Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Practice, practice, practice?

Nats is over. I am 9th out of 700 people. So yay. :D
I am now going in for a coma of books. This is me, checking in and complaining about lack of internet (I'm at a coffee shop with a friend right now. She's swearing loudly at Angry Birds. People are slowly taking away their children.)

(Seriously, guys. That game is evil.)
However, something interesting about that. The more you play the demonic game, the better you get. Same with debate. Same with writing.
And so, now, I shall get back to practicing blogging. And, you know, sanity. Because my sanity needs to be used. A week with a bunch of a talky boys definitely wore at that. For the moment, I'm going to lust after this book.
Girls at a public high school start refusing to put out. At all. I'm weirdly amused by this concept, and I really want to read it. The DUFF was funny and cute, and I am ready for that kind of read right about now.
Oki doki. I have to go before parents call the police on my cursing friend.
(On a separate note, one of those parents keeps calling their toys 'boy toys'. I don't think she realizes why all the surrounding teens are laughing...)
More later!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Reviews! In the plural!

Oh, hai, guys.
So. My Junior year of high school is DONE. Yeah. I know, right? It was awful and awesome and now I'm done, and I can BLOG YAY WOOT WOOT. (Well. When I have internet. Which is when I go to the library. Which is often. So yeah...)
Also, erm, if you'd like to not point out what a crappy blogger I've been these past couple of months, that would be awesome.Cool? COOL. Guys, I love you. I love you like, this much.
Anyway. I've been promising reviews for -- okay, we're not going to say how long -- so, to make up for it, I'm putting up several mini reviews.
First:
Bitter End.


I like Jennifer Brown. I liked Hate List. I liked Bitter End, too. The story revolves around an abusive relationship, but it's told in a way that really gets inside of the victims head. The story is as about platonic love from friends and how to get out of a bad situation before things get deadly. The main character is degraded, abused, traumatized -- and still stays. This book is about why that happens, and what to do if it happens to you. It's a little bit slow to start, but I ended up being really fond of it.
Also, unrelated, but the cover is freaking awesome. There are words in the black part at the bottom, and I find it kind of awesome.
Here's the Amazon page for more reviews.

Next up, Firelight by Sophie Jordan.
Okay, okay. It's paranormal. It's a tad predictable. But Firelight had some interesting twists to it. Granted, there were moments that I was reminded a little bit too much of Twilight (New girl in school, hot guy that doesn't talk to anyone but her, ect) but the idea of dragons put a new and different twist on it. I wish the novel would've spent more time focusing on the dragon aspect and a little bit less on the high school stuff -- the dragon was new and fresh, and I think that would've made the book stand out more.
Amazon page here.


Third: Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray.
Zomg, guys. I laughed so hard at this book. Libba Bray hits every stereotype on the head and keeps on smashing at it until something real is left underneath. Seriously. Think of a teenage girl stereotype. Ms. Bray goes over it, conquers it, and does it with humor. It's not anything like I've ever read before. The book is thick with all sorts of satire and I loved it. Best girl power book I've read in a long time, and possibly ever.
Amazon page here.



Where She Went, by Gayle Forman.
I didn't think If I Stay needed a sequel. I just -- I didn't. And honestly? If the sequel had been bungled, it would've been bad.
But Where She Went didn't read like the second in a series. It's from a different point of view, telling a different story, and I actually really enjoyed it. It gave me more time with characters I liked and cared about without dragging on a story that didn't have the conviction to make another novel.
I'm still not sure a sequel was necessary, but I'm actually glad it available; the book ended up being much better than I would've expected.
Here's the Amazon page.

Okay, I have more reviews, but this post is going to get way too long. Also, Nationals for debate are next week and I have been procrastinating on research  I am an amazing student that is going to go above and beyond working for it.
So, farewell, m'dears. Go out and enjoy the summer!
More later.