humble opinion this would have been much exciting). Second, based on everything I've read and heard about Lord of the Flies I thought it sounded like a good Young Adult cross-over. After reading it I absolutely think any Young Adult who liked Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins would enjoy this classic novel.
Unfortunately the copy that I checked out from my library contains a foreword that gives away all the major things that happen the story. So reader be warned-if you don't want to know-skip the foreword.

If you are looking for a good classic to pick up, give this one a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Friday, April 29, 2011

SOMETHING, MAYBE


SOMETHING, MAYBE
By Elizabeth Scott
Pages- 217
2010
Summary from Good Reads:

Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat.
Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's 'girlfriends' and is now the star of her own website.
After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar . . . and that's just how she likes it. Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants only what she wants may not be what she needs. . . .

My Thoughts:
A predictable but enjoyable, fun read.
Seventeen year old Hannah is trying to get through high school in a small town without attracting too much attention. That's really hard to do when your father lives a Hugh Heffner like life style complete with multiple young girlfriends and a reality show. Not to mention your mother earns a living with a web cam show of her own, scantily clad in lingerie. Unfortunately, most of Hannah's classmates know exactly who her parents are and what they do for a living. Keeping a low profile is very hard to do.
Although I found the story predictable concerning the romance part of Hannah's life I truly enjoyed the characters of Hannah and her mom Candy. Candy is a single mom trying her best to raise Hannah and recover from a tragic loss. Hannah has had to grow up fast because of certain situations concerning her parents. Their relationship felt deep, complex and genuine. There were parts of the book that pulled at my heart strings and made me smile.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Something, Maybe and currently have another book from author Elizabeth Scott sitting on my shelf-Love You, Hate You, Miss You. I have no doubt I'll enjoy that one too.

AUDREY,WAIT!



AUDREY, WAIT!

By Robin Benway

2008

313 Pages


Summary from Good Reads:
When her ex writes a break-up song about her that rockets up the charts, Audrey is suddenly famous--she can't go out without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi. Readers can take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, confronts her ex on MTV, and shows the world who she really is. Its the song everyone's singing. And its about her! But for Audrey, becoming famous overnight equals total, life-changing disaster.

My Thoughts:

What a fun, fast-paced read! Our story- Wait, Audrey opens as she is breaking up with her boyfriend Evan. A normal teenage romance coming to an end. A breakup with little drama and hardly any tears-but Opps! Audrey forgets that Evan is the lead singer of a small town local band The Do-Gooders and he writes an excellent song about their breakup titled Wait,Audrey! Suddenly the song is a hit! It's getting played on local radio stations and climbing the Billboard charts. Suddenly everyone has heard of The Do-Gooders and unfortunately Audrey. She becomes an unwilling celebrity. America's most loved/hated girlfriend. Everyone wants access to Audrey. Her story and her picture.

How in the world can Audrey have a normal teenage life and do the things she loves to do(concerts,friends, dating and school) with the paparazzi and fans tracking her every move?

Audrey is a great character-so easy to love. The relationship she has with her parents is hilarious and I really enjoyed the easy banter and love between them.

ONE of my favorite lines from the book-Audrey is referring to the guys in The Do-Gooders.

Page 297:

Keep in mind that these were the same guys who once had a contest to see how much bologna the four of them could eat. And let me tell you, in a bologna-eating contest, nobody wins.

If your looking for a quick, fun read check this one out. I'm off to see what else Robin Benway has written. She just earned a fan.

Later!

Monday, April 18, 2011

REAL BOOKSTORE vs ONLINE SHOPPING


A SMALL PIECE OF HEAVEN.

I'm from a VERY small town in Idaho. We have one small kick ass library that I love very much but ALAS no book stores. Feel my pain please.

So when I have a chance to visit the big city, unhindered by my children that want to go to the mall, a real live book store is the place I'm going to head to.

I can literally spend hours walking, looking and touching. The over stuffed comfy chairs just begging to be sat in.

And the smell-Ahhhhh. New crisp pages, glossy, shiny covers, fresh coffee brewing.....NIRVANA!

And I was oh so good- I only bought one book! But it took me an hour to choose THE ONE. I finally narrowed it down to WITHER-the brand new one I've been dying to read.

Conclusion: Being able to make my book purchase in a real bookstore beats the hell out of my online book buying experience.

Thoughts? Book store or online book buying preference?

Do share.

Happy reading!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

LIBRARY BOOK SALE

BOOK SALE BOUNTY
I was able to get to my local library book sale early Saturday morning and found some great titles that are on my CLASSICS challenge list:

1984 by George Orwell

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Sadly, the only YOUNG ADULT book I was able to find was:

The Book Thief by Cornelia Funk

Is it just me or does everyone else struggle to find cheap, used, copies of YA books at book sales and book stores? Maybe I'm not looking in the right places? Suggestions, tips or advice.

Monday, April 4, 2011

WINNER!

And the winner for the FOOL FOR BOOKS GIVEAWAY is.......

Becki @ Chi Kittie.

This was by far my biggest giveaway with 178 entries.

Chi Kittie has already confirmed by email and I'll be mailing her books off to her today! YAH! Don't ya love giveaways! A BIG thank you to all who participated in the hop. This is one of the best ways I know to discover new friends and blogs out there. A GIANT thank you goes out to Kathy at I'm a Reader, not a Writer and The Bookish Snob who organized the FOOL FOR BOOKS GIVEAWAY. If you are interested in being a part of the next one visit Kathy's blog for more information.