The ABCs of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro

Publisher: Delacorte Books/Random House

Source: Purchased

Publication Date: 13 Jan 2009

Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN: 0385735820

Format: Paperback

Pages: 224

Websites:

Tina Ferraro - Official Site

Tina Ferraro - Blog

Tina Ferraro - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: DeGroot, Minnesota

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First Line: "You're late."

The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro is a very quick read and was a nice change from all the series paranormal stories that seem to be flooding the market these days. The story centers around Parker who is have a rough start to her Junior year being one of only 2 girls who didn't move up to the varsity soccer team so she's stuck playing with the freshman. And as a result her friends from the team start to distance themselves from her, making mean jokes at her expense and generally acting a bit more like bullies than friends. But Parker has a plan, she plans on getting a hot guy and recent graduate to kiss her at the school fair, paying lots of money for the privilege. Not only will it up her cool status but she'll raise so much money for the team that the Coach will have to move her up to varsity.

The only problem is....Parker has never been kissed. 

Enter in her next door neighbor, Tristan, a boy who is tall, good looking and while just a few months younger by a cruel twist of the school enrolling policies is a freshman in her school. Which makes him decidedly off limits if Parker has any hopes of regaining her popularity. Only Tristan knows how to kiss and offers to teach her what he knows. What follows is a light hearted read about discovering what matters most to you.

Parker is a fun character and a girl that many can relate to. She struggles with  her high school identity where status is everything and if you date the wrong boy then you can find yourself at the bottom of the social ladder. The ABC's of Kissing Boys is full of some laugh out loud moments as well as a few that will make your heart ache. Its a great coming of age story and a great way to spend a few hours on a summer afternoon. This is a book that I would recommend and an author that I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of.

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon Books

Source: Publisher

Publication Date: 31 May 2011

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:  006149190X

Format: Paperback

Pages: 367

Websites:

Julia Quinn - Official Site

Julia Quinn - Blog 

Julia Quinn - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: London, England (1824)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First Line: Marcus Holroyd was always alone. (Prologue)

Smythe-Smith Quartet Series Order

Book 1: Just Like Heaven (Honoria Smythe-Smith & Marcus Holroyd)

Book 2: Untitled

Book 3: Untitled

Book 4: Untitled

Anyone who has been a regular reader of Julia Quinn has heard about the Smyth-Smith family, or rather their annual musicale which is infamous for being bad. Very very bad. And yet anyone who is anyone always makes an appearance and suffers through. But no one suffers more than the 4 girls who are conscripted to perform each year. In Just Like Heaven we are introduced to Honoria Smythe-Smith who plays the violin in the quartet and unlike some in her family she knows just how bad they really are. And unlike her cousins she decides to embrace the bad and try to make the most of it by giving it her all.

Speaking of the Smythe-Smith cousins I have to say that they really added some levity to the novel. I really enjoyed when the four girls were together...especially when the musical was getting close. I found myself chuckling a loud a few times. I did have a hard time buying the romance between Honoria and Marcus. The two where childhood friends, thanks to Daniel but had little interaction once Daniel left England under some unfortunate circumstances. When the two reconnect the situation they find themselves in is a bit outlandish.

The middle part of the book tends to drag out far too long and as a result the ending is rushed. And during that long drawn out middle the two characters just sort of spontaneously decide that they are in love. There was no real build up or tension and so as a result it was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the characters of Honoria and Marcus and I believed their friendship and enjoyed the scenes they were in. I just wish that more time had been spent building their actual romance. The story was cute but it lacked depth.

What made this novel for me is the aforementioned interactions between Honoria and her cousins. I fell in love with this family and loved getting an inside peak at the musicale that I've read so much about in other Quinn novels. Its because of these cousins that I look forward to reading the other books in this series. I can't wait to see each of them develop and come into their own.

Happy Blogaversary to me.....Final Day

Ok Internet,

Welcome to the fourth and final day of my blogaversary. This one is the Keep it Simple Contest and is for a $20 gift card to the online book retailer of your choice (amazon, book depository, your local indie, etc). 

To enter just fill out the form

The Rules

- Contest is open worldwide and will close at midnight EST on 02 July 2011
- Entrants should be 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 please get your parents permission.
- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified.
- This prize is provided for and will be mailed by me. No information will be shared and form will be deleted once I receive confirmation that your prize has arrived.

Be sure to check out my other contests going on now:

Day 1 - The Existing Follower Contest (ends 29 June)

Day 2 - The Signed Books Edition (ends 30 June)

The Twitter Contest of Swag - Enter Here (ends  25 June- midnight)

Day 3 - The Ooh La La Contest - Enter Here (ends 01 July)

Happy Blogaversay to me....Day 3!

The party continues today with Day 3....or what I call the Ooh La La edition. =) Not only are they all books that I loved but they are also books that are all about love or have love as a central theme. I thought books that deal with love in some form or anther would be a good way to show all of you just how I much I love you all. =)

Today's prizes include:
The Sarah MacLean Fetch the Smelling Salts Prize Pack - Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (signed), Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord (signed) and Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart (signed)

The Jennifer Echol's Prize Pack - Forget You, Going to Far and a pre-order of Love Story (this is the one I'm blurbed in...ya me!)

The Classic Love Prize Pack - Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen, and North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Heart-Achy Prize Pack - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Entwined by Heather Dixon

The Lost in Time Prize Pack - Hourglass by Myra McEntire, Ruby Red by Kiersten Gier, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (pre-order)

This contest will have 5 winners....one for each prize pack. In the form please rank in order of your preference. When I draw names the 1st one will get their first choice, the 2nd name will the get their first choice if its different than the 1st place winner if not then their second choice, and so on until all the prize packs are claimed.

To enter just fill out THIS FORM

The Rules

- Contest is open worldwide and will close at midnight EST on 01 July 2011
- Entrants should be 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 please get your parents permission.
- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified.
- This prize is provided for and will be mailed by me. No information will be shared and form will be deleted once I receive confirmation that your prize has arrived.


If you have a Twitter ID then you should click here for another contest. =)

Happy Blogaversary to me....Day 2!

The blogaversary celebration continues today and this time its open to everyone who wanders by my little place on the interwebs. I call today's contest the Signed Book Edition and will be giving away copies of signed books that I've been collecting at various events that I've gone to over the last few months. This contest will have 3 winners and here's what's up for grabs

Clockwork Angel (hardcover)

Silver Phoenix (paperback)

Red Glove (hardcover)

The Girl in the Steel Corset (hardcover)

Nightshade (arc)

Matched (arc)

Across the Universe (hardcover)

The Eternal Ones (hardcover)

The Replacement (arc)

The first place winner will get to choose 4 books, the second place winner will choose 3 of what is left and third place will get what is left. 

To enter just fill out THIS FORM

The Rules

- Contest is open worldwide and will close at midnight EST on 30 June 2011
- Entrants should be 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 please get your parents permission.
- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified.
- This prize is provided for and will be mailed by me. No information will be shared and form will be deleted once I receive confirmation that your prize has arrived.


If you have a Twitter ID then you should click here for another contest. =)

Happy Bloggaversary to Me!!!

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

Today I'm very excited to announce that Ticket to Anywhere turns 4! When I first started this blog in 2007 I never thought that I would keep it up for very long. I thought it would be a fun hobby and like many other hobbies of mine it would eventually fall by the wayside. But then I met all of you and its the blogging community that has kept me coming back for more. Therefore, the first contest that I'll be having to celebrate 4 wonderful years is for you, my readers.

This first contest is for my loyal followers only - sorry to anyone just wandering by but I love my readers and every so often like to do something special just for them. This contest is one of those time.

The prize?

Well, for the last 3 years I've been keeping track of my favorite books for each month and compiled them into a Top 12 list. Since this is my blogaversay - and so all about me - I thought that I would give away books from those lists. But since this blog is also about you dear reader the books up for grabs are up to you! So in the form below please add in the books you would like to win of my favorites from 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since I really didn't keep track in 2007 I've decided to let you chose any book you want. This can be a book that I've reviewed or just a book that you've been lusting over. (This 4th book should not exceed $30 in value)

 

Enter for your chance to win filling out this form

Check out my Top 12 Archives Here.

The rules

- You must be an existing follower to enter this contest. New followers are always welcome but if you are not eligable for this contest. Please stay tuned as there will be other giveaways coming that will be open to everyone. For now I just want to reward those who have been following me for the last 4 years.

- Contest is open worldwide and will close at midnight EST on 29 June 2011 

- Entrants should be 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 please get your parents permission.

- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified. 

- This prize is provided for and will be mailed by me. Books will be sent via Amazon, Book Depository or some other online retailer. No information will be shared and form will be deleated once I receive confirmation that your prize has arrived.

Event Recap: This is Teen Tour Visits Boston

Source: http://yfrog.com/klzmvij taken by Charisse Meloto

Last night I attended one of the best author events ever...it was the Boston leg of Scholastic's This is Teen tour that featured Maggie Stiefvater, Meg Cabot and Libba Bray. I've been to events with all three of these authors before but this is the first time all together...and let me tell you...together they are hysterical.

The event began with each author giving a small little presentation about their book as well as several little tidbits on events that influenced them as teens. Meg Cabot blames her parents and Algebra for eventually ending up as a writer. Maggie Stievater was partially raised by feral librarians and we learned why Libba Bray should not be allowed near swimming pools when she's trying to impressive the cute boys. There was also a rousing game of mad libs which included references to the TARDIS and Neil Gaiman. 

These ladies are all so funny that simply transcribing it just won't do it justice so please take a few moments to watch the youtube videos below. 

Intro and Maggie Stievater  talks about feral librarians

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/KEeKOXjFGmc

Meg Cabot talks about how Algebra helped her become a writer

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/aLkLv4BpwCk

Libba Bray talks about embarrassing childhood memories

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/JwLRYzVN-xo

Mad Libs...Beauty Queens Style

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/R2-Tw4jmo0U

Q&A Part 1

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/_10tjStPKD0

Q&A Part 2

For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/42UBKD98Aa8

Ruby Red Contest Winner

Congratulations to David E of From My Bookshelf...you are the winner of Ruby Red. Please keep an eye on your mailbox as your copy will probably arriving shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Guest Post: Leah Cypess author of Mistwood and Nightspell

Hello everyone,

Today I have the amazingly wonderful Leah Cypess visiting to answer a quick question about her writing process. Leah is the author of two wonderful YA fantasy reads: Mistwood (Greenwillow, 2010) and its recently released companion book Nightspell (Greenwillow, 2011).

Your a mom with young kids living in a bustling city how do you stay focused on your writing? And has anything that has happened in your daily routine inspire a scene(s) in your books?

My main method for combining writing with the rest of my life is by leaving out the “life” part. Most nights and weekends find me at home in front of my laptop. I only watch tv when I’m also folding laundry, and 95% of my “social life” takes place on facebook. When I’m invited to a party, my instinctive reaction is to mentally run through a list of potential excuses for why I can’t make it. Basically, when I’m not doing either writing stuff or kids stuff, I feel like I’m wasting time.

My second method is to try and combine the “writing stuff” and the “kids stuff” as much as possible. Since my kids wake up way earlier than I want to, and I’m pretty exhausted by the time they go to bed, I have to try to fit in writing while they’re awake. I carry a notebook and pen with me as I follow them around the playground and write my first drafts by hand.

This works for me because I’m a multi-tasker by nature. It also helps that my kids are inclined to be independent , and I encourage that. We have rules — for example, if someone wants to go on the swing, I’ll push for 10 minutes and after that they have to manage on their own or do something else.

On days that are not playground-friendly, I tend to be a lot less successful at the balancing act. Sometimes I can take them to a playspace, but often (i.e., for most of the past winter) I get almost no writing done during the day. The most important thing, for me, is to be flexible; some days are going to be all about the kids and I’ll manage to write three sentences, some days the kids will decide to be fascinated by something else and I’ll write three chapters, and it’s hard to know in advance what kind of day it’s going to be. I’m a “planner,” so going with the flow and being laid back is not the easiest thing for me, but I’m working on it!

It helps a lot that I have no choice.

Find Leah Cypess online:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thanks Leah for stopping by and know that I am totally amazed that you are able to write with your busy family. I spent a week with my 18 month old niece and felt like I was going to drop at the end of each day....and that was with 2 eager grandparents and her mom and dad to help distract the wee one. So my hat is off to you.

About Mistwood

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.


Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Read the first three chapters here!

About Nightspell

A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD. When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own. In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

Read the first 3 chapters here!

You May be a Winner!

The winners of BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray is Christinabean who blogs at The Paperback Princess and Sonia who blogs at The Story Queen. Christinabean's talent, if she was ever in a beauty pagent her talent would involve ballet - tap or maybe ballet and Sonia would recite Harry Potter trivia. I would put my friend Ashley up against the Sonia - may the best HP nerd win.

Other talents mentioned: Dancing (one person would even recreate the Thriller routine), Knife throwing, Sarcasm, playing a musical instrument (one person even said they'd play a guitar while standing on head, now who wouldn't want to see that?), reciting a story written on the spot using words from the audience to involve them, Speed reading, singing, nap taking, Knowledge of innane and useless trivia, like the kings and queens of England in order, Origami, baking, eating ice cream, painting, burping the alphabet, monologues, Balancing a pen on nose while singing and walking, reading, play the water glasses, and juggling. You know, based on all this...I'm thinking that next year's Book Blogger Convention should include a talent portion to it. lol

The winners of CUT by Patricia McCormick are Angela H and Ivy of the blog Ivy Reads.

The winner of the signed finished copy of THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab is Cheyenne who blogs over at The Hollow Cupboards. 

Congrats to all my winners and to those who didn't win thank you for taking the time to enter. Lots more contests coming up in the queue...including a copy of RUBY RED by Kersten Gier which is going on now, more details here, and something pretty big for my 4 year blogaversary which is at the end of June so stay tuned!

Friday Fragment (37): The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Welcome to the latest edition of Fragment Friday, a weekly meme hosted by James from Book Chic Club where we vlog a small snippet from a current read. This weeks excerpt is from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern which will be published on 13 Sept 2011 from Doubleday.

For those that don't want to listen to my ramblings, just skip to the 3.18 mark for the snippet.




For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/F_yr9NphMvI

I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!

Things/People mentioned in this vlog:
James from Book Chic Club

Kevin Hearne

Hexed
The Princess Bride
The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern
Jen
The Secret Life of a Bibliophile
Amazon Vine
Night Circus trailer

Contest: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

 Dear Readers

Some of you might be aware that I've recently been gushing over Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier and if you missed it you can read my review here or hear me read the prologue here. Today, thanks to Macmillan and Zeitghost Media I have one copy of Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier up for grabs! 

Check out the summary:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Check out an excerpt and reviews on Ruby Red's website. And here is the book trailer:

 Enter for your chance to win Ruby Red by Kersin Gier by filling out

 

this form

 - Contest is open to US/Canada only and will close at midnight EST on 14 June 2011 

- Entrants must be 13 years of age or older. If you are under 13 please obtain your parents permission to enter.

- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified. 

- Contest is run by me but the prize is provided by Macmillan & will be mailed out by Zeitghost Media

Pearl by Jo Knowles

Publisher: Henry Holt

Source: Banned Book Tours

Publication Date: 19 July 2011

Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN:  0805092072

Format: paperback (ARC)

Pages: 224

Websites: 

Jo Knowles - Official Site

Jo Knowles - Blog
Jo Knowles - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Unknown

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First Line: Henry and I get comfortable in our usual Days of our Lives positions on his mother's scratchy plaid couch in their tiny living room.

Pearl by Jo Knowles is one of those books that I really don't know what to say about it. Bean, whose real name is Pearl, is the main character of this story and she is struggling to come to grips with the loss of her grandfather who she was really close to. As she deals with her grief she learns that things that she thought she knew about the people around her might not be the truth. It seems that everyone around her now has secrets and she doesn't know how to deal. Her mom is acting erratically and they've never had the best relationship to start so things get even more fractured. Bean's mother's annoying best friend never seems to leave and hints at things that happened in the past but never quite tells the tale. Bean's best friend Henry is dealing with his mother Sally who hasn't left their house for years and struggles with not knowing what happened to his father.

The book description for Pearl doesn't say much about the book and there is a good reason for that. Not much happens in the story. The book is very slow and it took me far longer than it should have to read. I just kept hoping for something to happen but nothing ever seemed to. This really disappointed to me because I've seen people on Twitter raving about Knowles's other books. The writing wasn't bad but it was hard to lose myself in the words when I just found the picture they were painting to be dull and lack luster. I couldn't seem to bring myself to care about any of the characters in this story. I kept turning the pages in the vain hope that something would happen and before I know it I was at the end and left scratching my head and wondering what I just read.

The main thing that I took away from this novel was the description of the weather. The hot, almost oppressive summer heat. It was something that I could almost feel. Though I don't think that this is a very positive thing to say about a novel...because really...what author wants the thing that someone remembers about their book to be about the weather. Another thing that I found interesting about Pearl is that there is a timeless quality to it. This is a story that could have taken place today, 10 years from today or in the past...well the not to distant past. Its a book that won't date itself as the years pass and that is a good thing in an age where technology is moving faster than the speed of light.  In the end though, this book just didn't do it for me but as I said I thought the writing was solid and so will probably give other books by Jo Knowles a try.

Friday Fragment (36): Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Welcome to the latest edition of Fragment Friday, a weekly meme hosted by James from Book Chic Club where we vlog a small snippet from a current read. This weeks excerpt is from Hounded by Kevin Hearne which was published on 03 May 2011 from Del Rey.







For those who view via a reader that strips out the video you can click here to see on YouTube or copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/NhWKF8FohME

I hope you enjoyed this weeks fragment...see you next week!

Things/People mentioned in this vlog:
James from Book Chic Club
Hounded  (my review)

Kevin Hearne

Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files

Win a Signed Finished copy of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

 

Hello Readers!

Remember last month when I posted this crazy/awesome rap for this wee book called The Near Witch and also held that epic contest of epicness? (Or was it the awesome contest of awesomeness?) Either way it was the 3 month until release date of The Near Witch and now here we are one whole month closer until this beautiful book is out there in the world for all to read.

To help celebrate the TWO month mark until The Near Witch is on shelves I have another contest for you (sorry no rap videos this time.) This time its just for a signed finished copy of The Near Witch to enter just fill out

THIS FORM

- Contest is open to US/Canada only and will close at midnight EST on 10 June 2011

- Entrants must be 13 years of age or older.

- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified.

- Contest is run by me but the prize is provided by publisher & will be mailed out by them closer to the books release date.

Check out these other blogs for more opportunities to win:

Erica - The Book Cellar

Nikki -Wicked Awesome Books
Dani B - Frenzy of Noise
Dani J -Overflowing Bookshelf
Jen -Secret Life of a Bibliophile

Victoria - Victoria's Schwab's Official Blog


Buy/Pre-order the book which will be available on 02 Aug 2011 from:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/fIq8WB
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/h2Q3Ns
Book Depository: http://bit.ly/hH2uaP
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/gtlp5R

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean

Publisher: Avon Books

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: 26 April 2011

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:  0061852074

Format: ebook (ARC)

Pages: 367

Websites:

Sarah MacLean - Blog & Official Site
Sarah MacLean - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: London, England and Dunscroft, Yorkshire, England (1823)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First Line: In retrospect, there were four actions Miss Juliana Fiori should have considered that evening.

Related Posts: Fragment Friday

Love by Numbers Series Order

Book 1: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

Book 2: Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord

Book 3: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean is the third and final book in her Love by Numbers series. The first two books dealt with twin brothers Nick and Gabriel St John who were both a bit rakish and (at least with Gabriel) seemed to enjoy breaking the rules of society. But of all the members of the St. John clan no one breaks as many rules as Nick and Gabriel's younger half-sister Juliana Fiori. Although, in her case, all the rule breaking is unintentional...mostly. You see, Juliana was raised in Italy where the rules of conduct are different. She is shipped to England to live with previously unknown brothers on the death of her father and has to quickly learn to navigate in a society that loves rules and has a quick disdain for those that don't quite fit in. And no one dishes out disdain more than Simon Pearson, Duke of Leighton. Which just means that he and Juliana are going to have one heck of a roller coaster ride to love.

I loved this book. I think its safe to say that Eleven Scandals is my favorite Sarah MacLean book to date. Juliana is such a fun character filled with spunk and strength and I couldn't get enough of her. Simon could be a total jerk at times with his condensation but I often felt sorry for this ficitional man as he was no match for the fiesty Juliana. And before anyone gets on me for spoiling this *IS* a romance novel so of course the two MCs are going to get together in the end. Although I have to admit that even this long time romance reader had her doubts that MacLean would be able to pull these two very strong willed characters together! But she managed to do so in a believable and totally heart achey way that left me a bit breathless from the non-stop push and pull of these two fabulous characters. 

Another think that Sarah MacLean managed to do with her book was to make me gasp aloud. This isn't something that I do with books. Laugh out loud yes. Yell at books when a character makes me angry (more often then I care to admit) but gasp? I can't recall the last time that happened. But it did in Eleven Scandals, right around page 159 where something happened that I never expected and so I gasped in pleasant surprise. That same scene was already a fun one as it saw the appearance of a beloved character from MacLean's YA book The Season and that had made me all giddy. Then you have this bit of shock and....well....it just further shows just what a roller coaster ride this book was.

In the end, Eleven Scandals, was a lot of fun. Juliana is a total fish out of water and I loved her little mistakes in coming up with the right vocabulary when trying to describe something. She was bold and unapologetic and despite her mistakes she was always honest about her self. She wasn't perfect but she never pretended to be. She simply tried her best and people had to accept her or not for who she was and because of that she makes a great role model for girls of today. Because who doesn't struggle with identity and tries to fit in? I loved this book and recommend it to all...and I also learned recently that the heroine of Sarah MacLean's next book actually makes her debut here for those observant enough to catch it. I admit i rushed through my first reading of this book but I think that trying to figure out the heroine of A Rogue by Any Other Name is more than enough reason for a reread of Eleven Scandals...not that I need a reason but it helps in rationalizing why I am ignore the bagillion other books in my house waiting to be read. ;-)

Cut by Patricia McCormick

Publisher: Push

Source: Publicist

Publication Date: 30 Oct 2010

Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN:  0439324599

Format: Paperback

Pages: 160

Websites:

Patricia McCormick - Official Site
Patricia McCormick - Blog

Patricia McCormick - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: not mentioned

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First Line: you say it's up to me to do the talking.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the original publication of Patricia McCormick's groundbreaking book Cut. I must admit, dear reader, that up until a few weeks ago I don't think that I had ever heard about it before. Perhaps because 10 years ago I hadn't discovered the wonderful world of YA literature. I was still of the mind that YA books were beneath me as I was an adult reading adult books and YA was for kids.  I was a horrible book snob and praise be that I did eventually come to my senses and not let mistaken beliefs keep me away from this wonderful genre forever.  

My first experience with a book dealing with cutting was back in 2009, with Julia Hoban's Willow. Which was a book that totally blew me away and gave me an understanding of why a person might cut. Since then though I don't think any book that I've read has dealt with the issue. That is until I began Cut by Patricia McCormick and its a book that I wanted to blow me away in equal measure but alas that wasn't the case. Cut is told in this disembodied narrative of the main character, Callie, as she starts treatment in a facility called Sick Minds by its 'guests.' In these internal monologues we learn that Callie hasn't been speaking to anyone but she has been watching and so as a reader you learn all these details about the others in her Group Therapy Session.

What you don't really learn is information about Callie and why she began cutting. You learn details of her life and some issues at home but I never got the sense that one lead to another. As I said above this story was told in a very disembodied way. I could never connect with Callie. I never felt that I got a sense of her feelings or where she was coming from. So this disconnection always kept me at arms length and I found that I couldn't immerse myself in the story. For me there was no real climax, no tension that ever broke when Callie hit any milestones. Everything was pretty monotonous and in the end I was left feeling a bit meh about the whole thing. 

Maybe if I'd read Cut 10 years ago or maybe if I hadn't been exposed to Hoban's book first my thoughts on this book would have been completely different. But as it is, Cut is one of those books that I can neither recommend one read or avoid. It just was. It was a quick read so I don't feel like I wasn't time reading it but at the same time I ask myself, could that time have been better spent? In the end, there was nothing earth shattering about this book and even though I read it quickly it was a bit of a sleeper for me. One final thing, that even though this book was written 10 years ago and so much has changed, technology speaking, the book never felt dated. There is a timeless quality about it that I think will help the book stand up and still be relevant 10 years from now.

Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.

Cut by Patricia McCormick Contest

About the Book

A tingle arced across my scalp. The floor tipped up at me and my body spiraled away. Then I was on the ceiling looking down, waiting to see what would happen next.

Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside. Now she’s at Sea Pines, a “residential treatment facility” filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. She won’t even speak. But Callie can only stay silent for so long…

The 10th Anniversary edition of Cut includes a brand-new afterword from author Patricia McCormick, an author Q&A, and added resources.

About the Author

Patricia McCormick spent three years researching and writing her first novel, Cut. She is also the author of the National Book Award finalist Sold, as well as Purple Heart and My Brother’s Keeper. She lives in Manhattan . Learn more at www.pattymccormick.com.

 Enter for your chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Cut by Patricia McCormick by filling out

this form

 - Contest is open to US/Canada only and will close at midnight EST on 08 June 2011 

- Entrants must be 13 years of age or older. 

- Entrants must fill out the form completely or be disqualified. 

- Contest is run by me but the prize is provided by a publicist & will be mailed out by them

Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news: www.facebook.com/thisisteen.