In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got lots of new books! I'm very excited about them. I'm going to camp for a week, so I'm taking a week off from blogging, but first I'm going to share the new books I bought!

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker

 Relic Master: The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

I got 5 awesome new reads this week that I can't wait to get into!! What books did you get in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday (11)

Follow My Book Blog Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View. This week's question is:

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

Right now I'm actually reading a book that revolves around the fae and fairies. It's called The Dream Crystal. It's not my favorite but it's pretty good. I haven't read very many books involving the fae or fairies, but I did read Wings. (The sequel is Spells). It was a really amazing read that I quiet enjoyed. I haven't read spells yet, but it's on my TBR pile that never seems to quit growing!

What is your favorite fairy tale of story that revolves around the fae?

Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

Pages: 366

IN THE SOCIETY, THE OFFICIALS DECIDE.

WHO YOU LOVE. WHERE YOU WORK. WHEN YOU DIE.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certaintly that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and a storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

I haven't read any reviews on this book because I wanted to read the book and see how it affected me first. I waited a while after this book came out to read it also--after all the hype. At first I wasn't grabbed by this book and I thought it would take me forever to get through. The first day I read this was slow-paced and I almost forced myself into it. But after about the first 50 or so pages things started to get interesting.

The characters in this book were overall amazing. Peculiar and daring, but sweet and caring. Xander is so wonderful. But he is too gentle I thought. And Ky. Ky is new, different, wild, adventerous even. They were both matched to Cassia, but from the start I knew which boy would capture Cassia's heart. I was right and wrong.

I did think that Xander should have been more involved in the story. More official dates and outings after being Matched and everything. The book was mainly focused on Ky, which was good and bad. One thing I loved about Ky was his drawings and writing. It was his story. It reminded me so much of The Book Theif. I am in love with that book. And in the same way, Matched, or Ky, touched my heart.

The Officers or Officals, whatever name they go by, are just plain cruel. (It was a great twist to the story, but still.) Their tricks and experiements with the Matching Pool. They had to know it would only lead to trouble! In this book, what is expected is unexpected, and what you think is unexpected is expected. Confused? Start reading.

Ally Confie's writing flowed and once I got into the book it kept me reading. I easily found myself lost in the book and I looked down to be a hundred pages more through the book then I was when I started. Time just flew by. This is a great fantasy book that tells a story of whats right: technology, or your heart.

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Top Ten Tuesday Book Blogging!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is:
The Top Ten Reasons You Love Book Blogging

1. I read more books now then I used to
2. I get to share my thoughts on the books I read
3. My TBR list keeps growing (although I have been tearing through it lately!)
4. I find out about books I never would have before from reading other blogs
5. I get to meet other people who love to read
6. I have gotten past my "book predjudice" and now I am open to reading any YA book (and some adult literature)
7. Not many authors send me books yet which is a downside, but the books I have recieved I'm greatful for
8. I love it when people comment about how they've read the book I reviewed or mentioned too and I can go read their review of it
9. My knowledge and vocabulary is growing from writing reviews because I don't like to use the same word over an over. Although I can't say anything about my spelling (:
10. I love to read! This is an AMAZING way to share books with other people and to just let your bookishness go wild!

What are your top ten reasons for book blogging?

The Boyfriend List

The Boyfriend List (15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs, and me, Ruby Oliver) by E. Lockhart

Pages:: 229

Ruby Oliver is fifteen and has a shrink. She knows it's unusual, but give her a break--she's had a rough ten days. In the past ten days she:

• lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list)
• lost her best friend (Kim)
• Lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket)
• did something suspicious with a boy (#10)
• did something advanced with a boy (#15)
• had an argument with a boy (#14)
• drank her first beer (someone handed it to her)
• got caught by her mom (ag!)
• had a panic attack (scary)
• lost a lacrosse game (she's the goalie)
• failed a math test (she'll make it up)
• hurt Meghan's feelings (even though they aren't really friends)
• became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)
• had graffiti written about her in the girls' bathroom (who knows what was in the boys'!?!)

But don't worry--Ruby lives to tell the tale.
And make more lists.

E. Lockhart is an amazing writer. I love her stories! I recently read Dramama, and I've also read Fly On the Wall. They were both really great stories so I was excited to read this one. I didn't like it as much as Dramarama, but it was pretty good.

Ruby Oliver is a peculiar character. She is very opinionated and I don't find many characters that are. She is learning to deal with her friends, feelings, and most importantly her family. Her family life is quite strange! I don't know if I would be able to survive in a house with her parents. They never let her say a word!

The way this book is written, sometimes it was hard to figure out what was going on. The past, present, and future were all over this book in no particular order. It didn't really seem to have a beginning, middle, and end. It was just all there.

There were lots of characters in this book as well. I knew there would be, but I wasn't prepared for this. It was hard at times to remember which boy did what and when they did it. It's hard to realize everything happened in ten days. It could've been ten months!

Overall I wasn't impressed with the organization of this book, but it was a really cute story. I enjoyed reading it and I want to read the other books in the series. This is a great summer read and perfect for sitting out on the beach (which I did!!) and soaking up the sun.

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Island Dreamer

Christy Miller Collection Book five: Island Dreamer by Robin Jones Gunn

Pages: 172
Christy Miller is spending her sixteenth birthday on Maui with her family, Todd, and Paula, her best friend from Wisconsin! What could be better? But Christy soon finds that she an Paula don't  have as much in common anymore. Paula's obssessed with having a boyfriend...even if it means stealing Todd from Christy! WIll he choose Paula over her? Or will the islands send Christy dreaming in new directions?

This is one of my favorites, and one of my least favorite Christy Miller books. And there are good reasons for that. Robin Jones Gunn never stops surprising me with these books! Through ever twist in the story and every irksome character, the more I read, the more I loe these books.

This book was really good because it takes place in Maui, only one of my dreams! I want to go there soo bad! And, I mean, Christy is turning sixteen and she is spending it in Maui with Todd! Nothing could be better...

Except Paula. She is my least favorite character in the whole series. Honestly. I hate her guts. She goes to Maui, all expenses paid for Christy's birthday knowing very well how much Christy likes Todd, yet the whole time she is there she has glued herself to Todd's side! She flirts with him, touches his hair, and clings to his arm. She never leaves him alone! Poor Christy! I have to give her credit. If I were her I would've set Paula straight. And if that meant I had to slap her a few times to get the point across, then so be it. All I know is that if I were Christy, after that trip Paula would not be my friend anymore!

I love that despite complications with Paula, Todd and Christy's relationship grows. They clearly love each other and I can't get over there relationship. It is one that I can only hope to find someday. They stick together through thick and thin. It's amazing how much they care for each other and how much they understand each other.

Overall this is a book that will dig deep inside of you and relase lots of emotions. Jealousy, outrage, love, humor,  and nervousness all at the same time! This is a great book and I think everyone shoud read the series. I know I say that a lot.... I can't help it! Thank you Sydney for loaning me those books!

Overall Rating: 4 Stars