I *heart* Alisa Kwitney. That is all. Thanks again to Lady T for letting me partake of her chicklit collection!

(note, book photos are now LINKS! except for Girl w/Silver Eyes in post below.)

So apparently, Debbie read this book, mentioned it to Rand, and Rand checked it out of his library and brought it to me. I started it over the weekend, opted not to bring it with me to school yesterday (as it is rather thick), but LO! There were several copies in the classroom where I was teaching. I picked one up, found my place, and proceeded to finish it.

I think what I liked best about this book is that it is literally about the magic of books. Each chapter started with an epigraph (is that the right word?) from a well-known work of literature. They included some of my favorite books…Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, The Princess Bride…

I understand that Inkheart is the first of a trilogy, so I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the story!

This was completely adorable…a YA romance based on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It’s told primarily through best friends Hermia and Helena’s e-mails, instant messages and diary entries. The characters’ voices were completely distinct, realistic and believable. I almost didn’t want it to end. I’d reccommend this to anyone who likes Shakespeare, romance, or movies like 10 Things I Hate About You. 😉

I stayed up too late last night finishing this one. I LOVED it. I loved Emma’s voice. I loved Emma’s friends, and I loved Michelle Cunnah’s writing style. I actually cried a little at the end, even though it turned out pretty much the way I expected it to.

When it comes to chick lit, I really don’t mind a predictable ending as long as I enjoy the ride. And I completely, thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 🙂

I’m still enjoying Betsy’s story, but I have to say that this one felt less like a finished product and more like the middle of a trilogy. I thought the plot was kind of lackluster, like it was just sort of a placeholder for whatever’s going to happen next. But will I read Undead and Unpopular when it comes out? Uh, you bet…

This was fun, but not nearly as much fun as See Jane Date. Something about the main character’s voice didn’t seem right to me. Maybe it’s because of the fact that the story was set in the same universe as Jane (main character was Jane’s best friend), but had a completely different voice and perspective. I don’t know…but this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it. Also, it was a completely different story with a completely different tone. I’m curious to read more of her…

Yeah, this is another one of those “picked it up while I was subbing” books. I never read this one as a kid, but I do remember it being a favorite of my ex-boyfriend’s.

I read the review (at amazon) from the 8th grader, and I always wonder about these…does his attitude represent that of most kids, or is he (or she) just a particularly unimaginative kid who hates to read? Hm. Anyway.

I didn’t love it. I didn’t dislike it either. It was sad. I imagine this is one of those books where I probably would have loved it if I had read it when I was in sixth grade.
I did like that the kids referenced Narnia when they were building their imaginary kingdom. I thought one of the best moments was when Leslie went to church with Jess’s family and remarked on the similarity between the Jesus story and Aslan. (Leslie’s family didn’t go to church, so she wasn’t familiar with the story when she read the Narnia books.)

I picked this up in a classroom while I was teaching last week, and easily finished it within the day.

In a nutshell, this is a story set in a not-terribly-distant future where virtually everyone on Earth has a Feed installed. The Feed is an internal computer that allows people to search the internet, shop, and even instant message each other just by thinking about it. Since people can look up any information they need, literally at any moment, reading has become obsolete.

It’s basically a satire of where we are now, and a warning about what we could become.

I enjoyed the story, but I did find the “futuristic slang” the author created sort of annoying. I’d really be interested in knowing what teenagers think of this book.

I also finished one of the chick lit books Lady Turpentine was so kind as to loan me:

It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The narrator had a great voice, and she truly felt like she was someone I knew (or would want to know). The story was sweet and romantic and funny and everything a good chick lit novel should be.

I was having a bad blogger day a few days ago…I swear, I tried to post this three times. And poof…it vanished. I have no idea what happened.

Anyway.

There’s probably not much I can say about this book. It’s sad. Harrowing. Chilling.

And again, I can only ask, “how could this happen?”