Seventeenth Summer

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Pages: 340
A summer to remember. . .
Angie always thought high school romances were just silly infatuations that come and go. She certainly never thought she wuold fall in love over one short summer. But when she meets Jack, their connection is more than a crush. Suddenly Angie and Jack are filling their summer with stolen moments and romantic nights. But as fall grows closer, they must figure out if their love is forever, or just a summer they'll never forget.

I was given some advice from a friend to shorten my reviews. She told me I didn't need to re-explain the summary of the book, so I'm not going to this time. I'm going to try something new!

I've just been dying to read this book for months and finally picked it up at B&N the other day. I'm realy glad I did too. When I was reading the book, there were little things that stuck out to me and I thought they were a little odd. I just didn't expect those things to happen in today's society. So, I looked at the copyright page and it said that Maureen Daly wrote this book in 1942 while she was in college! Then it made a lot more sense of how the characters acted and their feelings, and just descriptions of their house, clothes, and the town. This was a really great book because of the fact that it was written and takes place in the 1940's.

Angie is seventeen and has just graduated from high school. In the fall she is going to college, but in the mean time she has all summer to relax. And that's when she meets Jack. I just love their  first little date out on Jack's boat. It was sweet and romantic! I just wish the author had incorperated the boat into the story more often than she did. That was the only time they went out on it, and that was sort of dissapointing. I love Angie as a character though. She was sweet and innocent. She is a shy girl and not used to dating or boys in general. Sometimes she could be self-concious and she really cared about what Jack thought of her. One of the things I really liked about her was that she always had her mom's approval before she did anything. She was a very responsible character.

Jack was a great character too. He was a charming boy that all the girls wanted to date, but he wasn't anything like a player. He was very aware of Angie's feelings and he respected her. Jack was pretty smooth and relaxed with Angie and his friends, but everytime he was around Angie's family he became shy and nervous and clumsy. It was quite cute! One thing I thought was odd though, was that Angie never went to his house or met his parents. Maybe that was just the way it was back then, I don't know.

The ending was a little dissapointing for me. I think I am used to big fairy-tale endings and I expected a turn of events and for the two of them to do something rash and sudden. Though nothing spectacular happened, it was a good way to end the book. It wrapped things up nicely and is was a very appropiate ending for this book.

Overall I think this is just a really adorable love story that everyone should read. It can be very interesting at times to think and learn about some of the rules about "going steady" with someone, and the fact that even after graduating high school Angie's parents thought she was too young to see Jack.

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Follow Friday (5) & Blog Hop (4)

Follow My Book Blog Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View. Anyone can participate. To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow the rules up on Parajunkee's website!

This week's question is: Keeping with the dystopian and apocalyse theme that seems to be running rampant on parajunkee.com, I have one very hard question for you: If you were  stocking your bomb  shelter, what books would you HAVE to include if you only had space for ten?

This is a tough question! I have to think about this one for a while.....

...........

.........

Okay, I got it!

•  The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (5)
• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (3)
• The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
• Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

 If only we could bring 15 books with us, I'd bring The Christy Miller Collection with me! I just couldn't decide! Well, I just hope that I never have to choose only 10 books! Somehow I'd find a way to squeeze those books in with me. What are the ten books you would pick? You can tell me in the comment box, or leave the link to your webpage. This was a tough question, I'd love to read your answers!

Book Blog Hop is hosted by Crazy For Books. If you have a blog that does review books on it, you can participate! Check out her website for the other rules.

This week's HOP asks: Summer is coming quickly -- What 2011 Summer release are you most looking forward to this year?

  Well, I'm really looking forward to Sarah Dessen's new book, What Happened To Goodbye, but since that comes out in May and technically that isn't summer, I think I'm most looking forward to The Power Of Six by Pittacus Lore. I read I Am Number Four just days after it was released and it just blew me away! The movie didn't quite make my standards, but since Alex Petifer (excuse the spelling) played John, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. (;

The Power Of Six

I've seen him in the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world he's a mystery, but to me . . . he's one of us. Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us - if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There's six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our legacies are developing and soon we will be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four? And is his appearence the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers beyond anything I could ever imagine? The one who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio - and failed.
I am Numver Seven - one of six still alive.
And I am ready to fight.


Okay, this plot just sounds so amazing! I'm going to get the book the day it comes out and just devour it! And, bonus points for cover art! I just cannot wait for this book! Keep watch, August 23 it releases!
What book are you waiting for this summer?

Teaser Tuesday... Wednesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. It's a weekley bookish meme. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I didn't have access to my computer yesterday and couldn't post! So, it's Wednesday, but here's my teaser:

"We just sit and watch the sky and the big yellow summer moon. Swede mostly just thinks about girls when he's out here, but I like to think about clouds and God and things."

~Jack

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Page: 17

Waiting On Wednesday (5)

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine to showcase upcoming releases that you are just dying to read!

This week I'm picking: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkinds. She is the author of Anna and the French Kiss which I haven't had a chance to read yet, but is on my TBR list. I can't wait to read it! Once I get off my book buying ban, I'm marching to Barnes and Noble and that book will be in my hands when I walk out the door! Well, here it is!

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

 

 

-Sounds amazing right? Can't wait to read it!

Everlost

Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Pages: 313
NICK AND ALLIE DON'T SURVIVE THE CAR ACCIDENT . . .
. . . but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to go either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living owrld, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.
When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into a dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

I really enjoyed this book. It's unique and I've never thought before of a place between Heaven and Hell. Maybe ghosts, or Afterlights, really do exist...

Nick's car crashes into Allie's car and neither one of them is wearing a seatbelt. They are hurtled out of the car and heading towards the light, but when they bump into each other, it throws them off course. Nine months later, they wake up in a forest where a little boy they call Leif, welcomes them to Everlost. When they cross into Everlost though, they look exactly how they looked when they died. So Nick has chocolate smeared on his face from the chocolate bar he was eating. Allie is not content though, and is determined to see if her father survived the crash and how her family is. So, the three of them set off. But instead of Allie's house, they wind up at the Twin Towers. They crossed over into Everlost  and now a girl called Mary and about 230 kids live there. Mary is watching over them and she believes she knows all there is to know about Everlost. Nick is in love, Lief is mesmerized by Pac Man, but Allie is suspicious. She thinks Mary is hiding something, so she tries to learn the skill of haunting, which Mary pretty much outlaws. She drags Nick and Leif with her. When things go terribly wrong and they are faced with the McGill, they will have to fight to survive... escape.

This book was riveting and marvelous. I just can't get over it! It's absolutely amazing how smart Allie is and how manipulative she is. She is cunning and just adds so much color into this story. The main characters of the story are Allie and Nick, but I liked Allie more. And not just because she is a girl. She is the brains of the whole opperation until the very end.

I absolutely loved the ending of this book. The fight of the McGill, the McGill's secret, Mary's secret, just how the book unravels. It was spectacular! I love Allie's decision and what she plans to do with her life. It was a pretty brave decision and I think she and one of the other characters are falling in love. My favorite character's ending was Nick's though. He discovers a secret greater than life itself. He plans on spreading the word... but someone is trying to stop him. The epilouge, though short, was epic.

I would recomend this book to everyone. I don't think there is anyone out there who wouldn't enjoy this book! Add to TBR lists!

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Pages: 452
There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at Sword & Cross boarding school is Savannah. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are screwups, and security cameras watch every move.
Except Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce - he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dnagerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

This book took me a long time to finish, although I don't think it's because it wasn't interesting, it was because of my busy schedule. It did take some time for me to get into the book and really want to finish it and find out what's going to happen. I was pleasently surprised with the outcome of this book.

Lucinda Price, Luce, is a seventeen-year-old girl with a tragic past. When her boyfriend Trevor dies and she is blamed for his death, she is sent to Sword & Cross. It's a reform school for kids who have messed up in the past. Luce only gets one phone call a week and she has to attend boring classes. On her first day she meets Arriane who shows her around Sword & Cross, she meets Daniel Grigori who flips her off, and she has a disastorous encounter in the cafeteria with some meatloaf and a horrid girl named Molly. Things don't start off well for Luce, but things can only get better right? She is drawn to Daniel in a mysterious way and he seems oddly familiar, but she can't figure out why. Luce meets Penn, who has inside links to the school, and together they start to track down Daniel's past. But, there is very little to find about Daniel. It's all a secret. And Luce is determined to figure it out. But, who can she trust?

Usually I focus on the main character in books, but this time I'm going to focus on Daniel. Even though the book is about Luce, it's just as much about Daniel. Daniel is dreamy and sexy and just seems totally irresistable. Better than Edward Cullen? I think so. Daniel is definately a character I would meet in person if he were real. I'm going to mention some spoilers next, so if you'ev read the book and want to know what I think, or you don't care if I spoil it a little bit for you, highlight the text after this:  His love is so deep and beautiful, and I love how he waits seventeen years at a time just to get a few months with Luce. He is so devoted to her and it's just beautiful. I really loved briefly hearing about all the times they were together: dancing at the ball, climbing into her castle, carrying her through Jerusalem, and  I find it hilarious (but not very surprising) that Daniel was a monk in Tibet!

This book was haunting and mysterious and so fascinating. I've been told to read this book so many times and now I can't believe it took me this long to read it! I absolutely love the outcome of this book, especially the epilouge! The ending has such a huge twist! It was so surprising and enticing and I can't wait to read the sequel. If you've never read this book, you need to add it to your TBR list.

*On a side note, I know I posted that I'd have this review up on Monday, but I found some spare time today to finish the book! I'm sorry it took so long for this review!

Overall Rating: 4 Stars