Out of the Blue

Book review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Tue, 13 May 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Title: We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Delacorte BFYR

Publication date: May 13, 2014

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

We Were Liars is a much anticipated title by author E. Lockhart. I enjoyed the Ruby Oliver series very much, so I was excited to read her new book. It's a psychological thriller full of suspense and mystery.

It's very hard to summarize We Were Liars without giving away too many spoilers. Let's just say that the narrator is Cadence Sinclair Eastman, a beautiful girl of almost eighteen. The story follows the wealthy Sinclair family as they spend their holidays on a windswept island off the Massachusetts coast. The main characters are the Liars, four friends who are very loyal to each other. It's a story of love and family secrets, of hallucinations and a terrible accident.

This book left me breathless. I was compelled to read it all in one sitting, but it wasn't possible. I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.

Book review: How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly In Love by Ken Baker

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Title: How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly In Love

Author: Ken Baker

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Publication date: April 22, 2014

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

Sixteen-year-old Emery Jackson is five feet six and 198 pounds. She feels she doesn't fit within her family - her father is a former basketball player turned motivational coach, her mother is a former model, and her elder sister is a swimsuits model and cheerleader - or within her school, full of beautiful, skinny people. Her only friend is her boyfriend Ben, who is also plus-sized.

In an effort to push Emery to lose weight, her mother signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality TV show in which Emery, the protagonist, will strive to lose fifty pounds in fifty days. If she manages that, her family will be awarded one million dollars. Emery accepts the deal, hoping to solve her family's financial difficulties. Before she knows it, she's on a strict diet, exercises the whole day, and has become famous overnight.

As the show gains popularity, the pressure on Emery grows. Will she manage to lose all the weight? Will she lose herself?

I found this book amusing and compulsively readable. The narration is from Emery's point of view in first person, following her as she goes along with her diet/exercise program. She's followed by a nutritionist, a personal trainer, and a therapist. Every moment in her personal life can be recorded on camera. At first, Emery doesn't want to open up during therapy, but then she makes progress.

Emery's voice is funny and sarcastic. She's obviously so much smarter than the adults around her. For this reason, the book is very hard to put down. On the other hand, the idea of losing fifty pounds in fifty days is not at all healthy. Even though Emery has so much weight to lose (and even though cutting the junk food and binge eating is one big part of it), I'd say her goal is totally unrealistic. For this reason, she starts using laxative tea and drugs to have more energy during workouts and lose weight faster. Of course, these practices can't be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

The ending was the worst part in the book. It's very open and doesn't provide many answers. I understand that's the author's way of letting the readers decide for themselves what it's going to happen, but it feels too much like chickening out. The title promises something - and then we don't know if it actually happens or not.

Netgalley News #4

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Feedback to Approval ratio as shown on my profile: 91.7%

I don't feel like using Netgalley so much lately. I feel like checking out books from the library and reading those. It took me so much effort to bring my ratio up, and now I don't know why it felt important to do so. I think it might be good for me to take a break from reviewing in English and focus on reading books I'm really interested in. Books with a bit more substance than the regular YA/new adult love story.

So goodbye Netgalley, for now. See you soon.

Il mondo deve sapere di Michela Murgia

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Titolo: Il mondo deve sapere: romanzo tragicomico di una telefonista precaria

Autore: Michela Murgia

Editore: Isbn Edizioni

Data di pubblicazione: 2006

Pagine: 123

Il vero titolo del libro recita: Il mondo deve sapere quant'è schifa la vita in un callcenter. E' definito un "romanzo", ma in realtà è chiaro che si tratta della trasposizione in volume di una serie di post originariamente pubblicati su un blog. Camilla, alter ego dell'autrice, racconta sotto forma di diario un mese di lavoro come telefonista per la Kirby, una multinazionale americana che vende aspirapolvere.

Compito delle operatrice del call center è contattare casalinghe per fissare dimostrazioni a domicilio di pulizia della casa tramite il Kirby. Si tratta di un lavoro precario e malpagato, svolto alle direttive di un gruppetto di esaltati che mirano ad umiliare le telefoniste e a suscitare invidie tra colleghe. La voce narrante descrive con ironia e brio i superiori, le telefoniste, i venditori porta a porta, i metodi di vendita. L'obiettivo di tutta la forza lavoro Kirby sembra essere quella di "turlupinare" la casalinga convincendola all'acquisto di un macchinario pesante, rumorosissimo, inutile e incredibilmente costoso.

Più che un romanzo, il libro sembra un reportage, un'indagine nel mondo del telemarketing, condotta con acume e spirito. Il difetto è che la voce narrante si sente infinitamente superiore alle colleghe, ai superiori, perfino alle clienti; è incapace di suscitare il minimo di empatia. Ci si chiede come sia finita una persona così presuntuosa a fare l'operatrice di callcenter, e come abbia potuto resistere per un intero mese.

La narrazione, infatti, si interrompe bruscamente dopo un mese di "diario", e questo dà al libro la sensazione di incompiutezza. Forse le vicende in prima persona dell'autrice si sono interrotte altrettanto di colpo per l'esigenza di dire "basta".

Da "Il giovane Holden" di Salinger

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Quelli che mi lasciano proprio senza fiato sono i libri che quando li hai finiti di leggere e tutto quel che segue vorresti che l'autore fosse un tuo amico per la pelle e poterlo chiamare al telefono tutte le volte che ti gira. Non succede spesso, però.

(J. D. Salinger, Il giovane Holden, traduzione di Adriana Motti, Einaudi 1961, p. 23)

Non mettetevi in testa che Jane fosse un accidenti di ghiacciolo o che so io, solo perché non abbiamo mai fatto all'amore insieme e nemmeno pomiciato un poco. Non lo era. Non facevamo che tenerci per mano, ad esempio. Vi sembrerà una cosa da niente, lo capisco, ma era fantastica quando la tenevate per la mano. La maggior parte delle ragazze, provate a tenerle per la mano, e quella maledetta mano o muore nella vostra, o loro credono di dover continuare a dimenarla tutto il tempo, come se avessero paura di annoiarvi o che so io. Jane era un'altra cosa. Andavamo in un dannato cinema o in un posto cosí, e subito cominciavamo a tenerci per mano, e non ci lasciavamo sino alla fine del film. E senza cambiare posizione né farne un affare di stato. Con Jane non stavi nemmeno a pensare se avevi la mano sudata o no. Sapevi soltanto che eri felice. E lo eri davvero.

(pp. 93-94)

Il giovane Holden di J.D. Salinger

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Titolo: Il giovane Holden

Autore: J.D. Salinger

Titolo originale: The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

Traduzione di: Adriana Motti

Editore: Einaudi

Collana: Gli struzzi

Data di pubblicazione: 1961

Pagine: 248

Avevo provato già due volte a leggere Il giovane Holden durante l'adolescenza. Non ho mai ben capito perché questo libro abbia così tanto seguito e tanti fan. In molti libri che ho letto, i personaggi citavano Il giovane Holden come il proprio libro preferito; in particolare mi ricordo dei due protagonisti di Il giubbotto di Indiana Jones di Asun Balzola. Dato che mi sto sforzando di leggere libri un po' più "seri", ho deciso di dargli un'altra possibilità, senza pregiudizi.

La trama è nota; non a caso si tratta di un libro famosissimo. Holden Caulfield, diciassette rampollo di una famiglia agiata, viene espulso dalla scuola che frequenta e passa quattro giorni a vagabondare per New York invece di tornare a casa. Prende taxi, va in albergo, incontra persone per la strada e parla con loro, ha appuntamenti con le ragazze, si incontra con la sorellina Phoebe.

Il personaggio di Holden, in passato, non mi era piaciuto. Ha il privilegio di frequentare una scuola privata e non si impegna; viene da una famiglia ricchissima e sperpera i suoi soldi; non fa che lamentarsi di tutto e di tutti; dice un sacco di parolacce. Credo che il libro piaccia o non piaccia a seconda di quanto si simpatizza con il protagonista.

A questa nuova lettura, invece, un pizzico di simpatia per Holden l'ho provato. Se non altro, almeno è un bravo fratello maggiore e si prende cura della sorellina (personaggio simpaticissimo). Bisogna anche ricordare che Holden ha perso un altro fratello minore, l'amatissimo Allie, morto di leucemia. Holden si preoccupa di smascherare la falsità nella gente; l'ipocrisia è quanto più lo infastidisce.

Non me la sento di consigliare Il giovane Holden a qualcuno. Provate e vedete se fa per voi.

La principessa che credeva nelle favole di Marcia Grad

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Titolo: La principessa che credeva nelle favole. Come liberarsi del proprio principe azzurro

Autore: Marcia Grad

Titolo originale: The princess who believed in fairy tales. A story for modern times (1995)

Traduzione di: Alessandra Vizzi

Editore: Piemme

Data di pubblicazione: 1998

Pagine: 280

Ho cercato in biblioteca La principessa che credeva nelle favole dopo averlo visto citato su un blog. Non sapevo affatto di che tipo di libro si trattasse. Si è rivelato per metà una fiaba, per metà un libro di auto-aiuto.

Victoria, la protagonista, è molto lontana dallo stereotipo di principessa viziata delle fiabe. Anzi, durante tutta l'infanzia i genitori la rimproveravano perché era troppo timida e sognatrice, perché amava danzare e ballare invece di comportarsi con la compostezza necessaria a una futura regnante. Victoria ha un'amica immaginaria di nome Vicky, che rappresenta la sua parte bambina, il suo lato interiore più autentico. I rimproveri del re e della regina spingono però Victoria a chiudere Vicky nell'armadio e a dimenticarsi di lei.

Il sogno di Victoria è essere salvata dal principe azzurro e vivere per sempre felice e contenta. E all'università Victoria incontra davvero un principe bello e affascinante, che la corteggia e la chiede in sposa. La loro vita insieme, però, è diversa dalle favole. Il principe che Victoria ama, da lei soprannominato dottor Sorriso, si trasforma sempre più spesso nel signor Nascosto, un individuo crudele che ferisce Victoria con critiche e litigi. Scossa dall'infelicità, la principessa decide di lasciare il marito e di intraprendere un viaggio di conoscenza che la porterà a scoprire veramente chi è lei e in cosa consiste il vero amore.

Per quanto io non abbia nessun principe azzurro di cui liberarmi, ho trovato La principessa che credeva nelle favole una lettura piacevole e istruttiva.

Facebook in the rain di Paola Mastrocola

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Titolo: Facebook in the rain

Autore: Paola Mastrocola

Editore: Guanda

Collana: Prosa contemporanea

Data di pubblicazione: 2012

Pagine: 125

Conoscevo Paola Mastrocola per il romanzo Una barca nel bosco e il divertente pamphlet La scuola raccontata al mio cane. Ho letto con piacere anche il breve Facebook in the rain, che definirei più una novella che un vero e proprio romanzo.

Evandra Martella vive in un piccolo paese del Centro Italia, a ridosso degli Appennini, dove fa la casalinga. Rimasta vedova all'improvviso, si ritrova sola e senza idea di come trascorrere le giornate. Fa amicizia con le altre donne che si ritrovano al cimitero, ma cosa fare quando piove? Ecco che la sua amica le consiglia di andare su Facebook. Evandra prende così lezioni di Facebook e scopre un mondo a lei sconosciuto, popolato di personaggi un po' veri e un po' finti. Tutto a un tratto Evandra ha una ricchissima vita sociale... senza mai uscire di casa.

Facebook in the rain si lascia leggere volentieri, ma ha ben poca sostanza. Sembra quasi che l'autrice avesse fretta di finirlo o che abbia preferito lasciare la storia appena abbozzata, senza scavare molto in profondità. La voce narrante ha il difetto di moraleggiare sulle scelte dei personaggi.

Book review: Pretenders by Lisi Harrison

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Pretenders

Author: Lisi Harrison

Series: Pretenders #1

Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR

Publication date: October 15, 2013

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

Three girls, two guys, five secret journals. At Noble High School, one of the most prestigious institutions for secondary education, Ms Silver gives the freshman class an assignment: they are to record their thoughts and feelings on a private journal throughout the whole year.

Five students are selected as the most popular, the most likely to succeed in the freshman class: they're nicknamed the Phoenix Five. One of them, however, decides to leak the journals in order to prove that they are all keeping secrets. The mysterious X-Phonie wants to show to the whole school that the most popular students are in fact pretenders. Through their journals, we are told the events that led to this decision.

The Phoenix Five are three girls and two guys. Sheridan wants to be an actress. Lily has finally persuaded her parents to let her attend school, after eight years of homeschooling. Vanessa is an overachiever who wants to make straight As in order to keep her family united. Duffy just wants to play basketball, but has to face his family's financial difficulties. Jagger is the most mysterious guy in school, and no one really knows much about him.

I thought this book was quite engaging and entertaining. The drama keeps piling up and the rhythm is fast and lively. Books like Pretenders are sort of a guilty pleasure for me. I like to gobble them up and then regret taking the time to read them, because they're usually the first in a series or end in a huge cliffhanger.

I enjoyed this book; it was an okay read. However, I wasn't too pleased with the abrupt ending. I don't think I will be reading the next book in the series.

Fame di Allen Zadoff

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 15:14:00 +0000

Titolo: Fame. Cose che ho imparato nel mio viaggio da grasso a magro

Autore: Allen Zadoff

Titolo originale: Hungry

Traduzione di: Lucia Corradini Caspani

Editore: Corbaccio

Collana: I libri del benessere

Data di pubblicazione: 2009

Pagine: 178

Ad Allen Zadoff, regista teatrale, docente e giornalista, è sempre piaciuto mangiare, fino da quando era bambino. Il cibo non era solo fonte di piacere, ma una sorta di droga per lui: mangiava per cancellare tutte le altre emozioni. Si ritrovò così a ventotto anni a pesare più di 160 kg e a rendersi conto di dover cambiare in profondità la propria vita.

Dopo aver provato ogni tipo di dieta e di programma di dimagrimento, dopo aver perso la battaglia con il cibo, Zadoff ha iniziato un percorso di scoperta di sé, sotto la guida di uno psicoterapeuta esperto in disturbi dell'alimentazione. Fame è il racconto autobiografico di quell'esperienza.

Il libro si divide in tre parti: quello che Zadoff credeva quando combatteva contro il proprio peso; quello che ha scoperto smettendo di mangiare compulsivamente; e quello che conosce ora, grazie a una consapevolezza profonda della propria malattia. In particolare ho trovato interessante una suddivisione di chi mangia in tre categorie: i mangiatori normali, i mangiatori con problemi, e i mangiatori compulsivi.

I mangiatori normali hanno un rapporto normale con il cibo e con il proprio corpo. Mangiano quando sentono fame e smettono non appena sono sazi. In generale, si sentono liberi e relativamente in pace con il proprio aspetto. Al contrario, i mangiatori con problemi lottano con il cibo e con il proprio corpo, alternando momenti di pace e soddisfazione per il proprio aspetto a momenti di dieta e insoddisfazione.

I mangiatori compulsivi, una categoria a cui Zadoff appartiene, sono ossessionati dal cibo e dal proprio corpo, fino al punto di dover escludere tutto il resto dalla propria vita. Chi mangia compulsivamente soffre di un vero e proprio disturbo alimentare: è ossessionato dalle diete, mangia troppo e poi si chiede perché, prova infelicità, disperazione e confusione riguardo al cibo e al proprio corpo.

Un'altra idea che ho trovato interessante è l'affermazione di Zadoff "il mio corpo non è affare mio"; ciò significa che non spetta a me modellarlo o cercare di cambiarlo attraverso diete o esercizio fisico. Il mio corpo non è affare mio. Mi sembra un'affermazione liberatoria.

Zadoff consiglia anche di esaminare ciò che si mangia alla luce di un personale "semaforo" di cibi rossi, gialli e verdi. I cibi rossi di una persona sono quelli che non si riescono a gestire e che scatenano le abbuffate. I cibi gialli sono quelli che possono essere problematici in certe situazioni. I cibi verdi, invece, sono quelli di cui non si eccede mai nel consumo. Zadoff consiglia di evitare i cibi rossi e di basare la propria alimentazione su una combinazione di cibi gialli e verdi.

Per una volta nella vita di Rainbow Rowell

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Titolo: Per una volta nella vita
Titolo originale: Eleanor & Park
Autore: Rainbow Rowell
Traduzione di: Federica Merani
Editore: Piemme
Collana: Narrativa
Data di pubblicazione: ottobre 2013
Pagine: 350

Avevo detto che l'avrei fatta finita con i romanzi rosa e con quelli di fantascienza. Purtroppo l'amore si infila in moltissime storie, e a volte si ha proprio voglia di una bella storia d'amore. Mi incuriosiva questo libro per la recensione assai positiva che ne aveva fatto Christina di A Reader of Fictions.

Per una volta nella vita è ambientato a Omaha, in Nebraska, nell'anno scolastico 1986-87. I protagonisti sono due ragazzi di 15 anni: Eleanor e Park del titolo originale (non capisco cosa c'entri il titolo italiano, ma lasciamo perdere).

Eleanor e Park si incontrano per la prima volta sul pulmino che porta a scuola. Vivono entrambi nelle Flats, quartieri popolari e un po' degradati. Park è per metà coreano, ama la musica e i fumetti, e bada bene a tenersi lontano dai guai. Sul pulmino, accanto a lui, c'è un posto libero; è lì che Eleanor andrà a sedersi.

Eleanor è nuova a scuola, si è appena trasferita nel quartiere con la famiglia (la madre, i quattro fratellini minori, e il patrigno). Con i capelli rosso fiamma, l'abbigliamento stravagante, e la corporatura robusta, Eleanor non passa certo inosservata. Anzi, i nuovi compagni di scuola la catalogano subito come "strana" e la prendono di mira. Ma Eleanor ha ben altri problemi: la sua famiglia è poverissima e dominata dal nuovo marito della madre, violento e vendicativo.

Anche Park trova Eleanor strana, eppure è attratto da lei. Inizia ad aspettare con ansia i momenti da trascorrere accanto a Eleanor sull'autobus. I due si trovano a condividere i fumetti e il walkman di Park, e in breve si innamorano. La loro storia d'amore è però ostacolata non solo dalla diffidenza della madre di Park, ma anche e soprattutto dalla necessità di Eleanor di nascondersi dal patrigno.

Il rapporto tra Eleanor e Park è tenero e struggente, come solo il primo amore sa essere. Per Eleanor è il primo bacio; per Park, il primo bacio che conti veramente. Entrambi sanno che il primo amore raramente dura tutta la vita, eppure non vogliono rinunciarvi, nonostante gli ostacoli. La narrazione segue alternativamente il punto di vista di Eleanor o quello di Park, facendoci affezionare ad entrambi i personaggi.

Consiglierei Per una volta nella vita a tutti i romantici, a chi ama le belle storie d'amore, a chi crede che l'amore aiuti ad affrontare le avversità della vita.

Netgalley News #3

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Netgalley ratio as shown on my profile: 89.6%

I reached the magical 80%!

How did this happen? I have no idea. Let's just say I gave up on a good number of galleys and left a note to the publisher saying I was unable to finish the book, so I was declining to review that title. Also, a few galleys expired before I could read them, so I left a similar note on those.

My plan for the next few months is to use Netgalley as little as possible. No more requesting until I have a clean slate - which means reading and reviewing the titles I have on my "new to me" shelf. All of them. I don't have many left, after all.

Book review: Fallout by Todd Strasser

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Fallout

Author: Todd Strasser

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication date: September 10, 2013

During the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is what everyone talks about. But no one thinks it's actually going to happen. Scott Porter's dad is the only one to have a bomb shelter built in his yard. However, when the Cuban Missile Crisis escalates, causing Russia to drop a bomb on the US, the neighbours come barging at the shelter trapdoor, forcing Mr Porter to let them in, too. Without enough food, room, or supplies, life inside the shelter is hard and exhausting. The question remains -what are they going to find once they come out?

Scott is 11 years old and in sixth grade. His best friend, Ronnie, always drags him in trouble. When Mr Porter builds the shelter, his neighbours mock him, but then force him to admit them inside. In the space which was created for four people (Scott, his parents, and his little brother Edward aka Sparky), there are actually ten: Ronnie and his parents, neighbouring girl Paula and her father, and Janet, a young black woman who works for the Porters as a maid and babysitter once a week. There's not enough food nor supplies; Mr Porter didn't actually get to stock up the shelter properly, and the neighbours blame him for that. Mrs Porter fell and injured her head while she was entering the shelter, and now lies unresponsive. The other adults in the shelter (except for Janet) question Mr Porter's being the leader and think the decisions should be take by the majority.

Fallout is composed of very short chapters told in Scott's first-person point of view. The focus shifts in alternating chapters between life in the shelter and the few months leading to the bomb launch. The main character is pre-teen, but there's plenty of mature and controversial subject, and I think this book is more suited to young adult readers. Another topic covered is racism and racial segregation, as some neighbours question Janet's presence in the shelter.

I found this book very compelling and impossible to put down. It made me very uneasy. My only complaint would be with the ending - I would've liked to find out more about what happened in the outside world. But I guess the scope of the book was different.

Book review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: The Summer I Became a Nerd

Author: Leah Rae Miller

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication date: May 9, 2013

On the outside, Madelyne Summer is a normal, seventeen-year-old cheerleader living in the small Louisiana town of Natchitoches. She's blond, popular, and dating the school quaterback. On the inside, however, she's a big nerd. She's obsessed by comics and enjoys sci-fi movie marathons. She has hidden her true passions from everyone since an unpleasant accident in middle school.

At the beginning of the summer, however, Maddie is anxious to read the final issue of her favourite comic series and needs to step into the local comic shop to get it. Behind the counter, she recognizes Logan, an adorable nerdy guy whom she has often spied at school. He whisks her off to a new world - comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and videogames. Maddie loves it, but soon her two worlds will collide, and she won't know what to do.

I can't exactly relate to the main character in this novel. I've enjoyed comics, but I've never been a huge fan of any series. Anyway, if I had been, I would have never cared if everyone knew about it. I've never been much concerned about being popular. I can't imagine hiding your true self and what you really like doing, just for popularity. Not to mention dating a guy you don't really like because it's "what you're supposed to be doing". Maddie doesn't like Eric much, and she's actually relieved he's away for the summer. She's way too eager to start a relationship with Logan. I mean, I understand she wasn't into her boyfriend, but she should have talked to him before she started things with someone else.

On the other hand, Logan and his entire family are just too adorable. Logan's best friend Dan, fiercely loyal and with a bad mouth, is another amusing character. I liked Maddie well enough at the end; it's just that I didn't approve of her earlier motives. The whole plot seems predictable, but the romance is sweet.

Mini-review: Mates, Dates series Book 9

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Mates, Dates, and Great Escapes
Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #9

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Publication date: July 30, 2004

Lucy is the main character in the ninth book in the series. Her class is planning a trip to Italy, but Lucy's parents don't have much money to spare, so she's resigned to stay at home. Until her younger brother gets an unexpected inheritance, and Lucy gets the money for the trip. The girls excitedly board their plane to Florence. Lucy particularly relishes this opportunity to get away from home, as her boyfriend Tony is pressuring her to go all the way. She doesn't feel ready. He breaks up with her shortly before she leaves.

In Italy, Lucy meets Teddy: he's cute, wealthy, half American and half English. He seems like a perfect gentlemen and introduces her to a rich, sophisiticated world. Lucy goes out with him and feels on cloud nine. But is their relationship doomed because of their distance? Is Lucy going to get over Tony?

I thought it was very unfair for Tony to be putting Lucy in front of an ultimatum: either sleep with him or breaking up. Sure, he's older; but he should remember she's barely fifteen. It's only normal that she should feel she's not ready to take their relationship to the next level.

I loved the class trip to Florence. T.J. seems the only one to be actually interested in the arts and monuments. I was laughing when the girls got lost in the city centre because they had forgotten to turn their watches an hour back.

This book ended in a bad cliffhanger. The worst thing is that I will not be able to continue reading this series. This was the last book of the series to be published in Italy. Anyway, this was supposed to be the last book centered on Lucy. Still, I'd like to know if she gets back with Tony in the end. I'm thinking she will.

I've just read the synopsis for the remaining books in the series... Apparently, Book 10 is about Izzy thinking she is fat; Book 11 is about Nesta getting involved in charity work and meeting a new guy; and Book 12 is about T.J. being torn over two boys. It sounds like she will get back with Luke at the end. WTH?!

Mini-reviews: Mates, Dates series Books 7 and 8

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Mates, Dates, and Sequin Smiles (also titled: Mates, Dates, and Pulling Power)

Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #7

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Publication date: August 7, 2003

In the seventh installment from the Mates, Dates series, the main character is Nesta. Now she learns that she'll have to wear braces. And this is exactly when she's just started an acting course and met a cute new boy, Luke, there. He comes from a family of Italian descent; his parents manage an Italian restaurant. But when Nesta's father hears about Luke's family, he forbids her to see him. Nesta can't understand the reason why. Of course she still sees Luke in secret. Together, they might need to unravel a mystery from their father's youth...

Nesta has always been my least favourite character in this series. She just seems so vain and conceited to me, concerned only about her looks and clothes. She's definitely the "airhead" in her group of friends. I had to wear braces when I was slightly younger than Nesta and I remembered how it sounded a tragedy to me (and I wasn't doing any kissing back then). Anyway, now Nesta is attending an acting course and has met a cute, Italian boy she likes.

My favourite part was the mustery surrounding Nesta's and Luke's fathers. It was fun to find out about their shared past and see their reconciliation. I didn't care much for Nesta, as usual, though.

Title: Mates, Dates, and Tempting Trouble
Author: Cathy Hopkins
Series: Mates, Dates #8
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Publication date: February 27, 2004

The main character in the eight book from the Mates, Dates series is J.T. She's the braniac in the group and my favourite girl. Her older sister Marie is getting married in Devon, where she lives, and J.T.'s parents are thinking about moving the whole family there, too. J.T. is devastated, because she doesn't want to leave her friends.

As a school project, J.T. and her friends are assigned to research London's past. They're divided in groups and paired from boys from a nearby school. J.T. ends up in the same group as Luke, Nesta's boyfriend. They start hanging out together and visiting famous houses to do their project; and he starts flirting with her. At first, J.T. thinks she must be imagining it, because she obviously can't compete with Nesta in the looks and bubbly personality department. Moreover, Luke already seems to be getting close with another girl in the group, although he claims that she's throwing herself at him and he doesn't wat to hurt her feelings with a harsh rejection.

Soon, things progress between Luke and J.T., to the point where they kiss passionately. J.T breaks up with her boyfriend Steve; but Luke still isn't ending things with Nesta. In fact, he tells her that J.T. was throwing herself at him. This causes a rift between the girls; Lucy agrees with Nesta, while Izzy is on J.T's side.

I foudn it amusing that Luke, who was characterized as such a sweet boy in the previous book, turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing in this one. He's a shameless flirt. He's going out with Nesta, his official girlfriend, as well as putting the moves on J.T. and another girl in their group. It wasn't funny to see the girls fight over a boy, but I understand it's realistic. Anyway, seriously, they need to drop Luke like a hot potato.

Mini-reviews: Mates, Dates Series Books 5 and 6

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors
Author: Cathy Hopkins
Series: Mates, Dates #5
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Publication date: September 19, 2002

Lucy is now the only single girl in her group of friends. She would like to get back with her ex-boyfriend Tony, but he has other ideas. So she decides to forget about boys and focus on herself instead. She goes with Izzy to a weekend meditation retreat. There she meets Daniel, who seems just right for her: nice, generous, interested in fashion... but then he starts to display signs of being overbearing and controlling.

The morale of this book seems to be that you don't need a boyfriend to be happy, or actually, that it's better to be alone than in bad company. I liked this book; I always enjoy Lucy's point of view. She's perhaps the most down-to-earth girl in the group. Anyway, her friends might not be in a relationship much longer...

Title: Mates, Dates, and Mad Mistakes

Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #6

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Publication date: 2003

It's the beginning of a new school year and Izzy wants to feel more grown-up. In an attempt to create a permanent bond with her friends, Izzy persuades them that they should all get their belly buttons pierced. However, only Izzy and Lucy go through with the idea, and Izzy's mother orders her to take it out immediately. Izzy starts to feel rebellious and to do things she normally wouldn't: experiment with drinks, smoke a joint, sneak out of her house... This increases after she breaks up with Ben and meets Josh, an older, cute boy who is also dangerous.

Izzy does a number of stupid things in this book. It wasn't nice to see it, but I understand it had to happen for the character to become wiser. Josh was sleazy, though; what was Izzy thinking? He leaves her alone in the dark at night and even spikes her drink so that she will "relax". Get lost, Josh.

Mini-reviews: Mates, Dates Series Books 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Mates, Dates, and Designer Divas
Author: Cathy Hopkins
Series: Mates, Dates #3
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Publication date: December 1, 2001

Nesta Williams is the main character in the third book of the Mates, Dates series. Nesta meets Simon, a gorgeous, rich boy from the upper class. They hit it off immediately. But there are two problems: one, Nesta's family is experiencing financial difficulties, so she can't spend as much money as Simon does; and two, Simon's childhood friend Cressida is lusting over him and wasting no occasion to make Nesta feel inferior. Anyway, Nesta knows that if someone makes you feel inferior, is because you allowed it, and she's ready to fight...

I liked this book, even though I didn't like Nesta very much in the previous books. I'm not sure why, but she just seems a lot more vain than her friends in the previous books. In this novel, the reader learns that money isn't everything.

Title: Mates, Dates, and Sleepover Secrets

Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #4

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Publication date: January 3, 2002

Theresa Joanne (TJ) is a new addition to the series. She's in the same class as Lucy, Nesta, and Izzy, and feels lonely after her best friend moved to South Africa. Moreover, her elder brother left university to travel around the world, and TJ feels more abandones than ever. TJ is very intelligent, but she's taken over by alien-speak when she talks to handsome boys. Then TJ befirends Lucy, Izzy, and Nesta, and with their help she starts to feel more confident.

TJ might be my favourite character in this series, after Lucy. She's the girl I relate the most to. In this book, TJ decides to take part in the competition to become the new director of the school newspaper. She has to write a trial number, and she asks for help from all her friends and assorted family members. At first, TJ has a crush on her next-door neighbour Sam, but after she gest his attetion thanks to Nesta's makeover, she learns that Lucy's brother Steve makes her feel more at ease.

Mini-reviews: Mates, Dates, Series Books 1 and 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras

Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #1

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Publishing date: February 8, 2001

Lucy is a fourteen-year-old girl who lives in London with her parents, who are lovers of healthy food, her two brothers, and two dogs. Her best friends are Izzy and Nesta. When her teacher assignes the class an essay over themselves and what they want to do when they grow up, Lucy doesn't know what to write. She's so short and flat-chested she can be mistaken for a twelve-year-old, and has no idea what job she would like. One day, though, she sees a handsome boy in the streets and decides she wants to meet him.

This was a short, refreshing book; a nice bit of escapism. Lucy is riddled with self-doubt when the novel starts, but she acquires confidence as she goes on. She discovers she has a talent for creating new clothes from her grandmother's old dresses and is advised to attend stylist school. She also manages to get the attention of the boy she likes.

The only bad thing in this series is that there are twelve books altogether, and I don't think I will be able to find them all, as not all of them have been published into Italian.

Title: Mates, Dates, and Cosmic Kisses

Author: Cathy Hopkins

Series: Mates, Dates #2

Publisher: Piccadily Press

Publishing date: May 25, 2001

The second book in the Mates, Dates series focuses on Izzy. She loves tarot reading and horoscopes; she consilts them for every aspect of her life. One day Izzy meets Mark, a cute guy. She gives him her number, and he promises to call her so they can go out. But he doesn't. Izzy stays home all the time, worried she'll miss his call, and neglects her friends. Then she meets Mark again - and he comes up with a mumber of excuses for not calling her. Does Izzy really want to go out with someone who tells so many lies?

This was a fun book, even though I enjoyed Lucy as a character more than I did Izzy. I think this is an important message for young girls to get: that you should not forget about your friends once you're interested in a boy, and that you shouldn't let anyone rush into something you don't feel ready for. Also, don't allow boys to lie to you!

Book review: Blink Once by Cylin Busby

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Blink Once

Author: Cylin Busby

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Publication date: September 4, 2012

West is a high school senior. He has a cool best friend,a pretty girlfriend, and everything going for him. Until a bad mountain bike accident leaves him paralyzed. In the hospital West drifts in and out of consciousness, with no means of communicating other than blinking. He feels alone... then he meets Olivia. She's in the room next to him and has been there for a long time. Olivia and West strike up a friendship. West, however, doesn't know why Olivia is in hospital, or why he keeps having nightmares about her.

I thought this book was an okay read. The big reveal about Olivia was not something I had anticipated... except that there was definitely something strange about her. Olivia and West seem to have an insta-love dynamic - and considering that West's girlfriend drops him when he's lying in a hospital bed and unresponsive, I'd say everybody would have seemed to him like an improvement.

Book review: Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 14:35:00 +0000

Title: Tell Me When

Author: Stina Lindenblatt

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication date: January 20, 2014

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

I was in the mood for something romantic, so I picked up the galley for Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt. It's a good romance set in college, although it was less light-hearted than I expected.

Amber is a freshman at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Her lifetime ambition is to become a veterinarian, but she's failing her math class because she keeps having flashbacks into her own horrific past. So she enlists the help of Marcus, engineering student and known man-whore. The attraction between them is real, but Amber keeps pushing him away, and he's not interested in having a serious girlfriend anyway. However, after a while Amber and Marcus discover they have something in common - they both lost a brother and come from a broken household.

Most new adult romances are very light-hearted and fun, but this book is actually quite dark in themes. It deals with abuse, alcoholism, and rape. What I liked the most is that both the hero and the heroine have a very troubled past (not only the heroine) and both try to forget their situations with destructive behaviours, before realizing that they need to face their problems instead of escaping. Although both Marcus and Amber are very young, they feel older - they had to grow up fast as a result of their terrible life experiences.

Book review: A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:56:00 +0000

Title: A Study in Ashes

Author: Emma Jane Holloway

Series: The Baskerville Affair #3

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication date: December 31, 2013

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

A Study in Ashes is the third (and possibly final) installment of The Baskerville Affair series. It's a brilliant trilogy mixing steampunk with magic, telling an extraordinary tale of adventure and inventions. The main character is Evelina Cooper, Sherlock Holmes's niece. I'm not going to discuss the plot, partly because it would contain huge spoilers for the previous books, and partly because I did not read the whole thing. A Study in Ashes is a massive book - my galley is 594 pages long. I only read up to Chapter Nineteen (page 179 in my galley), and then I read the final three chapters because I was very curious about the ending.

It might be not very honest to write a review for a book you have not finished. I recognize this is a brilliant series, but I'm not in the mood to finish it now. Reading it feels too much like slogging through the book. The love triangle resolved itself by the end of the second book, and I wasn't pleased about the result. For some reason I was a fan of Evelina/Tobias, while the books went in the opposite direction. I'm not a fan of Evelina going dark, either.

As for the ending, I do recognize it's fitting, and I'm pleased to see Evelina happy with Nick after all. I feel sadness over Tobias and Alice's fate, even though I suppose I should have seen it coming. Again, many thanks to the publisher for granting me access to the galley.

A Guest Post by Hannah Jayne, author of See Jane Run

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

What does Hannah enjoy most about writing?

by Hannah Jayne

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to write—heck, I decided that I was going to be an author in the second grade! I remember the first time I really wrote. It was back in that second grade class with Mrs. Sullivan. The assignment was to write a story—we had one of those long sheets made out of newsprint style paper with the fat lines—if you’re over thirty you know what I’m talking about. Anyway, we had to fill the whole first page, the inside section (which was about two of those fat lines; the rest of the page was left blank for “an illustration”), and then finish the whole back page. Three pages. Everyone groaned.

I stayed in through recess. I wrote until the next period and my teacher let me. My three-page story was twelve pages. And I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

Even then, I was hooked on the idea that I could build a world—any world—completely different from the one I was living in, or almost just the same. I could manipulate all the characters, make them say, think, feel, and do things that I wanted them to do—and in turn, I could make readers, real people, think and feel and (possibly) do things. To my second grade self, it was an intoxicating sense of power. As time went on, I kept writing, kept growing and changing. It wasn’t the power that was so attractive by junior high—it was the escape. I could go anywhere if I could write it. I could be gone for hours on end without actually leaving the county line. I could disappear.

In high school and college I was fighting my inner (and sometimes outer) demons. I was breaking down over bullies and a violent relationship and everything about my reactions was meek and meager—but not the girls I wrote about. They were strong. They kicked ass. They did and said all the things that I dreamed about doing and saying, no matter how wrong, outlandish, or illegal. They were always the heroes.

That was (eek) nearly twenty years ago and I still love manipulating a world so that “right” prevails, but eight books later, I realize I’m writing for a different reason, too. I’m writing for all the teens and adults who write to me who were exactly where I was once: needing a world to escape into, wanting to disappear for a while, needing to have some kind of power over something, no matter how brief the time. I write for the teens who write to me—or write to Logan, Cooper, Sawyer, or Riley—because they’ve made a connection. Someone wrote to tell me her last name is the same as Sawyer’s. Another to tell me that her school mascot is the “Fighting Hornet,” [from Hawthorne High] too. A few to tell me they got in trouble for reading in class.

There’s just something amazing about sitting in my office alone (unless you count at least one of my two giant cats stretched out on my desk) and writing something that goes out into the world and connects with it. That is why I write.

When a bad day is the end of the world...

Under Wraps ~ Under Attack
Under Suspicion ~ Under the Gun
coming Aug. 2013: Under A Spell

She thought it was a coincidence.
            She was wrong.
       Truly, Madly, Deadly
   coming July 2013
     www.hannah-jayne.com
    www.hannahjschwartz.com
          @hannah_jayne1

Five Ways To Fall Puzzle Cover Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000

ABOUT FIVE WAYS TO FALL

Sometimes you can’t change—and sometimes you just don’t want to. Discover Ben’s side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

ABOUT K.A. TUCKER:

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

LINKS:

Blog: http://www.katucker.blogspot.ca/
Website: http://www.katuckerbooks.com/
Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/K.A.Tucker.Author?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathleenatucker
Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4866520.K_A_Tucker

FIVE WAYS TO FALL Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18170583-five-ways-to-fall?ac=1

Atria: http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/atria

Book review: Skinny by Donna Cooner

noreply@blogger.com (Alessandra) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Title: Skinny

Author: Donna Cooner

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Scholastic - Point

Publication date: September 1, 2012

Ever Davies is fifteen years old and over 300 pounds. She started gaining weight after her mother's death and now is severely obese. She has tried to lose weight for years, to no avail. Now, however, she decides she's going to have gastric bypass surgery. This will make her stomach so small she will not be able to eat an entire meal anymore. Watch Ever as she struggles with her new diet, exercise, a makeover, and the ambition to be in the school spring musical. Ever's biggest struggle is not with her weight; it's with her "Skinny" internal voice, who mocks her and tells her she's always going to fail.

I read this book in one sitting. It's not very long, but I found it very compelling. It's the classic makeover story, with a Cinderella theme. Cinderella is Ever's favourite musical, and the next school production that she wants a part in. Cinderella is also what Ever considers her role in the household: she has a stepmother and two beautiful, skinny stepsisters that ignore her. And her best friend is nicknamed Rat. Ever's is passionate about music and singing, but since she's obese, she tries to be invisible, instead of being in the spotlight.

At first, Ever doesn't want to have gastric bypass surgery because she's afraid she might die. Then public embarrassment in school prompts her to go for it. She undergoes surgery at the end of the school year, then she spends the summer struggling with her diet and new exercise regimen. Her best friend Rat is constantly at her side. Her younger stepsister Briella, too, is supportive. Briella's friend is the most popular girl in school and decides to give Ever a makeover: clothes, makeup, a new haircut, the whole package.

When Ever goes back to school in the fall, she's lost a lot of weight and can now wear clothes from the "regular" department. She gets the attention of Jackson, the boy she has had a crush on forever - the boy who was a childhood close friend, before Ever started gaining weight. Ever gets an invite to the Fall Ball - but is Jackson really her Prince Charming?

My favourite character in the book is Rat - he's brilliant and a bit of a nerd, and supports Ever like no other. Ever's parents are a bit of a disappointment; her father wants her to lose weight, yet he's never involved in first person in Ever's struggle. Her stepmother has a very small role. I was also sorry to see that Ever seemed to do it all for a boy - at the very least, she does find love in the end.