Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say

Freedom of Speech is a recognised human right.  Everyone, regardless of their status, background or knowledge, has the right to express their own views on any given subject matter.  Any act of giving or receving information or ideas, comes under this act.  Hate Speech is any communication, written or verbal which may be construed as disparaging a person or group of people on the basis of characteristics.  In a lot of countries, people who are victims of Hate Speech have the right to seek redress under the law. 

Directly taken from The Freedom of Speech:

"The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man.  Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law"

I agree that in most circumstances, everyone has the right to their own opinion.  I believe that in the blogging community, it is vital that everyone expresses their own opinion, and is not pressured to act or behave in a way that conforms to what they believe is correct.  I hope that people are unafraid of posting a negative review for fear of being disliked.  I hope that people can respect someone elses opinion, even if it greatly differs from their own.  

Everyone has the freedom and the right to have their own opinion, you should not feel ashamed of your views, because they are what builds your character.  I have a lot of opinions, on a variety of subjects, some that people would highly dislike.  I believe same sex marriage should be legal across the world.  I think single parents should be able to adopt.  I think Gordon Brown is a complete nimwit who should never have been given his title.  I think books are more important than fashion.  See?

I would never be afraid to post a comment or a blog post on something I felt strongly about.  My opinions and values are what makes me, me.  There have been a few occasions where I have disagreed with posts that people have written, and I have said so in the comments.  I refuse to be a sheep and nod and agree with people just because everyone else may.  I know what I like and what I dislike, I refuse to conform to what other people believe I should be.

With this in mind, I sincerely hope that everyone who follows my blog is not afraid to express their own views and opinions, even if you disagree with me.  I hope that people would post comments and know that I would never ever begrudge their opinion.  I hope that people know they can come here and say what they want to say, without fear of being judged.  I want people to come here with opinions that differ from mine, because sometimes all it takes is a bit of perspective.

This post has stemmed from getting an anyonymous comment.  The comment didn't upset me personally, nor will it affect the way I blog.  It upset me because they chose to leave the comment anonymously.  I wondered why they had done this, because surely, their opinion is as valid as my own.  I never want my followers or lurkers to think I beleive their thoughts and views to be less than my own.  I want people to be honest regardless, because I don't judge people, and it upset me to realise this commenter may have thought this.

In conclusion, never be afraid to stand for what you beleive in.  No opinion is a wrong opinion.  Freedom of Speech is something that people fought hard and strong for, something that people stuggled for, so use it.

p.s Many thanks to Adele at Persnickety Snark for checking my absymal spelling :-)

Review - Love and Other Four Letter Words by Carolyn Mackler

Published by Walker Books
Published 3 July 2006

Summary from Goodreads - With her parents splitting up, 16-year-old Sammie Davis may not want to feel a thing, but feelings happen. For starters, she’s plenty angry. Her dad’s leaving their upstate New York home and moving clear across the country. Her mother—well, she’s packing up and relocating to New York City with Sammie, who has no say about any of it. Overnight Sammie is forced to deal with change. And one change spawns another: Roles get reversed, old and new friendships tested, and sexual feelings awakened. It’s a scary time. But as Sammie realizes that things can’t stay the same forever, that even the people she loves and trusts the most can disappoint her, she begins to accept that change isn’t always bad. It’s how you cope, jumbled feelings and all, that counts. And as she copes, Sammie’s sense of self emerges proud and strong. 

This is the first book i've read by Mackler and I don't think it will be the last. This really is a book about love and everything else that comes with it. About how your parents choices in life can affect yours, how dealing with divorce is hard on everyone, and not just the people directly involved. I loved how New York City was described in the book, like it was this strange and bustling place at first, but then came to be home for Sammie. How at first you kind of hate the place because thats how she conveys her surroundings, but then you grow to love it just as much as she does.

Mackler has quite an intersting way of writing that even though it's not the best i've ever seen, or in no way mindblowing, but still manages to express the emotions of the characters so effectively, that any little flaws are forgotten. You can relate to Sammie, whos life is turned upside down. I felt connected to her, and I saw some qualities in her that I myself had when I was a teenager. Her voice is strong and unqiue and quite empowering for teenagers, expecially ones who can relate to dealing with divorce and having to move to a different town.  Plus, I loved the girl in the park, with the dogs.  I'm not going to say anymore in case I spoil it, but she was my favourite character.

I read this book in one sitting, it was easy to digest and was interserped with funny lighthearted moments. Teenage girls will eat this one up whole.

Waiting on Wednesday - Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Idea is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

Published by HarperTeen 
Published 21 September 2010

Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone--or something--starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal. 

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I don't think anyone can look at this book and drool a little.  This is what true book cover lust looks like.  Plus, i'm a fan of people with surnames with colours, like John Green and Holly Black, oh, and me.  The premise for this story sounds amazing, and I think it's about time we had a book about tracking down paranormals, and not actually being one or in love with one.  I cannot wait!!!

Break Up's Book Style

Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to.  You think something is going to be good for you and then it turns out it wasn't what you expected.  You may use the line it's not you it's me, or, vise versa.  No, i'm not talking about relationships, i'm talking about books.  This year I made an informed decision that I wouldn't finish every book that I picked up.  Gone are the days where I will sit with a dead weight in my hand, aimlessly trying to connect with the words on the page.  So far this year, I have abandoned three books.  And I'm going to tell you why.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Goodreads Summary

This book irritated me.  I'm not quite sure why, because I was sure I was going to love it.  I can describe it like ordering your favourite meal at a restaurant, but when it turns up it's cold and doesn't taste quite right.  I found Grace as a character to be quite two dimensional and truly didn't understand her relationship with her family nor with Daniel.  The beginning of the story started off quite slow and built up as pieces of the jigsaw started slotting into place.  The problem was I finished the jugsaw puzzle before it was laid out, so the twists and turns had little effect on me.  The mystery was lost on me, but the whole mythology wove into the story was really magical, I just didn't connect with the characters.

It's not you, it's me (links to positive reviews)
Jenny from Wondrous Reads - review 
Khy from Frenetic Reader - review

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
Goodreads Summary

I expected to love this book and i'm not quite sure why I didn't.  The premise sounds amazing and I think the author could have done a lot more with this story.  The whole aspect of having to get married in school as a project sounds fun, but it was stretched into something I couldn't find beleiveable, I just couldn't conceive how high school students had to take a school project that far as part of their grades.  It seemed a little unfair.  Plus, this was a little too unpredictable for my liking, and the dialogue wasn't something I particularly enjoyed.  

It's not you, it's me (links to positive reviews)
Shooting Stars Mag - review
Adele from Persnickety Snark - review

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti
Goodreads Summary

I read and loved When It Happens.  It made me giggle and I connected with the characters on an emotional level.  This didn't happen for me this time around, which is a shame, because Colasanti is a fabulous writer, this just didn't click for me.  The story centres around Marisa, who she's waiting for the boy of her dreams to stroll into her life.  I was waiting for the plot to kick into high drive and give me what I needed from the book, but it didn't happen.  The pacing was slow, we are introduced to a plethora of characters who have little or no importance to the actual plotline, and I found myself drifting off.  This by no means is the mark of a bad book, it just wasn't a book for me.  Am I going to read more of her work? too right!

It's not you, it's me (links to positive reviews)
Erica from The Book Cellarx - review
Teen Reads - review

Okay, so what about you? Any books that you didn't quite manage to connect with?

In My Mailbox #24 aka I'm Back Baby!!

IMM is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie

Review

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw - Published by Headline, 13 May 2010

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell = Published by HarperCollins Childrens Books, 29 April 2010

Won

Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre - Thanks Ann :-) Read it and Loved it!

Gift

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - Signed.  An ocean of thanks to the lovely lady herself for sending this across the big blue sea to me, you truly rock! review here

Bought

Silver Bourne by Patricia Briggs - This woman is a legend, Urban Fantasy wouldn't be the same without her

Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine - Morganville Vamps FTW!

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan - DFTBA

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - review here

The Iron King by Julia Kagawa

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchette - review here, this is true love

Boys, Bears and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald - review here

Before I Die by Jenny Downam

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles - review here

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

So, I've been absent from In My Mailbox for the past few weeks, not for any particular reason other than i've tried to keep my weekends internet free and full of reading.  But I had such a good couple of weeks that i wanted to share it with you all.  I hope you all had a fabulous week too and happy reading!

Review - Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Published by Flux
Published 1 April 2007

Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares — has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

I bought this book for the simple reason that I loved Perfect Chemistry.  I'm a big fan of how Elkeles paints a picture, how she turns stories into something believeable and real.  I went into reading this book wanting the same reading experience I got from Perfect Chemistry.  Now, I will admit this is unfair, because it's a whole new set of characters, telling a completely different story.  At first I judged the characters, compared them to the ones I know and love.  And herein lies the power of her words, because about 20 pages in, everything else sort of faded into the background, all past characters and preconeived notions were forgotten.  She pulled me into this story completely, which is the mark of a good author.

I loved the alternating point of view, but this will come as no suprise. However, this time, I don't think she hit the nail quite on the head with the whole male perspective.  I found it hard trying to figure out who Caleb was as a character, and felt he didn't have enough background material to fully support his attraction to Maggie.  I think if we had some flashbacks in his parts of the story I would've understood the attraction more so than I did.  I think his "voice" as a character was cemented; not quite male enough, but yet not female, kind of impartial if that makes sense.  I loved Maggie as a character, how she was scarred by this horrific thing that happened to her, and she wasn't a brick wall, things got to her, things hurt her, and her pain and anguish over the accident was laid out bare on the pages.

Also, fate plays a big part in this storyline, well maybe not fate, more like coincidence.  How they both end up working for the same woman, how they meet in places the other shouldn't really be.  This is a tried and tested way of getting characters together, but it didn't seem well formed, like it had been hastly put together.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the book and the interactions between Caleb and Maggie was so much fun to read, but on the occasions where they meet, it seemed a little too good to be true, too coincidental.

I love Simone, I loved this book, yes, even though it was frustrating, it was also engaging.  Engaging enough to keep me reading until i'd finished.  Absorbing enough that I came straight online when i'd finished to find out when the sequel was released.  Frustrating enough that when I read the last chapter I wanted to shake my fist at the author and then envelope her in a hug.

Romance in YA - Yes Way or No Way

You may or may not know that I write.  It's something i've done since I was small, it's something i've continued to do since I became a grown up.  After discussions this morning on Twitter with my friend and critique partner Danielle, we discussed aspects of our own WIP's.  I said I wanted to do a post and she came up with this idea, because it's something that almost everyone will have a differing opinion on.  So, romance in YA, does the protagonist need to get his or her kiss on to make a good story?

Romance seems to have developed a lot over the years.  More people are becoming interested in the romantic aspects of the characters lives we are reading about.  It's not so much that the books we are reading have changed, its more we've changed in the way we view them.  Romance is something that every reader, no matter their age or sex can relate to, because it's something that happens in everyday life and is not restricted to the pages of a book.  It's comfortable in its predictability.  Most romances follow the same pattern, the said couple meet near the beginning of the book, a few distractions are thrown their way, maybe in the form of a love triangle, or a misunderstanding, and then they sort everything out by the last page.  Don't get me wrong, I love romance, but does it have to be included in a book to make it something memorable?

I myself am guilting of loving a story with a bit of romance in.  One of my favourite books is The Time Travellers Wife, which in essence is a love story, even if aspects are quite scientific.  When i'm reading a book, i'm always looking out for the potential love interest, i'm always reading more to see if they get together, or what their first kiss might be like, or what obstacles they'll have to overcome to be together.

In this generation we can find romance in books that are not even classed as romance, nor was ever conveyed that way purposefully.  Take The Hunger Games for example.  This is an amazing dystopian novel about a girl who has lead a truly dreadful life, a girl that has to go into an arena and kill children her own age.  A girl who has lived in squalor, who's life has been practically destroyed by the capitol.  Sometimes, I don't see this book as an amazing story about opression and fighting for what you beleive in, fighting for a life that you deserve.  I see this story as a love story.  Maybe thats just because of our culture at the moment.  Maybe the editor knew thats what we as readers would take from this book the most.  The romance.  Whenever I talk about this book, I want to know if you like Peeta or Gale.  I never ask what people thought of the capitol, or how it's reminiscent of how governments can destroy lives.  Maybe this is because I am naive? or maybe it's just because the girl in me finds the romance the most memorable part of the book?

Now, i'm pretty sure I would've loved The Hunger Games regardless, even if no romance or love triangle was added to the mix.  On the other end of the spectrum, I find it hard to think about books that don't include romance, becauser the vast majority do.  The one that sticks out in my mind is To Kill a Mockingbird, which is one of my other favourites.  This is just one of those books that is just amazingly profound and will still be here when we are long gone.  Same with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  My 11 year old self loves this book and it doesn't include romance.  

So, in conclusion, does a story have to have romance, or for characters to get their kiss on to make a story?  Think about your favourite books, do they have romance? Would you love them if the romantic aspect was removed? Or is romance something that makes or breaks a book for you?

Waiting on Wednesday - Thief Eyes by Jani Lee Simner

Idea is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

Published by Random House books for Young Readers
Published 27 April 2010

After her mother mysteriously disappears, sixteen-year-old Haley convinces her father to take her to Iceland, where her mother was last seen. There, amidst the ancient fissures and crevices of that volcanic island, Haley meets gorgeous Ari, a boy with a dangerous side who appoints himself her protector.

When Haley picks up a silver coin that entangles her in a spell cast by her ancestor Hallgerd, she discovers that Hallgerd's spell and her mother's disappearance are connected to a chain of events that could unleash terrifying powers and consume the world. Haley must find a way to contain the growing fires of the spell—and her growing attraction to Ari. 

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I have never read anything by Janni, but I have heard nothing but good things about Bones of Faerie.  Plus, i'm really interested about the atmospheric aspect of the novel, has the author been to Iceland? What will the descriptions of this beautiful place be like.  I'm really glad that I get to read a book thats set in Europe.  How intriguing is the description too? I'm thinking this book is going to be spellbounding.  Cannot wait! 7 days to go!

Review - Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald

Published by Candlewick
Published 13 April 2010

Jenna may hail from the ’burbs of New Jersey, but Green Teen activism is her life. So when her mom suggests they spend the summer at Grandma’s Florida condo, Jenna pleads instead to visit her hippie godmother, Susie, up in rural Canada. Jenna is psyched at the chance to commune with this nature she’s heard about — and the cute, plaidwearing boys she’s certain must roam there. But after a few run-ins with local wildlife (from a larger-than-life moose to Susie’s sullen Goth stepdaughter to a hot but hostile boy named Reeve), Jenna gets the idea that her long-held ideals, like vegetarianism and conservation, don’t play so well with this population of real outdoorsmen. A dusty survival guide offers Jenna amusing tips on navigating the wilderness — but can she learn to navigate the turns of her heart?

When you first pick up a book, it's all exicitng, you get to meet these new characters your going to spend hours getting to know.  You feel all giddy inside and nervious about how the book is going to speak to you as a reader.  This is how this book made me feel for the first hundred pages.  For the main part, I loved the beginning, the girl travelling to the wilderness, the scenery almost coming to life on the page, the new characters you want to be friends with.  But then, it just flipped.  I started to get agitated with the characters, the story line left a lot to be desired and I was sat wondering how a book can go from being so atmospheric and alive, to just feeling like a dead weight in my hands.

Now, I don't want this review to sound nasty, because I know a lot of people really have loved this book and really connected the characters.  This is just my opinion and I am most probably in the minority.  As a reader, I found myself jarrring out of the scenes that were supposed to have emotional impact, that were supposed to reel me in instead of pushing me out.  I think this is mainly because I found too many serious issues were added to the mix and were not given the attention they deserve.  One character in particular had a character trait that needed to be looked into more, it needed to be represented so much more than it was, it deserved to be represented more, not glossed over like it was.  This made me angry, it made me think that this had been put into the book unnecessarily.  Also, the protagonist eluded all of her issues, putting them to one side, which was quite immature.  

The environmentalism stuff really did not float my boat.  Yes, I understand that global warming is real and that people like to partake in demonstrations to help the environment.  I know this is a serious issue, one everyone, no matter who they are needs to show an interest in, because the world will turn into something we don't recognise sooner than we think.  However, Jenna didn't really seem that interested, even though she was a member of Green Teens.  Like with Life Swap, I don't really understand why this was added to the mix, if the girl is not going to explore it throughout the novel.  You can't add a character trait that gets deserted half way through the novel.  I think I gave this book my best shot and I finished it even though I lost interest.  For me, a hot boy an amazing book does not make.

Review - The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Published by Simon and Schuster US and Puffin UK
Published 5 May 2009 US and 3 June 2010 UK

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

I went into reading this book knowing nothing about it other than the fact that it had a pretty cover and a protagonist with the silliest name I have ever heard. But, something about the synopsis made me think that this book would be like no other girl book I have ever read.  It talks about things that have been written about a hundred times over; girl finally getting noticed, hot brothers, maybe a possible love triangle thrown into the mix.  But the way it kind of glosses over what the plotline really is, and to me, the plotline seemed really ambiguous from the synopsis, so much so that I had to read it to find out for myself.

The Summer I Turned Pretty made me glad that I changed my mind about what I deem to be "girly books".  It made me realise that not all books for teenage girls about love and identity and finding yourself should be tarnished with the same brush.  That maybe, if you forgive your preconceived notions, you will find a gem of a book that makes sunshine burst out of you, makes you so happy your face aches from smiling too much and make your eyes hurt at the emotional intensity of it all.  The Summer I Turned Pretty was this book for me.

Belly, whose name I despised at the start and then ended up coveting by the last chapter, is an amazing protagonist.  The story flips from the present to flashbacks of previous summers, which builds the foundations for the way she feels about the summer house and it's occupants.  Belly is kind and smart and immature and sometimes quite silly.  She is a perfect model of what it is to be a teenager.  Her dialogue made me laugh and really spoke to me as a reader. 

The plotline is not mindblowing, but because of the way the characters were so well drawn out and moulded into replicas of people I can relate to, I found myself  in synch with everything they were going through.  I felt every bump in the road, every jolt of the heart.  Jenny is an exceptional author, and I can't wait for her work to get the regognition and praise it derves.  This book has landed a place on my favourites list.  I have a girl crush on Jenny Han and i'm not scared to admit it.

Review - Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Published by Harper Teen
Published September 2008

My father took one hundred and thirty two minutes to die.

‘I counted.

‘It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of kilometres away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, “What’s the difference between a trip and a journey?” and my father said, “Narnie, my love, when we get there, you’ll understand,” and that was the last thing he ever said.

‘We heard her almost straight away. In the other car, wedged into ours so deep that you couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. She told us her name was Tate and then she squeezed through the glass and the steel and climbed over her own dead – just to be with Webb and me; to give us her hand so we could clutch it with all our might. And then a kid called Fitz came riding by on a stolen bike and saved our lives.

‘Someone asked us later, “Didn’t you wonder why no one came across you sooner?”

‘Did I wonder?

‘When you see your parents zipped up in black body bags on the Jellicoe Road like they’re some kind of garbage, don’t you know?

‘Wonder dies.’

Jellicoe Road is one of the strangest books I have ever read.  It is a book that you need to go into knowing little about.  For the first 100 or so pages, I was completely baffled.  The chapters are confusing, the main plotline seems to hover on the periphery never really coming close enough for you to figure out. The writing is intense and emotional, and even though I didn't quite understand what I was reading, I did know that I wanted to swallow the words whole without chewing.  

I don't even really know what to say, other than I knew Melina was building this story from where it needed to begin, and that she wrote the story this way for a reason.  Trust me, she did.  In the end, when all the little threads of plot she has carefully crafted at the beginning of the book start coming together, you are left with a story so compelling, so heartbreakingly beautiful and unlike anything you have ever read before.  

It's hard to describe a book that seemed to elude me for most of the time I was reading it.  This is a story about a girl who got left behind, about friendships so unique they can span years, and about identity.  It's about the Jellicoe Road, which stays a constant to every character in the book tying them all together, like its not just a road, but a character in its own right.  

Melina has this way with words that just pulls you under, you immerse yourself in them.  She builds her characters in a way that makes you wish you knew them.  To Taylor who is blunt and hurt and afraid and kick ass in a way not a lot of teenage girls are.  To Raf who is strong and sassy and so different and yet the same as Taylor.  To Santangelo who cares about the territorial "wars" almost too much, but you want to love him for it.  To Jonah, who tastes like honey, is imperfect and silly and strong and perfect.  To Hannah, who carries the book in a way I could never understand.  To the people who lived on the Jellicoe Road, who know the true meaning of  friendship, grief, understanding and love.  To my favourite character, the boy in the tree.

Melina has created a story that is as dense as the Aussie bush and just as beautiful.  It broke my heart into a thousand pieces and then carefully glued them back together so I couldn't even tell it had been broken.  I even slept with it under my pillow because I just love it so.  Mesmorising in i's ambiguity and sureity,  On The Jellicoe Road might just be one of the best books I have ever read.

Review - Life Swap by Abby McDonald

Published by Walker Books
Published 7 September 2009
Published as Sophomore Switch in US

Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and what shall heretofore be known as "The Hot-Tub Incident," and you’ve got two unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. Soon desperation has the girls texting each other tips — on fitting in, finding love, and figuring out who they really are. With an anthropologist’s eye for detail and a true ear for teen-speak, exciting new novelist Abby McDonald has crafted a funny, fast-paced, poignant look at survival, sisterhood, and the surprising ways we discover our true selves.

It may just be me, but I love reading books that are in some way set in my home country.  It makes me feel all warm and squishy inside, I love to read about places I know about, places i've visited or just read someone describe where I live with precision and accuracy.  So, when I first read about Life Swap, I knew I had to read it.  The narrative is spilt between our two protagonists, Emily and Tasha, whose are nothing alike.  Emily hails from the UK, shes quite a straight laced, super organised girl.  Whereas Tasha is all American, with the tan and ugg boots to match.  She's quite brassy, loud and a full on party girl.  They both take a semester at each others college, trying in vain to get away from their lives and the people in them.

For me, I found this book to be quite easy to get into, I wasn't blown away by the plot line or the characters, but I still enjoyed the book nontheless.  The characters were very stereotypical, they didn't shy away from the norm of what people perceive them to be like.  Emily was very astute, quite boring, lacking in the boyfriend department and had a wardrobe full of tweed trousers and boring outfits.  Tasha had short skirts galore and a hankering for getting off with boys at parties.  Everything you would expect them to be like from the description.  Yes, certian plot lines made them break away from their stereotypes in general, but it wasn't enough for me to really see a difference in the characters.  It just seemed like they were the people they turned out to be in the end, at the beginning of the book, they were just chained by circumstance and the people around them to be who they wanted to be.  I wanted big revellations, girls really finding themselves, but I didn't really take that away from the book.

The character development was just lacking for me, and some of the sub-plots seemed like they were unecessary.  Like the fact that Tasha was a politics student at Oxford and she learned about womens rights and feminism, but it seemed like the authors knowledge of these facts was put on display, when it had little to do with the overall story.  It seemed like a unneccesary plot line that drew me away from the book.  The storyline was a bit too dis-jointed for my taste.  I would recommend this book to people who enjoy girly books.

Review - Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Published by Knopf Books for Younger Readers

Published 6 May 2006

MOST OF MY friends now go to Pius Senior College, but my mother wouldn’t allow it because she says the girls there leave with limited options and she didn’t bring me up to have limitations placed upon me. If you know my mother, you’ll sense there’s an irony there, based on the fact that she is the Queen of the Limitation Placers in my life.

Francesca battles her mother, Mia, constantly over what’s best for her. All Francesca wants is her old friends and her old school, but instead Mia sends her to St. Sebastian’s, an all-boys’ school that has just opened its doors to girls. Now Francesca’s surrounded by hundreds of boys, with only a few other girls for company. All of them weirdos—or worse.

Then one day, Mia is too depressed to get out of bed. One day turns into months, and as her family begins to fall apart, Francesca realizes that without her mother’s high spirits, she hardly knows who she is. But she doesn’t yet realize that she’s more like Mia than she thinks. With a little unlikely help from St. Sebastian’s, she just might be able to save her family, her friends, and—especially—herself.

Imagine being a teenager and being enrolled in a school formely known as "St Sebastians School for Boys", which has just started allowing female students. It sounds fun, right? wrong. All Francesca's friends are going to another school, and the only other girls in her school are either weird, old friends who she no longer talks to, crazy feminists or just plain slutty.  Now, imagine your outgoing fun loving mum just won't get out of bed anymore, and your family are just ignoring it.  Imagine starting to like an obnoxious prefect who has the most unfortunate name I think I ever heard, William Trombal.  And here is the plot.  

For Marchetta to make me fall in love with these characters when there is no major plotline to lull me in just shows what an extrordinary writer she is, The prose and characterisation were just amazing. This book is all about the characters, nothing could happen to them and you would still love them. They're not weird or have strange habits, they act and talk like normal teenagers. They are riddled with angst, they are comical in their naivety. Full of hysterical poignant moments, it made me wish I was a teenager again. You watch Francesca grow as she discovers new friends, re-discoveres old ones.

Saving Franscesca is just one of those books, I can't even describe it, it just is. And it is so bizarre that I feel this way, because basically, the book had very little in the form of a plot. Not much happens, and the book is 343 pages long. This book made me want to climb into the words and just stay there.  

Look at Me - Techno Wizard Extraordinaire

So, as some of you will have noticed, I have a savvy (well I think so) new blog layout.  I'd like to say that I am this amazing blogger wizard kind of gal and that I rattle off various intelligent html codes off in my sleep, because i'm just that talented.  But that would be a big bunch of lies, and i'm nothing if not honest :-)

This layout is the result of being bored and messing with the templates on blogger, this is one of the good things that has come from my incessent insomnia which plagues me in the dark.  I honestly have no clue how I managed to do this, nor do I have any clue why my header seems to be hiding out in the left hand corner.  Maybe it's shy and doesn't like the attention from being up front and centre.  Either way, I don't know how to move it.

In conclusion, I love the layout and should I be asked how I did it, I shall respond "I haven't got a bloody clue, but I can do this, can you?"

HUZZAH!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Published by Little Brown/Poppy
Published 7 September 2010

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

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Okay, so this sounds like such a cool book, and Bianca seems like she's gonna be a riot.  Plus, I know for a fact that Kody is a monster Gossip Girl fan, so nayone who truly appreciates Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf gets my vote.  And Wesley? Well Wesley sounds hot to trot.  Bring it on baby!

Review - Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

Published by Hyperion
Published 7 April 2009

Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.)

Here are five things you should know about him:

1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.

2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day...unless he gets distracted.

3. He's a virgin, mostly because he's no good at talking to girls (see number 1).

4. He's about to start high school.

5. He's totally not ready.

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

Coming of ages stories are one of my favourite kinds.  It seems a given that most of these kind of stories are told from a girls perspective.  How to fit into a nice niche at school, how to adapt to the high school environment without getting crushed in the stampede, hoe to deal with your first crush.  So it was immensely refreshing to see the tale told from a boys perspective.  It did wonders for the story, because everyone wants to get inside a teenage boys brain and figure out whether they have a different wiring than us, because really, they sometimes feel like they're from a different plant.

Carter Finally Gets it is one of those stories where you will laugh like a hyena most of the way through, you chuckle at the way he behaces around girls, and more importantly, what he thinks teenage girls really want, which couldn't be much farther from the truth.  The sense of humor of a 14 year old boy is something that I cherished, from the way he has to deal with ta bad case of flatulence because he ate something from Taco Bell that was quite obviouslty past its sell by date, to the ritual of opening a girls bra.

The plot is very fast paced and never dwells on anything that seems dull and unecessary, quite like the boys mind, some scenes go by in a whirlwind of embarrassment and some serious social faux pas.  His take on the world was hysterical, like how he thought mono was, and I quote "a pimp-ass problem I wish I had".  It is full of lewd humor that well, basically made me wish I was back in high school, or more specifically, that I went to a high school that took in boys, because if they were all as funny as Carter, then I would've had a blast.  He says stupid things like retard, and you don't judge him for it.  

If you want a coming of age story, that is interspersed with ridiculous moments, totally clueless boys and narrative that is so funny, you'll laugh until your sides hurt, then Carter Finally Gets It is the book for you.  Teenage girls will love this, because it makes you realise that mostly, teenage boys don't do jerky things to make you feel bad, they sometimes just don't know any better.

I'm gonna list some of my favourite quotes, because really, if you don't plan on reading this book, you need to see into the character that is Carter, because he is endearing in his ridiculousness.  

"Nobody likes to get their hair pulled" I say.  "Except this one chick in my porno; I think she's into it.  I can't really tell, though.  I wish they would slow down"

"As the wingman I have to stop my pilot from destroying this girl.  She's becoming more of a lesbian with every question."

"I'm supposed to be having sex here, but i'm trembling and giggling my head off in a shed with a girl called the Chopper whose head is stuck in a t-shirt"

In My Mailbox #23 aka The Week I Learnt Some Self Restraint

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie

Bought

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott - *cute* does not even cover it!

Life Swap by Abby McDonald - aka Sophomore Switch for you US types

I feel pretty proud of myself for only purchasing two books this week, I'm gonna start doing this more often.  I have mixed feelings about public holidays, because it means I get extra time off the day job, but it also means my post woman is notorious for her absence.  However, I am taking this week for the blessing in disguise it really is.  Notably, I can put off having to put my books in tubs and get some serious reading done.  Hope you all had a fabulous week filled will all kinds of book-ish goodness.  Happy Easter, hoep you eat so much chocolate you feel sick, because the only thing better than chocolate, is chocolate shaped in an egg.

Vampire Diaries - Food for the Soul/Souless

My name is Carla and I am a Vampire Diaries addict.  This addiction started around about the third episode of the TV show and seems to have spiraled out of control.  And, I don't even like vampires much, werewolves are more my forte.  However, I have started thinking about the show way too much to be considered healthy.  So, I am doing what I do best and comiling a list about why I love this show so much, and why *you* should love it so much.

Elena
When I read the books, I hated Elena, she drove me insane, so much so that I read one book and didn't read any more.  She was ridiculous, self centred and a bit too emo for my liking.  So, imagine my suprise when I saw that Nina Dobrev was our leading lady.  She's fiesty, kick ass and makes me laugh so hard when she plays "Katherine" the vivacious crazy vampire lady who turned the glory that is the Salvatore brothers.  Also, she didn't swoon when she found out Stefan was a vampire, she did what any sane person would do, she freaked out. 

Vampires
I can't beleive I am writing this, but yeah, the vampires in this show are good.  They don't have those ridiculous fangs that look like they came from a joke shop, the don't have glittery skin and they certainly want to bite you whether you want them to or not.  They are what vampires should be; scary, freaky and have an inhuman interest in human blood.  I know, Stefan is the exception, but we'll get to that.

Mythology
I love the whole witch aspect thats in the show, it makes it all mysterious and spooky.  And the episode where Bonnie makes the feathers float round the room was so friggin cool.  I tried it myself with a pen, it didn't work *sigh*.  It's like Mystic Falls is a magnet for all the evil and weird in the world, or maybe they just go there because thats how the writers decided it should be.  Who knows?!

Boys
No, not the vampire boys, the human boys.  Now, is it just me or is Jeremey kind of hot in a loner emo boy kind of way.  If I lived in Mystic Falls I would so make out with Jeremy, even if he still is all hung up on Vicki, but it's not like they'll get together now is it?  Also, Matt is hot, and Matt is blond and very very cute.  I'd make out with him too.  To put it lightly, even though Mystic Falls attracts evil, the evil it attracts tends to be hot, so what can you do?

Stefan aka Paul Wesley
The episodes where he takes off his shirt are what I live for, these episodes make me all kinds of happy.  I'm not going to say anything more, because this just went somewhere I didn;t intend it to go.  He is the ultimate tortured soul, trying to be good, trying to be with the girl he loves who also looks like his maker and first love.  He is actually a good guy even if he is dead, he doesn't like to kill people and doesn't hunt.  He may be a pansie vampire, but he is hot. I love him, he has the best shoulders on the television and for this I am thankful.

Writing
The writing on the show is brilliant, even if the series is based on the books.  I kind of worried that they'd muck it up and use all kinds of cheesy cliched lines, but they have made the dialogue and the character traits to be more interesting and fascinating than I could've ever imagined.  The episodes get better and better each week, and they sometimes even scare me.  Hell, I cried during a few episodes which is the mark of good acting and writing.

Damon

I will admit, I don't find him attractive, but yes, he is fast overtaking Stefan as my favourite character.  The way Ian has taken over this character and turned him into this evil but kind of not vampire.  I just love that he wants to basically corrupt everyone in town, or if he fails, just kill them.  Plus, he uses compulsion which is what all vampires should do.  He's dead, i'd be pissed if that was me so I would totally compel everyone I knew and have some fun. Why do I love Damon, oh let me count the ways

• He rocks the leather jacket, like rocks it like it was made for him
• He is so vain its quite endearing
• He would walk all over you and you'd probably let him just because
• He does the jedi mind tricks with compulsion 
• He kills people but I still kind of love him
• He is *the* king of one-liners
• Hes a villian I can get onboard with

So, thats it.  If you don't love Vampire Diaries then I don't think we can be friends.  I try not to judge, but thats not something I think I can overcome.  Au Revouir :-)