Dorky, I know, but one of my reviews made it into the monthly library newsletter! I know, I know... like I said, it's dorky for me to be excited. But I never said that I wasn't a dork. I'm a librarian. It's my nature. Anyway, here's the review in all it's glory:
Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Lucius Wolfe is learning to adapt since he lost both of his hands in an accident. However, having steel hooks where his hands used to be has made him a social outcast. Starting a new school doesn’t help the situation. His arrogant personality doesn’t help, but it’s the only defense he has against other students who harass him with names like “crip” and “hooks.” Aurora, a beautiful girl at school, is the only student who even attempts to be kind to Lucius.
The story is told by both Lucius and Aurora as they share their different points of view. Eventually, Aurora helps Lucius to open up and try something new, becoming the stage manager for the school play. It isn’t long before they begin to date, but will Aurora stick around when she finds out the truth about how Lucius lost his hands? And will their feelings for each other be enough when others try to tear them apart?
-Rachel
I know this has taken forever... I actually finished the book some time ago, I just have been a little lax in getting the review posted... Anyway, without further ado, here it is:
Going Bovine is a story about a boy named Cameron, a slacker whose own parents seem to have given up on him. He’s gliding through high school until his strange behavior becomes too much for his parents to put up with. No one listens when he says that he’s hallucinating and that it’s not from any drugs, well okay it could be bad pot, but it’s doubtful. Instead he finds himself in drug counseling and weekly meetings with a psychiatrist. It takes Cameron collapsing before anyone realizes it might be something more serious. Turns out he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, aka Mad Cow disease.
Going Bovine is a story about a boy named Cameron, a slacker whose own parents seem to have given up on him. He’s gliding through high school until his strange behavior becomes too much for his parents to put up with. No one listens when he says that he’s hallucinating and that it’s not from any drugs, well okay it could be bad pot, but it’s doubtful. Instead he finds himself in drug counseling and weekly meetings with a psychiatrist. It takes Cameron collapsing before anyone realizes it might be something more serious. Turns out he has Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, aka Mad Cow disease.
The remainder of the story details Cameron’s hallucinatory quest to find a cure for his disease. Along the way he is guided by a pink-haired, punk angel named Dulcie who leads him on a journey to find the missing Dr. X. His side-kicks for this journey are a Mexican-American dwarf, whose hypochondriac tendencies drive Cameron nuts, and an ancient Viking turned yard gnome. On his journey, Cameron battles the forces of evil, saves the world, falls in love for the first time, joins a cult of happiness, and otherwise lives the life he might not ever have without a cure.
Cameron's brain dreams up some CRAZY and funny stuff. Just as I suspected Libba Bray is a genius when it comes to humor; even the chapter titles are great (i.e. Chapter Two: Wherein the Cruelties of High School Are Recounted, and the Stoner Dudes of the Fourth Floor Bathroom Offer Me Subpar Weed and a Physics Lesson). Though it gets a little slow at times, it's definitely an interesting read. :)
-Rachel
Cameron's brain dreams up some CRAZY and funny stuff. Just as I suspected Libba Bray is a genius when it comes to humor; even the chapter titles are great (i.e. Chapter Two: Wherein the Cruelties of High School Are Recounted, and the Stoner Dudes of the Fourth Floor Bathroom Offer Me Subpar Weed and a Physics Lesson). Though it gets a little slow at times, it's definitely an interesting read. :)
-Rachel
Yesterday's TAG meeting was another success! Those who attended got some free pizza and some books, plus they helped plan some great events. Everyone can start looking forward to our Teen Book Traders event which will feature a book swap taking place in the auditorium of the Beale Memorial Library on May 15th.
Also, our TAG members took some time to write down some of the books they think are worthy of recognitions, so here they are:
Also, our TAG members took some time to write down some of the books they think are worthy of recognitions, so here they are:
by Rick Riordan by Stephenie Meyer by Alex Harris
-James -Thomas -Rachel R.
by Alyson Noel by Rick Riordan by John Flanagan
-Courtney -Cassidy -Chris
by John Grisham by Andrew Clements
-Corbin -Rachel O.
Yep, I'm freaking out right about now. How about you? I think the cover is awesome and the title is perfect! If you haven't read Hunger Games and Catching Fire yet, you need to do it now. When you're done, make sure you request Mockingjay so you can be one of the first ones to read it when it comes out August 24th.What will happen to Katniss, Peeta, and Gale?
What are your thoughts on the title and the cover? Leave us a comment and let us know!
It looks amazing!! June 30th cannot get here fast enough. Sigh... I guess in the meantime we will have to settle for the release of New Moon on DVD and Blu-ray which is just one week from today! Yep, March 20th, mark it on your calendar. Buy it, invite all your friends, make a huge vat of popcorn, sit back, relax, enjoy the show. Wash, rinse, repeat.
-Rachel
Here’s the deal. This coming Tuesday, March 16th, is our next TAG meeting.
We’re going to have PIZZA!!! That's if my lazy TAG members will get off their duffs and show up.
So if you are like me and could spend the rest of your life eating only pizza, then this is definitely the week you should get involved with TAG! All that is required is that you show up and have fun.
Looking for more info about TAG? Check out the TAG page of our blog which has some answers to some of your most common questions.
Did I mention that we will also be giving away some free books this week? Yeah, that's right. Must be present to win.
If you want in, then show up! Remember, 4:00 in the Lake Room this Tuesday.
~Rachel, AKA your librarian who really likes pizza
We’re going to have PIZZA!!! That's if my lazy TAG members will get off their duffs and show up.
So if you are like me and could spend the rest of your life eating only pizza, then this is definitely the week you should get involved with TAG! All that is required is that you show up and have fun.
Looking for more info about TAG? Check out the TAG page of our blog which has some answers to some of your most common questions.
Did I mention that we will also be giving away some free books this week? Yeah, that's right. Must be present to win.
If you want in, then show up! Remember, 4:00 in the Lake Room this Tuesday.
~Rachel, AKA your librarian who really likes pizza
It has been asked for and now we are attempting it, the very first Teen Book Club meeting! All Teens are invited to share their favorite book of the future, be it a Sci-Fi Techno thriller or just a great book of what the near future might or might not be! There will be a giveaway of some cool things, snack, and great company. Come on down to the Beale Library at 4pm in the Lake room and help us start off this great new event!
Once upon a time, I thought I was rebellious. One might wonder what daring acts or special feats I accomplished to deserve this status... well, agonize no more, I'll tell you. I avoided popular books like the plague. So "in your face" to all those who tried to tell me what I should read! I wanted nothing to do with award winning books, classics, or anything else that was supported by masses of people. Why? I'll tell you that too... Because there is no way a bunch of stuffy old people sitting around in a room of dusty books handing out prizes willy nilly could possibly know what is "good." Don't get me wrong. I've always loved books, I just thought that I was a better judge of books than everyone else.
Hmpf.
Only thing is somewhere along the way I caved. Might be that it started with some of the most popular teen series in the last few years like Inkspell, Harry Potter, or even Twilight. But however it happened, I found myself joining the cult of readers who can acknowledge that when a book is hugely popular, hey, it just might be good.
That being said, recently Libba Bray's novel Going Bovine received the Michale L. Printz award for excellence in young adult literature. *Congratulations to Mrs. Bray* Well, naturally I hadn't read it yet as I'm still trying to overcome my rebellious nature. But, Internet stalker that I am, I was reading her blog with her story about when she first found out that her book had been selected for the award, and it was freaking hilarious. I seriously laughed out loud. If she's that funny on her blog, I thought, I can only imagine what her book must be like. Of course, I put in my request for it and now have it in my hands. I've made it through the first chapter, and I was already dying to tell you guys about it... I've already made Dave read the first few pages! I guess this is me officially throwing in the towel on my rebellious nature because I'm officially saying that maybe those old people sitting in a stuffy room somewhere actually know a thing or two about books.
This is my challenge to you... Give it a try! Go to the library and request a copy of Going Bovine and let me know what YOU think about it!
Oh, and don't worry. I'll provide an official review as soon as I'm done. :)
Until next time...
-Rachel
Hmpf.
Only thing is somewhere along the way I caved. Might be that it started with some of the most popular teen series in the last few years like Inkspell, Harry Potter, or even Twilight. But however it happened, I found myself joining the cult of readers who can acknowledge that when a book is hugely popular, hey, it just might be good.
That being said, recently Libba Bray's novel Going Bovine received the Michale L. Printz award for excellence in young adult literature. *Congratulations to Mrs. Bray* Well, naturally I hadn't read it yet as I'm still trying to overcome my rebellious nature. But, Internet stalker that I am, I was reading her blog with her story about when she first found out that her book had been selected for the award, and it was freaking hilarious. I seriously laughed out loud. If she's that funny on her blog, I thought, I can only imagine what her book must be like. Of course, I put in my request for it and now have it in my hands. I've made it through the first chapter, and I was already dying to tell you guys about it... I've already made Dave read the first few pages! I guess this is me officially throwing in the towel on my rebellious nature because I'm officially saying that maybe those old people sitting in a stuffy room somewhere actually know a thing or two about books.This is my challenge to you... Give it a try! Go to the library and request a copy of Going Bovine and let me know what YOU think about it!
Oh, and don't worry. I'll provide an official review as soon as I'm done. :)
Until next time...
-Rachel
This book begins with Finnikin as a young boy who is close friends with a prince and princess of Lumatere. At least he is close to them until one horrific night when assassins enter the kingdom murdering the entire royal family and seizing the throne. In the days to come (known as the five unspeakable days), a powerful priestess is blamed and is ordered to be burned alive by the imposter king. However, before she dies she places a curse on the kingdom which allows nothing to either escape the kingdom or enter it until a rightful king returns with the exiles to retake the kingdom.
For ten years Finnikin searches the land for exiles and for any sign that the prince may still be alive. Along the way he meets Evanjalin, a girl who claims that she walks the dreams of their people and can help lead them to the royal heir. However, her unpredictable behavior makes her nearly impossible to trust. She is obviously not all she appears to be, but the truth may be more than Finnikin can handle.
Overall, I really liked this book. The story was full of suspense and was very entertaining. One of my favorite authors, Kristin Cashore reviewed the book as well. Here's what she had to say: "The world of this book is dark and beautiful and utterly believable; and, as I've come to expect of Marchetta's work, the characters are wonderfully complex. Here is an author who writes fantasy as well as she writes realism -- and in the case of Melina Marchetta, that's high praise, indeed!"
This is the lesson the D.J. becomes very familiar with over the summer. Her family seems to be on the brink of falling apart: her mother is never home, her little brother refuses to talk, and no one has heard from her two older brothers since they moved out to go to college. D.J. has essentially taken over her family’s dairy farm since her father’s accident, so who has time to talk anyway. She milks cows, mucks the stalls, oh, and helps with football training for Brian. She loves training Brian, and the more she does it the more she enjoys both football and Brian himself. Just a few problems with that, like: 1.) her dad would flip if she tried out for the team and 2.) Brian Nelson is sooo out of her league.
Through the course of the summer D.J. tries to figure out who she really is, and if what she wants is really worth going after. It might cost her everything if she speaks up, but boy does she have a lot to say. Her story is one every girl should read. It’s hilarious, romantic, and daring all tied into one neat package.