Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph

Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class.

But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out - doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T - and to everyone's shock, she's a hit!

Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize - Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare...

Review: This book was very fun and original to read, making it seem like a breath of fresh air. It is great for those who want a break from the world to hear Teresa's shy little voice. She has so much to say, and this novel allows her to tell everything. I loved the characters, but would have wanted some certain ones (ex. Stacy) to be explained a little bit more; right now, she seems like a very one-dimensional character, despite how most of the other characters are well written (like Tere's mom).

The pacing is alright for me, if not a tad slow. Some parts were predictable, but the overall look at the book made up for that. I am glad that I finally picked this book up to read and that this book will be going through a second printing. There are a lot of people that need to read Tere's story. She is easy to relate to, and her shyness is written perfectly. This was a sweet and endearing story that was unlike any other.

4/5

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It was a great introduction to all of the characters. Again, I wasn't really feeling Stacy's character even though I knew she was a downright mean person.

The Middle: Tere's mom got on my nerves as she doesn't have any confidence in her own daughter, and keeps making her do things she doesn't want to do. But her actions are explained why further in the book. I loved how Tere hosted the radio show. I would have liked to read more of her hosting because I wasn't really shown how she was that great of a host. She was good, but I needed more.

The End: I loved the ending, and felt it tied up all the loose ends of the book.

FTC: Bought this with my own money. No need to sue me.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Review: Let me just say that since today is Thanksgiving, I am very grateful for Senfaye (Annie!!) @ A Maze of Books for telling me to purchase this. I don't think I have ever been sucked into a world as elaborate and enthralling as the one in this book. The characters were extremely well portrayed. You could even almost sense the presence of them because they were that real. The whole aspect of being a Caster and the Light and Dark side were made to be very believable--I don't even know when my eyes started gluing on the page.

The family trees, the librarian, the locket--they all made the story even more exciting and mysterious than it was already. Lena and Ethan are now two of my favorite characters (but I can't forget Link either!). The way each of their qualities and their actions are just made them feel so real you to that you can actually picture them in real life. The book will keep you on the edge of your seat will its alluring writing and plot. If this is merely just a debut novel, I cannot wait for what the two authors have in store for us in the sequel. If this book does not become a bestseller, I will literally scream my head off!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I have to be honest here. The beginning wasn't very exciting for me, and while I do understand that this is where everything unravels, I just wasn't hooked until at least pg.90.

The Middle: I think this was the part where my eyes would not lift their gaze off the page I was reading. With each flip of the page, I found myself to the point where I just didn't want it to end, but was reluctantly reading. This is where everything came alive for me.

The End: Some people don't like the ending because of the huge cliffhanger, but I found myself enjoying it. It was a tad rushed, but it was where it belonged and I don't think I would have wanted it any differently.

I am very excited to possibly get my copy signed next Tuesday. Hopefully, I don't have any plans that day for school because I need to meet the authors!!

----

And with that, I say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I don't like turkey myself, but eat like pigs for me, will you?! :D

FTC: I bought this with my own money. No need to sue me.

Winner of Favorite Numbers Contest

Sorry for the delay everyone! :) But we finally have a winner.

....

SU!!!

Congratulations Su! Please e-mail me your addy within 48 hours so I can send it off on Friday.

To everyone else, thank you for entering my contest!

Let's have a chat...with Kristina Springer

I am so elated to announce that this is my first ever author interview, and what makes it even better is it's Kristina Springer-author of The Espressologist!

Here it is; hope you enjoy! (; (Answers are in brown because... well...COFFEE!)

1. First of all, why coffee? Why not french fries or muffins?
Matchmaking based on french fries made me laugh. :) But ok, why coffee? Because coffee can get SO detailed and personal! You can tell so much about a person from it. Really, what does a small extra hot sugar free cinnamon soy latte say to you? And how about a large caramel mocha extra caramel extra whip cream with chocolate shavings on top?

2. What does your favorite coffee say about you?
Jane and I share the same favorite drink. :-)

Large non fat mocha with no whip

Fun and sweet. A bit naïve. Most often happy. Always friendly. Trying to be health conscious (nonfat milk, no whip) but not that hard (mocha). :-)

3. How was the process of writing The Espressologist?
I didn't plot or plan this one-- I just showed up at the local Starbucks a few night a week for four months and wrote what came to me at that moment. It was a super fun book to write!

4. Who is the girl on the cover?
I have no clue! I'd love to know though. Girl on the cover, please write to me. :)

5. What's next for you?
I’m super excited about my next book! It’s called, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS and it’s about two 7th grade BFFs who each think each other’s “boyfriend” is a fake. It becomes competitive (like if one says her boyfriend sent her carnations the other says her boyfriend sent her roses) and hilarious. It will be out in the fall of 2010.

6. Any last words?
I love chatting so feel free to e-mail/facebook/tweet me!

Thanks again, Kristina Springer! :)

Favorite Number Contest

Hey guys! It's 11-07-09...know what that means? CONTEST TIME! You see 11,7, and 9 are my three favorite numbers so when they all occured on the same day, I figuredit was time for a contest! :D

The Prizes:
If you win, one lucky winner will be able to get
-Fallen ARC
-Royally Jacked
-Ballad
-I Heart You, You Haunt Me
-Chasing Brooklyn signed bookmark
-The Hollow (UK version)

How to Enter:

Simply comment with your e-mail and tell me your favorite number for an entry.

For extra entries:

+2 If you are a follower
+5 Tell me why ## is your favorite number
+2 for every link to this contest
+5 for being able to guess what book cover this is and E-MAIL(Don't Comment!) it to andanythingbookish@gmail.com (Give title & author in e-mail):

CONTEST ENDS 11/ 17/09 @ 11:07:09 PM California Time (;

[edit: If you would like 2 more entries, please sign this petition with your twitter account. Much is appreciated ^_^]

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Rating: 4.3/5

Synopsis: What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right? With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.


Review: This book is simply amazing and hilarious! I never wanted it to end. I was so extremely stoked to get this in the mail and tore open the package almost immediately. I hadn't known this book was in it, but when I did, I did some major squealing. How gorgeous is the cover? The book jacket is awesome with its coffee stains and if you take the book jacket off, there's even a coffee stain on the cover of the actual book. All the coffee talk in this book made me want one. I learned you should never read a book about food when you're hungry ;)

Meanwhile, the characters in this fabulous book are so loveable. Jane Turner is a hilarious and awesome female protagonist. Her personality made me laugh a lot and her observations about the type of person someone is by the coffee they order are spot on. Also, Em is a wonderful best friend that everyone would want to have. I wanted to know more about Cam, though. He seemed like such a sweet boy. All the characters were truly endearing. An author often tries to create characters for us to adore them and this author succeeded. At least for me, that is. However, I would have liked for the characters to be explored a little bit more. They were great, but something about them was missing.

The Espressologist was a great book for a debut novel. I don't know how Kristina Springer did it, but her work of art exceeded my expectations. I knew I'd enjoy it, but I didn't know I'd enjoy it THIS much. It was a quick and entertaining read. Go buy it now!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Great start. I could feel the tone and the mood of the story as soon as I finished the first chapter.

The Middle: This is where the fun begins. I simply adored the interaction between the awesome Jane and whoever she talked to.

The End: Such a satisfying ending. I wanted more though. But then again, I am always greedy when it comes to good books.

The only complaints I have are the number of pages and something else. 192 pages only? I wanted more...My other complaint is that I have to mail it soon. *tear* I need to ask for this as a Christmas present or something.

I cannot wait to see what else this author has in store for us in her next novels.

FTC: Got a copy from publisher for Other Shelf Tours

Update

Hey bloggerworld! I have not read a single book this week. I have many reviews to catch up on and don't know where to start. (It will be hard since I read those books 2 weeks ago. My memory is a fail) On top of that, stupid school is taking over my life. It's like test after test after test -_-

Happy November! I know many people have been blogging about this, but I am trying NaNoWriMo for the first time this year. Whoohoo! :D

Expect some contests soon also.

Adios amigos! (;