Pop Culture Junkie

"Waiting On" Wednesday 62

2009-12-23T06:00:00.003-06:00

The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

Sourcebook Fires:

After getting dumped by her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Mia Gordon is looking forward to spending a relaxing summer in the Hamptons with her glamorous cousins. But when she arrives, her cousins are distant, moody, and caught up with a fast crowd. Mia finds herself lonelier than ever.

That's when she meets her next-door-neighbor, Simon Ross. Simon isn't like the snobby party boys her cousins seem obsessed with; he's funny, artistic, and utterly adventurous. And from the very first time he encourages Mia to go skinny-dipping, she's caught up in a current impossible to resist.

Timeless in feel, The Summer of Skinny-Dipping is a poignant, literary read sure to dazzle tweens and teens alike.

Released June 2010

I was giddy when I found out that Sourcebooks was launcing a young adult imprint, Sourcebooks Fire! And this is one that caught my attention! Sounds like a feel good book!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 60

2009-12-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Hardcover

Paperback

UK Edition

Amazon.com:

Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and what shall heretofore be known as "The Hot-Tub Incident," and you’ve got two unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. Soon desperation has the girls texting each other tips — on fitting in, finding love, and figuring out who they really are. With an anthropologist’s eye for detail and a true ear for teen-speak, exciting new novelist Abby McDonald has crafted a funny, fast-paced, poignant look at survival, sisterhood, and the surprising ways we discover our true selves.

First of all, the name. I prefer Sophomore Switch to Life Swap. It's more specific, Life Swap could refer to any age group. And I definitely prefer the US covers more because they show people which really get the idea of opposites across. And the paperback specifically is my favorite, the cover is more alive for me and I love the colors. The hardcover looks like the same model only with different clothes on.

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

2009-12-20T21:40:00.001-06:00

Amazon.com:

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.

Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.

I have no idea how to properly convey how I feel about this book. I felt so much for it and because of it and it's kind of crazy. I saw so much of myself in the author and some of the examples she explained, half the time I was sitting there dumbstruck. She breaks down her resolutions in such a way it's very easy to follow along and she is so specific in how they work out you really can't ask for much more.

Rubin writes in a way that it was very easy for me to relate to and understand. It's a real achievement how much research she did and how many information she is easily able to get across to the reader. Just her Happiness Project in general was a large undertaking but it seemed like so much fun as well. I actually feel happier just having read it and also trying out and noticing little things here and there about myself. This is a book that I think will stay with me forever and one that's definitely worth a yearly read, I can not stop talking about it. I would consider it a must read for just about anyone. I found myself only reading a bit a day so I could draw it out longer, I didn't want it to end.

It's funny that I've reacted to The Happiness Project so strongly too because originally it just sounded like a cute and fun memoir which is something I love to read, but it was so so much more than that. You might think with it being a bit of a self help book that it could get preachy or be filled with boring clinical talk or charts and graphs but it's nothing at all like that. It's someone sharing their wonderful experience with great insight that is very easy to transfer to your own life.

The Happiness Project is an achievement by the author and I would strongly suggest this book to everyone.

The Happiness Project will be released on December 29th!
Genre: Memoir/Self-Help
5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine
The Happiness Project blog

This Week In Books Or Is it Break Time Yet?

2009-12-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

Monday:

Split by Stefan Petrucha

For review.

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday:

The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor
Rich Again by Anna Maxted

Life of Glass for a blog tour and Rich Again from GoodReads Giveaways.

Thursday: nothing

Friday:

Get Lucky by Katherine Center

For a blog tour.

I Am Neurotic by Lianna Kong
Caffeine for the Creative Mind by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield
The Happy Book by Rachel Kempster and Meg Leder

Had $5 Borders Bucks and a 30% off coupon. So I thought I'd go take a peek. Went for a magazine that actually ceased publication a year ago (I so didn't know that!) and to look at The Happy Book which I had on my wishlist and thought it would fit well with The Happiness Project (more on that later). I then remembered seeing I Am Neurotic on a gift table the time before and then online, wasn't there anymore but I thought neurotic was in the title and I was right so I found it! Also picked up Caffeine for the Creative Mind because I've been wanting it for years so figured what the heck!

Saturday: nothing

Lookalikes 80

2009-12-18T06:00:00.004-06:00

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Rewind by Laura Dower

And here is one that I found:

Crimson Rose by R. Malone

Definitely The Splendor Falls, the typeface on Rewind is just, no. I do like the image used on Rewind though. Crimson Rose looks like the text was just kind of slapped on the cover.

Which do you prefer?

Thanks to Claire/Bookworm for pointing out this lookalike!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Weekly Dose of Felties!

2009-12-17T14:00:00.001-06:00

Back again with the felties I've made since last time!

I sent off my 3 giveaway winner's felties over the weekend and actually started a new feltie giveaway with patterns from The Cute Book. And the new felties...

Rain cloud of my own design. Raining tears or crying rain? You decide.

Supposed to be a Christmas light, meh, not sure...

"Panda" from The Cute Book"

Christmas tree, based on one of my sketches.

"Monkey" from The Cute Book

And finally one of the feltie winner's Irish was kind enough to take a picture of herself with the frog she won! *spreads feltie joy*

UPDATE! Dani took a picture of the puppy she won! Here it is! Thanks Dani!

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

2009-12-17T06:00:00.002-06:00

Amazon.com:

Mark your calendar. It's the Christmas Cookie Club! Every year on the first Monday of December, Marnie and her twelve closest girlfriends gather in the evening with batches of beautifully wrapped homemade cookies. Everyone has to bring a dish, a bottle of wine, and their stories. This year, the stories are especially important. Marnie's oldest daughter has a risky pregnancy. Will she find out tonight how that story might end? Jeannie's father is having an affair with her best friend. Who else knew about the betrayal, and how can that be forgiven or forgotten, even among old friends such as these? Rosie's husband doesn't want children, and she has to decide, very soon, whether or not that's a deal breaker for the marriage. Taylor's life is in financial freefall. Each woman, each friend has a story to tell, and they are all interwoven, just as their lives are.

On this evening, at least, they can feel as a group the impulses of sisterly love and conflict, the passion and hopefulness of a new romance, the betrayal and disillusionment some relationships bring, the joys and fears of motherhood, the agony of losing a child, and above all, the love they have for one another. As Marnie says, the Christmas Cookie Club, if it's anything, is a reminder of delight.

The Christmas Cookie Club is about the paths Marnie and her friends have traveled, the absolute joy they take in life and love despite the decisions they've regretted, the hard choices and amends they've had to make, and the sacrifices along the way. Ultimately, The Christmas Cookie Club is every woman's story. As you read about Marnie and her friends, their struggles and triumphs, what makes them laugh and what has made them cry, you'll see yourself and some of the ingredients of your own story. Celebrating courage and joy in spite of hard times and honoring the importance of women's friendships as well as the embracing bonds of community, Ann Pearlman has written a novel that speaks to us all.

The Christmas Cookie Club explored a large group of friends, each with their own story to tell. All their stories are told by the host of the Christmas Cookie Club, Marnie. I loved how flawed and complex these women's lives were, it made the story realistic in my opinion. I also loved the strong friendships that were illustrated and how Marnie was able to bring together all these women from different parts of her life for one night of the year.

The idea of the actual Christmas Cookie Club was a fabulous one. From what I've read, it sounds like it was based on an actual club the author belongs to. I have to tell you, it sounds like a lot of fun and I wish I could be in one. Each section starts off with one of the cookie recipes and ends with a history of an essential ingredient for baking. While I'm not much of a baker these recipes sound delicious, but what I really enjoyed were the mini history's of the ingredients. All sorts of things I never knew!

While I liked how many women were profiled in this story it almost became too much. I sometimes had to turn back to recall someone's story when they popped up in a later chapter. Maybe a few less women would have made the story a little easier to recall. Some women were definitely more front and center than others and that did help.

Overall a great and touching story that's perfect for the holiday season!

The Christmas Cookie Club was released on October 20th
Genre: Women's Fiction
4/5 stars
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

GIVEAWAY: Freaks and Revelations

2009-12-16T14:00:00.002-06:00

Personally I haven't had a chance to read this book, which sounds amazing but am looking forward to doing so. Anyhow, here's your chance to be one of 3 winners of this book!

Hachette Book Group:

This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.

This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR.

Here's how to enter to win one of three finished copies of Freaks and Revelations!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S. and Canada only (and no PO Boxes).

The giveaway will end December 30th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

**Copies provided by the publisher**

"Waiting On" Wednesday 61

2009-12-16T06:00:00.004-06:00

The Year I Turned Sixteen by Diane Schwemm

Amazon.com:

The Year I Turned Sixteen by Diane Schwemm is the story of four sisters, four birthdays, and four unforgettable years.

Released January 26th 2010

I know that blurb doesn't give us a lot so I did a little google searching and this looks like a re-issuing. It also appears that originally there were four books (Rose, Daisy, Laurel, Lily-one for each sister) and were all combined for this edition, similar to what has been done for the L.J. Smith books! Sounds great to me and its a paperback!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 59

2009-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

A major voice in fiction debuts with the story of a teenage runaway on the streets of 1980s New York.

Teenage Joon is a Korean immigrant living in the Bronx of the 1980s. Her parents have crumbled under the weight of her father's infidelity; he has left the family, and mental illness has rendered her mother nearly catatonic. So Joon, at the age of thirteen, decides she would be better off on her own, a choice that commences a harrowing and often tragic journey that exposes the painful difficulties of a life lived on the margins. Joon's adolescent years take her from a homeless shelter to an escort club, through struggles with addiction, to jobs selling newspapers and cosmetics, committing petty crimes, and finally toward something resembling hope.

Yes, the covers are basically the same, but I wanted to illustrate how cluttering up a paperback with quotes, awards etc can really almost ruin a great cover. They added 4 different lines of copy to it! I say that stuff should stay on the back, especially on a cover as simple as this, it distracts much too much.

Do quotes, and awards added to a paperback bother you?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

2009-12-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

Amazon.com:

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

All the Unquiet Things was a refreshing book for me, just what I was looking for. After discovering I was burnt out on supernatural stories this heartbreaking mystery set in the here and now, without any characters with powers was just what I was looking for.

Besides the mystery aspect the book spoke of lost love, friendship, and family troubles. It reminded me a bit of one of my favorite television shows, Veronica Mars. I love the idea of teens solving a mystery (and not a childish mystery), their tactics are obviously going to be different than an adults, or the police. It's just more fun.

I loved that the book was told both from Neily and Audrey's perspectives. Though sometimes I had to remind myself who the narrator was because they were often in each others scenes. It was also refreshing to come across two main characters that weren't involved romantically but worked together as a team, as friends, they helped each other find closure over the death of their love (Neily) and best friend/cousin (Audrey).

There were only a few suspects in the story but when it came down to it, I totally didn't see it coming when the actual murderer was revealed. The entire book was a complex web of lies and truths and I just had a great time reading the book. I also think it would lend itself nicely to a movie format.

All Unquiet Things will be released on January 12th 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine

GIVEAWAY: "I Will Make You A Feltie 2"

2009-12-13T20:15:00.000-06:00

After the success of my last felties contest I thought I'd have another! This one is for felties from The Cute Book.

Here's how to enter to be one of three winners of the feltie of your choice!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S and Canada.

The giveaway will end December 27th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Look below to decide which pattern you would like me to make you if you are the winner. The form will ask you to choose one (or pick surprise me! if you really can't choose).

"Striped Cat" minus the stripes

"Frog"

"White Sheep"

"Panda"

"Monkey"

The Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo

2009-12-13T20:00:00.000-06:00

Amazon.com:

The world of craftsters is full of things Japanese Cute - kawaii, and the look created by Aranzi Aronzo is familiar to many but not until now has a single one of the hundreds of bootleg American copies they've sold been in English. Finally these priceless books of mascots, accessories, clothing and well, just about everything, come in ready-to-read English!

After making more than half of the felties in Nelly Pailloux's Felties I started poking around for other similar books. I located this one, took a look at it at and purchased it. By now I had the basics down so was just looking for some new patterns.

I noticed a few strange and not very cute patterns (to me) but bought it anyways for some of the cute ones. The ones I thought were strange were things such as "Kidnapper", "Bad Guy", and "Liar", I think they are just the sense of humor of the creators and I don't really share that same sense of humor, I'm all about the cute not so much the weird. But no matter, the book had things such as "Striped Cat", "Frog", "White Sheep" and others to catch my fancy.

So far I've only made 5 from the 19 patterns ("Panda", "Monkey", "White Sheep", "Striped Cat", and "Frog"). A lot of the patterns are very similar with the bodies being exactly the same (arms, legs, and a dress) and only the heads being different. Eventually I think I will get to some of the others but they are so similar I haven't really felt the need to make them yet.

Compared to Felties, The Cute Book's directions are a little briefer but unlike Felties it has a whole section in the back about what you could do with the felties (or felt mascots as they are referred to in the book). Ideas include keychains, hair accessory, applique etc. Aranzi Aronzo also has several other books that branch off from this one that look to involve using a sewing machine so I've passed on those.

Overall another fun feltie book after almost exhausting Felties. Would definitely suggest Felties over this title though.

The Cute Book was released on February 6th 2007
Genre: Crafts, Felties
3.5/5 Stars
Book purchased from Borders

Here's what I've made so far:

"Striped Cat" minus the stripes

"Frog"

"White Sheep"

"Panda"

"Monkey"

Stay tuned for another contest...

This Week In Books Or Almost A One Book Week, Almost!

2009-12-12T16:31:00.003-06:00

Monday:

How to Date a Vampire by Sophie Collins

For review

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday: nothing

Friday:

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling
Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

For review. Excited to check these out!

Saturday:

I So Don't Do Spooky by Barrie Summy

For review, has anyone read the first book, I So Don't Do Mysteries?

Winner of Lips Touch!

2009-12-11T21:11:00.002-06:00

The winner of the ARC of Lips Touch is Jessica Secret!

Please respond to my email with your mailing address by Tuesday December 15th! Thanks!

Lookalikes 79

2009-12-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Off The Record by Jennifer O'Connell

Confessions of a Backup Dancer by Anonymous as told to Tucker Shaw

Oh boy this is a great one Claire/Bookworm found! While the last two seem to be actual copies, Audrey, Wait! fits in there pretty well as well, and that would definitely be my favorite. The colors on the other two seem dated to me, and I don't like the effects used on Confessions of a Backup Dancer or Off The Record for that matter.

Thanks to Claire/Bookworm for pointing out this lookalike!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Weekly Dose of Felties!

2009-12-10T21:22:00.000-06:00

Thought I'd do a weekly felties post when I have something to share. As to not take over my This Week In Books posts. So since I did my little Felties Takeover on Saturday afternoon I've completed a few other things.

Made a cat from The Cute Book:

A feltie based on my doodles you see on my blog and icons:

Drew the winners of the "I Will Make You A Feltie Contest" on Sunday. I made Gail's Frog (also from The Cute Book) already but still need to make a Polar-Roo for Susan and either a Polar-Roo or Puppy for Dani (I know which one i'm making her but she wants to be surprised!)

Made this cute little sheep on Wednesday from The Cute Book!

So that's what I have for this week!

Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina retold by Martin Powell & illustrated by Sarah Horne

2009-12-10T06:00:00.002-06:00

Amazon.com:

Gerta has always wanted a child. One day she finds a little girl in the petals of a magical flower - Thumbelina. The girl's tiny size puts her in harms way and soon she is lost in the forest.

Thumbelina is a fairy tale that is a bit lesser known to me so I was excited to take a peek at it. The book starts off with a cast of characters, giving you your first hint at the beautiful illustrations to come. They are very quirky and colorful, just what I like! The illustrations range from tiny details to almost scribbles.

The story follows Thumbelina's journey back to her mother Gerta after she is plucked from her home while sleeping but a toad! She meets a variety of other animals in the forest including a mouse, mole and song bird.

Stylistically this is a great graphic novel and I only wish it had been longer. Definitely makes me want to search out illustrator, Sarah Horne's work.

Like The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina comes with a glossary, about the author, about the retelling author and illustrator, discussion questions, and writing prompts. It's laid on in an easy to follow format with a reading level of 2.4 or guiding reading level of L.

Thumbelina was released on August 31st
Genre: Children's Graphic Novel
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

"Waiting On" Wednesday 60

2009-12-09T06:00:00.003-06:00

The Alpha Bet by Stephanie Hale

Amazon.com:

I was prepared to do just about anything to go from geek to Greek.

Some teenagers use drugs or sex to escape overbearing parents. I used books. All my life my mother has been hovering over me, afraid to let me experience ANYTHING. So I got really good grades, graduated from high school when I was sixteen, and escaped to a new life—my own life—at college.

To jump-start my social life, I decided to rush the Alphas, the most exclusive sorority on campus. And that's when things started to get complicated. One of the Alphas invoked the Alpha Bet, a super-secret set of alphabetical tasks that have to be completed for a sister's bid to become active. Now, completing the tasks of the Alpha Bet has taken over my life. And one of the tasks involves deceiving my roommate and only real friend, Jentry.

Can you spell B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L?

Released April 1st 2010

This book sounds like a lot of fun. I like the idea of a geek trying to fit into the greek world. I also like the idea of a set of alphabetical tasks. And it doesn't hurt that the cover is fun as well!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 58

2009-12-08T06:00:00.002-06:00

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college— an unusual aspiration for a girl living in Britishoccupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather’s library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya’s life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive?

Since this is a young adult book, I think the paperback's vibrancy will be much more striking towards young people. The hardcover could almost be anything, it's harder to tell that it's fiction and a young adult book to me, than the paperback. I definitely think they are both beautiful though.

Hardcover or Paperback?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Lotus Lowenstein's My-Life-Is-Merde-but-Have a Bonnes-Fêtes-Anyway Blog Tourapalooza!

2009-12-07T06:00:00.006-06:00

Welcome to Lotus Lowenstein's My-Life-Is-Merde-but-Have a Bonnes-Fêtes-Anyway Blog Tourapalooza!

Let's start things off with my review!

Amazon.com:

An adorable, completely original YA voice.

Lotus Lowenstein's life is merde. She dreams of moving to Paris and becoming an existentialist. Yet here she is trapped in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with a New-Agey mom, an out-of-work dad, and a chess champion brother who dreams of being a rock star. Merci à Dieu for Lotus’s best friend, Joni, who loves French culture enough to cofound their high school’s first French Club with Lotus. At the first meeting, the cutest boy in the world walks in. His name is Sean, and he too loves French culture and worships Jean-Paul Sartre.

At first, Lotus thinks Sean is the best thing to happen to her in years. He’s smart, cultured, and adorable. Unfortunately, though, Joni feels the same way. And having an existentialist view of love, Sean sees nothing wrong with enjoying both girls’ affections. Things come to a head when all three depart for Montreal with their teacher, Ms. G, on the French Club’s first official field trip. Will Sean choose Joni over Lotus? And will Lotus and Joni’s friendship ever recover?

The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein was a fabulous, delicious and hilarious book! It's really hard to pick a favorite part of it. The entire book is written as Lotus's diary and her observations about her friends and family. Lotus lives in Brooklyn, is obsessed with all things French, and has a fantastic sense of humor. She's someone I would want to hang out with.

I love how she wanted to immerse herself in French culture and existentialism. She's really into fashion and just getting out there and trying to have a good life and include others in it. And as I've said before she's just funny, her observations about everything reminded me a bit of Georgia Nicolson, as others have mentioned. She's hard to describe because she's so absolutely layered which I loved!

I loved being reminded about why I took French in high school and how much I just love French culture just like Lotus! It was nice being back in that place. I also was excited to see how the love triangle between Lotus, her best friend Joni, and other French Club member Sean played out.

Overall this was a hilarious and heartfelt book and I can't wait to check out some of the author's other adult books. I hope she also continues down this track with another book in this same spirit for the young adult audience!

The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein will be released on December 8th!
Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Publicity/Marketing Firm

About the Author:

Libby Schmais is the author of the adult novels The Perfect Elizabeth and The Essential Charlotte. The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein is her first novel for young readers. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Today’s French Word du Jour is Bête (which means "stupid").

If you collect all the French words du jour on the Blog Tourapalooza, you can enter a contest to win fabulous prizes (a $25 Sephora gift card and a personally autographed Pillow Book!). Once you’ve visited all the blog tour stops and collected all the words, email the complete list of words to lotuslowenstein@gmail.com with the subject line “French Word du Jour Contest.” All e-mail entries must be received by midnight (EST) on December 21, 2009. The winner will be selected at random on December 22, 2009. Be sure to include your name, e-mail address, and daytime phone number with your entry (If you're under age 13, give your parent's contact info). The complete My-Life-Is-Merde-but-Have-a-Bonnes-Fêtes-Anyway Blog Tourapalooza schedule can be found at lotuslowenstein.com. Our next tour stop is Steph Su Reads on December 8. See you on the road, mes amis!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

2009-12-06T19:40:00.001-06:00

Amazon.com:

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.

Beautiful Creatures encompasses a variety of things from a historic small southern town, to some great family stories to a romance to the supernatural. I would say my favorite things about the book were the setting and history, and Lena's family.

There is a passage in the book that describes the town preparing for their Civil War reenactment that I really enjoyed. I love learning the rich history of old towns and seeing a community come together over something. I also loved the supernatural history of that same town that we slowly learn and how it is intertwined with the moral history. Basically two worlds living on top of each other but separately.

Speaking of the supernatural part of the book, I loved Lena's family who we slowly get to meet as we read. I especially liked her Uncle Macon who remains rather mysterious throughout the book. He's going to be one of the characters I'm most excited to see in the movie version (yay!). I also really liked The Sisters who were somehow related to Ethan. Every scene with them was just hilarious I thought!

I think I would have liked Ethan and Lena to come together slower, be able to experience some more chemistry between them. I felt like they got together because they thought they were supposed to be together, because they had this strange connection before they even knew each other. I wanted a little more passion! I was also surprised how quickly Lena confided in Ethan about her family. That's not to say that there weren't more secrets revealed towards the end, but I would have liked for that mystery to be drawn on a little longer.

Overall a fun book that's the start to what sounds like an exciting supernatural series. I'm also very excited to see this turned into a movie, I think that will be a lot of fun as well!

Beautiful Creatures was released on December 1st!
Genre: Young Adult
3.5/5 Stars
ARC Provided by Publisher

Winners of the "I Will Make You A Feltie Contest"!

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My three winners are:

Susan who picked Surprise Me!

Dani who picked Sleepy Fox!

Gail who also picked Surprise Me! (but probably wants a frog!)

I emailed you guys, if you could get back to me but Wednesday with your addresses and to verify you still want the feltie you have picked that would be wonderful!

And if you are a big nerd like me, here are some stats of what was most popular!

This Week In Books Or FELTIES TAKEOVER!!!!

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Monday:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Amazon Vine

The Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo

Found this online the weekend before and discovered Borders had it so I went right over and didn't even use a coupon! Had fun looking at some craft books!

Tuesday:

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

Amazon Vine

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday:

Huge by Sasha Paley
Love in the Corner Pocket by Marlene Perez
Right Before Your Eyes by Ellen Shanman

Ended up taking a later bus home so I had some time to kill. Of course I went to the library which was having a sale month. This week's deal was 50% off everything so I got those 3 books for like $1.60

Friday: nothing

Saturday: nothing

FELTIES TAKEOVER!!!!!!

I know a lot of people have enjoyed all my feltie talk, so here is an updated. Besides buying The Cute Book on Monday I made some more feltie popsicles (my own pattern) and ordered a bunch of polka dot felt. Thanks to Samantha LeAnne who pointed me to a great site! Here are some pictures. Then this afternoon I made a candy cane feltie and a donut feltie with my new polka dot felt. Don't forget if you want to enter to win a feltie, my contest ends tomorrow!

Lookalikes 78

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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (UK paperback)

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (German edition)

Definitely Thirteen Reasons Why for me, while the cropping and cover is not really anything special the cropping on Nineteen Minutes is a bit awkward for me. More or less of her face should have been cropped. And I don't like how the 9 just barely overlaps her head.

Which do you prefer?

Thanks to Laina who suggested this lookalike!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!