What I Read Over Christmas Break by Cindi Rockett

Guess what I did over Christmas break? Read, of course! I made my way through many a book and I’ll give you a quick briefing in case you’re interested.
Blood relatives 2- A take off of the Vampire Kisses in graphic novel format. I reviewed the first one about this time last year. What I really like about this is that the graphic novel is a separate story. You needn’t have read the novels. Having only read the first novel, I can’t really tell you where in the big picture the two separate plotlines are in relation to each other. Well, Alexander and Raven are dating in the graphic novels- that part I do know! In #2, Raven is trying to help her boyfriend rid Dullsville of his half-vampire cousin. In order to do this, the two plot a fake map that will take him back to Transylvania, but the plot fails. Entertaining.
Ouran High School Host Club 2- I realized why I love this series. It’s like a sitcom. It’s not about the story. In fact, each chapter is a separate episode. It’s about the characters. And it’s definitely comedic in nature, unlike the graphic novels I’ve been reading which fall into romance or horror. So, in this installment, the twins have a (staged) fight, a young newcomer seeks their help wooing one particular girl, and the group go for an outing to an underground water park, where Hunny goes missing but proves he inherited the martial arts skills of his family. Lots of good fun. Now I left out clean but only because the FRONT MATTER in the book indicates that one of the twins is a “handsome homosexual l+ forbidden love between relatives”. Yeah, they are a little close and make comments about each other, but it could be staged for the girls just like the fight was staged. Nothing major- at least not in this volume.
Miki Falls- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Unique story. Well, sort of. I mean the complicated journey of love isn’t unusual- at first. But Hiro’s secret is a new one- he’s a keeper of the spark of love as it dies from one couple and is held until it can be given to a new one. The main conflict is that his superior believes that being in love prevents one from doing their job. The lengths the two of them go to in an effort to escape punishment- and separation- rival the forbidden love story of Romeo and Juliet- almost. The reader is really kept on the edge throughout all four volumes and will be surprised by the ending. Unless you can guess it.
Queen B -This is a story that I am not sure our community could relate to. Every other paragraph talked about the people of the upper crust. The protagonist’s term for a member of this group is a soc. Personally, I found it obnoxious to read about a girl so obsessed with a person’s place in high school social strata. Perhaps middle school girls relate more than me. If they can get past the extravagant wealth of some of the families living in this town. It’s something you don’t see much of in Irving. Cassie keeps talking about how she does not want to be Queen B but a queen bee. Her jealousy almost costs her the love of her boyfriend. I kept getting the feeling that there’s another story before this one, but I haven’t read it…
Evil Genius - If you were a fan of the Mysterious Benedict Society, this might be a good read for you. Both deal with extremely smart young people. Cadel is so bored at school he is bounced around from one to another until he ends up at one that will graduate him at the age of 14. During this time he gets into a bit of trouble using computers and is ordered, as a minor, to see a psychologist on a regular basis. Dr. Roth, his therapist, plays a big part in his life and in getting him enrolled in an institute of higher education known as the Axis Institute. Here he learns many things: forgery, hacking, the art of disguise, the nature of evil, and the importance of accounting, as well as the identity of his father, according to Dr. Roth. He’s the son of an criminal mastermind in jail. Behind the scenes, Dr. Darkkon, his father, runs things and has set up the Institute solely for the purpose of educating his son to take over his criminal empire. But he and Dr. Roth did not count on Cadel inventing his own computer dating service (as a scam) which would put him in contact with a parapalegic who would save his life. Hard to believe? Wonder what the sequel holds!

The sequel to The Diary of Pelly D

What do you think is the difference between these two lands? Cherry Heaven is across the ocean, a part of the New Frontier, where the violence of the Five Cities that escalated into race wars is someone else's problem. But at what cost have they managed to evade discrimination? The New Frontier is seen through the eyes of Kat J and her sister, Tanka, as they arrive at Cherry Heaven for their aunt and uncle's new jobs. It's not as technologically sophisticated as the city they grew up in, but not too bad overall. Colder, yes, but there is also great scenery, good looking boys on the waterball team, and all the frozen cherries left from the previous owner's harvest. The comfortableness of their new lifestyle is brutally contrasted with that of an escaped factory worker. Luka was leading a slave-like existence because of her race, but not anymore. Now she's free to exact revenge on the authority figures who were brutally cruel to her and her co-laborers. It turns out that "peace" and "comfort" in the New Frontier is something obtained on the backs of slave workers. Luka's path of destructive behavior crosses the path of Kat and Tanka, and things escalate from there. In the end, the deus ex machina is none other than Pelly D's brother! Gim D had gone overseas to work for peace and ended up as a laborer too. And there you have it- full circle.

twilight must be commented upon

just a sec. *sigh* i'm a little emotionally overwhelmed right now. it's a good thing i had a while to get used to Robert Pattison as Edward. true- he'll never be MY Edward, but i enjoyed his interpretation. kind of a uncomfortable in his own skin guy. actually it reminded me of another Edward- Scissorhands. odd comparison, huh? well it was definitely done in the cult classic vein. i guess that's mtv for you. mmmmm. just have to say that once in a while. there were some truly great moments I'm reliving. does make me wish i were in high school again. which reminds me how it reminded me. of that-high school. in particular of a very close group of friends who spent Thursday nights watching Twin Peaks! can i get a cheer from the audience on that one? man, i was having some deja vu moments in there. *sigh* mmmmmmm. what an awesome movie. but then again, with a book like twilight, wouldn't it be hard to go wrong? oh-heads up-watch for Stephenie Meyer's cameo appearance. did anyone else see a resemblance between her and Victoria? was that just crazy me? i should really quit rambling and get some sleep. what a night. maybe Edward will come watch over me while i sleep. : )

Time for the Movies

Well, of course you'd have to be a cave dweller to not know that Twilight is about to be released in the theaters! Awesome! I am so PSYCHED! We're taking Friday Night Flicks ON LOCATION for this historic event! Anyone who goes needs to stop by the library and sign our poster. You can also trade your movie stub for a bookmark.


But since this blog is about books I just read, then let's talk about another book coming to the theaters: City of Ember. Actually, I read this quite a while ago. But, I did just finish the third book of the trilogy on audio. Sidenote- if you an audiofan- don't listen to this one. Read it. Really annoying sound effects were included all thoughout the story. For those of you unfamiliar with this series, City of Ember is a sci-fi book where the narrator's whole world exists underworld after a devastating world war. This book is followed by the People of Sparks. I won't summarize this one cause it would ruin the ending of the first book if I did. And of course, that's the one you can go see in the theaters now. I'm including a link to the the preview.
Ok, so go see that movie and then go ahead and check out The Prophet of Yonwood. Wow, that's kind of funny, I just now mentioned that that's the title of the third book! Man, do I digress. Here's what I really wanted to tell you: this book is actually the prequel to City of Ember. It's nice to get a little background on it. I enjoyed it, although not as much as the first. It gave a satisfying explanation for why they went undergound in the first place. So, hey, check it out.
Other great movie/book combos to check out: Tale of Desperaux, Hoot, Spiderwick Chronicles, Golden Compass, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Because of Winn-Dixie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Aquamarine, Tuck Everlasting, Stormbreaker, and Bridge to Terabithia. That ought to give you guys something to do over Thanksgiving and Christmas break. When you're not reading, that is!

book fair buys

ok, I haven't technically seen every title in store for us at the book fair this week. This is just a starter list of things to check out. What got me most excited was a new Skippyjon Jones book : ) !!! But there's only two copies and I am definitely buying one. Ruby was eyeing the other one... But since some of you are wanting books you can really sink your fangs- I mean teeth- into, I think we got some copies of Host! Found is a new book by Haddix that I've heard is really good. Korman's book Swindle is there. Since the new Bluebonnet list just got announced, I'll be looking for those titles. I need to pick up a bunch of copies of all the Maximum Ride titles, which we did get. I think I saw a new Land of Elyon book in one of the cases- which reminds me I need to find out if we're getting Carman as a visiting author..... Another list of titles I'll be looking for are the Lone Star consideration list. Oooh and I've really gotta look for the stuff on Lesesne's list- like the one written by Westerfeld's wife- How to 4itch your fairy. Fun. Happy shopping everyone,