In My Mailbox (#3)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren.

This week the only thing I got was Tuck Everlasting. I saw it at the bookstore and remembered how much I love it, so I bought it.

How about you? Did you get something far more interesting this week? Probably. Should you link me to it in the comments? Probably.

Booking Through Thursday (#3)

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

“How would a teen-age boy who is going to work with his hands ever use Literature of England in his work?”

The age-old “How am I going to use this in real life?” question. How would you answer it?

I feel like this comes down to about three options:

1) Critical reading: Almost anywhere a person ends up working, they'll need to know how to read and understand it. And even if it's not understanding Jane Austen or Shakespeare, it still teaches you to think as you read.

2) How life was: For the most part, Literature of England (I'm assuming this is a class) would probably teach older Lit (Austen, Shakespeare, Bronte), which would help show how life used to be. It may not be beneficial to the work itself, but I would argue that it's still good to know what it was like.

3) It won't: Maybe neither of the other two are correct and Literature of England won't be useful one bit. Other than teaching you that sometimes we have to do stuff that is seemingly useless and we hate. 

But that's just my opinion? What do you think?

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (QR)

Title: Scarlett Fever
(Suite Scarlett #2)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Point (Feb. 1, 2010)

(Spoilers in summary below, if you've not read SS#1. Highlight with caution.)
Faced with her family's financial woes, Scarlett has taken on the job of assistant/indentured servant to a newly minted theatrical agent, professional eccentric Mrs. Amy Amberson. Scarlett ends up at the beck and the call of a Broadway star (her own age!), dealing with territorial doormen, and walking a small dog with insecurity issues -- all while starting her sophomore year at one of New York's most rigorous high schools.* 

---

When I picked up Scarlett Fever, I was expecting a book I would like just as much as Suite Scarlett, and Maureen Johnson did not disappoint. To be honest, I could just direct you toward my review of Suite Scarlett, and you'd understand what I loved about Scarlett Fever as well. Full of craziness, Scarlett made me want (once again) to jump into the Martin family and hang out with the gang. 

Iffy Broadway shows, oddly nice siblings, and surprising plot twists? Definitely a book you should check out. Then again, who would expect less of a book dedicated to ABBA?

*summary is a partial from inside jacket

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#2)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

This week's WoW is...

The Last Little Blue Envelope

(Little Blue Envelope #2)

by Maureen Johnson 

April 26, 2011

13 Little Blue Envelopes was the first Maureen Johnson book I read and also when I fell in love with her. So now I can't wait to find out all about that thirteenth envelope!

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (QR)

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn and
David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for
Young Readers (Oct. 26, 2010)

Imagine this:
You're in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author's books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.
What do you do?
The choice, I think, is obvious:
You take down the red notebook and open it.
And then you do whatever it tells you to do.*

---

I don't have much to say about this, other than that it was adorable and very clever. I'm not really sure why I enjoyed this so much; it's hard to pinpoint one thing. Maybe it was the whole idea of the notebook. Maybe it's that I love scavenger hunts, and that's what this reminded me of. Maybe it was the awesome cover. Or maybe it was the idea of winter in the city. No matter what it was, I definitely suggest it. 

*excerpt from book (pg. 1)

The Prefects' Bathroom

I'm sick. Like a lot of other people right now. Except unlike most of them (I'd imagine), I take baths when I'm sick. (Or if they do, they probably won't admit to it.) One thing I was thinking about while I was in my very small, doesn't-fit-me-properly bathtub was Harry Potter. More specifically, all the cool things they have in Harry Potter. As I was mulling over everything they have that we don't, I decided that if I could have three things from their world, I would go with a wand (of course), a broomstick (sadly, I cannot drive, so this would make life soooo much easier), and... the bathtub in prefects' bathroom. (For those of you who haven't read, don't remember it, or just want to read about it again, click here.)

You have no idea how appealing this looks.

I understand that that makes me super nerdy and I should have gone with the invisibility cloak or pumpkin juice or something else like that. I just love taking baths, and having an unendless supply of hot water, bubbles, and space sounds like heaven to me.

After all my thinking, I'm really curious as to what others' would pick. Let me know in the comments (or link me to it if you make your own post).

In My Mailbox (#2)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. (The IMM Page)


My camera is actually at my friend's house right now [I forgot it there last night because I'm really smart... (insert sarcasm here).], so I just have pictures of the covers, rather than an actual photograph of them. Ohwell. I'll have it back soon. Anyway....


I only got two books this week. I won them together in a contest by Sarah of Book Duck (go check her out!). And they are...

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling




I haven't started on either of them yet, but I'm beyond excited for them both!


What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Title: Perfect Chemistry
(Perfect Chemistry #1)
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Walker Books for
Young Readers (Dec. 23, 2008)

Fairfield High School. A place where those from opposite sides of town don't mix. So when Alex Fuentes--Mexicano, gang member, south-sider, bad boy-- and Brittany Ellis--white as snow, head cheerleader, north-sider, seemingly perfect-- are paired up in chemistry, it's bound to turn into an experiment gone wrong.

---

I started this at school yesterday, and, like Taken by Storm, read for a nice chunk of time after school to finish it. And finish it, I did. 

Perfect Chemistry is narrated from two points of view: Brittany's and Alex's. As one person stops telling the story, the other starts, exactly where the first left off. Because of this, you get almost the entire story in mixed perspectives. I loved hearing what each person was thinking throughout the story, as opposed to just one point of view. Alex would mix random Spanish in with his dialogue and narrations, which annoyed me a little bit, just because I really wanted to know what he was saying, but I got over it because it is, after all, the way he would talk/think. 

As I said above, I finished it after school, but that entire night, I couldn't help but think about it. It didn't matter how well our basketball team was doing or how much fun I was having, Alex and Brittany were still first on my mind. 

And although I wouldn't say that this is one of the best books I've read, it was still really good. A little predictable, sure, but still sexy (just look at that cover), fun, and amazing at the same time. I definitely suggest you add it to your reading list. 

Booking Through Thursday (#2)

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

Ignoring text books, I'm almost positive that it was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which is actually bigger than the Deathly Hallows). I read it "for pleasure" because I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I can't think of anything I've read that was longer than this, but maybe I forgot about one....

How about you? What's your BTT answer? 

(Link me to it below, and I'll check it out!)