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The Bookish Poodle

Hello, I decided that the title of this blog, which was not originally meant to be a book blog, is very inappropriate for my current intentions of the blog. This is why I made a new blog under the name of "The Bookish Poodle" with an updated and more professional looking set up. If you are a follower and wish to continue following me, please unfollow this blog and follow The Bookish Poodle. Thanks so much for your understanding!

In My Mailbox (3)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which is used to interact with other bloggers about their upcoming reads.

This week is testing week at my school. This could be looked at in two ways: 1)I won't have time to read any books because of studying or 2)I will have a lot of time to read if I can read after I finish the test. Let's hope for the latter! ;)

Here is what I have this week:

This is a little book I found at the library. It's about two girls who cope with their best friend's rape & murder. It's fairly short, but it sounds interesting.

I don't think I am emotionally ready to read this. I don't want the series to end! But sooner or later I'll have to say bye to Katniss, Prim, Gale, Peeta, & the rest.

If I have time, I might read Anna Dressed in Blood. I'm really excited, and kinda nervous, to read this!

Thanks for tuning in.

Michelle

2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

Hello, I recently found out about the 2012 Standalone Reading Challenge, hosted by IceyBooks and I Like These Books. This challenge requires you to read 15 YA standalone books published in 2012. Here is my list:

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First

Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Publish Date: January 2, 2012

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Publish Date: January 10, 2012

3. The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Publish Date: January 19, 2012

4. New Girl by Paige Harbison

Publish Date: January 31, 2012

5. The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers

Publish Date: February 14, 2012

6. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Publish Date: February 16, 2012

7. The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp

Publish Date: February 28, 2012

8. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Publish Date: March 13, 2012

9. Bound by Annie Oldham

Publish Date: March 13, 2012

10. A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

Publish Date: March 20, 2012

11. Life is But a Dream by Brian James

Publish Date: March 27, 2012

12. The Embittered Ruby by Nicole O'Dell

Publish Date: April 1, 2012

13. Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman

Publish Date: April 3, 2012

14. Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Publish Date: April 10, 2012

15. Reincarnate, Beloved by Loren Manns

Publish Date: April 15, 2012

And that's my list! If I cannot gain access to any of these books, I have several back up books:

• Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz
• The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle
• Gilt by Katherine Longshore
• Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti
• Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham
• Blindspot by Laura Ellen

Thanks for reading! Will be back on Monday with a review!

Michelle

Paper Towns by John Green - Review

Paper Towns by John Green

Publisher: Dutton Books

Release Date: October 16, 2008

Source: Library

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First off, I want to emphasize that this rating was not because I didn't like the book. I just felt that it didn't deserve a higher rating. It was a hard decision on whether to rate it 3 or 4 stars. On to the review.

“It was nice - in the dark and the quiet... and her eyes looking back, like there was something in me worth seeing.”

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night - dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q."

The title is appropriately named; Margo had told Q that Orlando was just a "Paper Town" with "Paper People", where there was no depth or dimension and everything was fake. She later mentions that she is a paper girl and so she had to go the paper towns, where she fit in. The concept of paper towns was mentioned frequently.

If you read the book without knowing the author, one would most likely guess it was John Green. The charming wit and emotional intensity he puts into his books is definitely a trademark for Mr. Green. I have only fully read 2 of his books, this one and The Fault in Our Stars (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and although this was a good story, it did not and could not compare to TFiOS. I literally could not put TFiOS down, but for this book it seemed that it got boring around the middle. Before starting it, I expected Margo and Q's midnight adventure to last at least half of the book, but it only took up about 80 pages, which was pretty upsetting. The next 150 pages of the book is just about Q & Co. finding clues that would lead to Margo. The ending was extremely abrupt and a bit confusing. I didn't feel sorry for Margo and I still don't understand her intentions.

On the bright side, as with other J.G. novels, the characters were very round characters, and you felt what they felt and thought what they thought. You feel like you really know them as you read about them. Many parts of the book made me laugh, but I can safely say that I did not feel dismal when reading this. It just didn't reach me as TFiOS did. I'm not exactly disappointed, but not content either.

My favorite part of the book is the beginning, a.k.a. the "midnight adventure" with M & Q. I believe that was the strongest and most engaging part of the book, because it showed Margo in a different, better light. And of course, I was really interested in learning about the 11 things on the list. ;)

Wonderful writing, but not as emotionally gripping as other books I've read.

Waiting On Wednesday (1)

Another meme that I'm trying out! This meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine, and it features a book or books that you are eagerly waiting to be released! Here's my pick:

1. Girl of Nightmares (release date: August 7, 2012)

I just checked out Anna Dressed in Blood this afternoon and read it a bit and I must say it's pretty good! Waiting on the sequel! :) Not to mention that the cover is stunning.

Thanks for reading!

Michelle

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

I'm starting to try and participate in different memes on this blog, so this is my first time trying TTT!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and it features the top ten books that comes to your mind under a certain category announced each week. This week's category is:

Top Ten Books That Were Totally Deceiving

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - When I first saw this book back in 2009 at Borders, I looked at the inside cover and thought that it sounded confusing and not that interesting. I finally discovered that this book was pure genius 3 years later.

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Picked this up from the library, not thinking much of it. After reading it, it became one of my favorite books ever.

3. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld - Looked pretty good, but was entirely disappointed.

4. Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling - Sounded really stupid but when I opened them up, it was magical.

5. Paper Towns by John Green - The summary says that the two go on an adventure in the middle of the night, and yes, this does occur, but only for 80 pages. The rest of the book was about finding her, which was a bit upsetting and deceiving.

6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - Thought this was going to be "fluff", but turned out very heart-wrenching.

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Started out great but then it became unbelievably depressing!

8. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare - "Most tragic love story in all of history"? Sorry, no. Just laughable.

9. Choker by Elizabeth Woods - Oh my gosh, I was so so deceived by the summary. The book was genius but I totally did not guess what was going to happen.

10. Miss American Pie by Margaret Sartor - Thought it would be interesting by the premise, but was very boring.

Hope I did okay! Happy Tuesday everyone, and happy reading!!

Michelle

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - Review

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: September 8, 2009

Source: Barnes & Noble

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you love them more.”

The main character, 17-year-old Ronnie Miller, became rebellious and extremely angry when her dad left her family. She blamed everything on him and she absolutely hated him. When Ronnie and her brother Jonah visit their father for the summer, Ronnie slowly matures and evolves into a loving, mature girl who sees the world from a different perspective.

This is one of my favorite books. Some people said that it did not hold their interest long enough, but that's not the case with me. This book was so intriguing for me. The second half of the book kept me turning and turning the pages until the end. Of course I knew what would happen, since I saw the movie before.

Ronnie also falls in love with a local Southern boy, Will Blakelee. I have to admit, Ronnie's constant mood swings in the movie were very annoying (get mad at him, fall back in love, get mad, etc etc), but it was different in the book. There were a lot of different things in the book and the movie.

The story seems so real, as if I know all of the characters personally. Sparks' intimate writing just makes you want to reach out and hug Ronnie, Will, Jonah, and Steve simultaneously! The beach setting was also so beautiful. Another wonderful thing to witness was how Ronnie goes from a rebellious teenager full of hate into a loving person who doesn't take anything for granted. This book is very emotional and made me cry at some points. It is full of so many different emotions and feelings, but most of all it is packed full of love and tragedy.