A return, an apology, and a lot of movies (and a thanks)

So after almost a year of hiatus, I am back. Sorry for my long absence! And I'm hoping to be a more regular blogger this year, so hopefully this won't happen again. Fingers crossed.

I have a little less than a week left of my winter break, and a lot more than a week's worth of things I want to do. That's always the way it seems to go for me.

I do have a few more book reviews that will be up in the next couple of days. They're not new books, but they're reviews that I've been needing to do for a while now. Once I get settled in for this semester I'll start reviewing the new books that I've been reading.

I've also been watching an embarrassing number of movies over this break (the actual number is going to remain unnamed), but some highlights have been Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Penelope, Death at a Funeral, My Blueberry Nights, Charlie Bartlett, and Dedication. I'll try to get some reviews for those up soon as well.

Last but not least, my current book reads: Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates), The Reader (Bernhard Schlink), - trying to finish both before I go see the movie versions - and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See).

I'm glad to be back! Happy reading, everybody.

~Andie

I just wanted to add, thank you to everyone who has read and/or commented! I highly doubted that anyone would actually read this and saw it more as a way to compile my reviews and thoughts in one place, but I'm glad to be mistaken. It was honestly the comments that inspired me to start posting again, and I'm incredibly grateful.

Movie News: NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST

So, I'm definitely behind the times on this one, but that's what I get for being a busy college student, I guess.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, the amazing book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan that everyone should go out and read, is being made into a movie starring Michael Cera (of Superbad and Juno fame) and Kat Dennings (from The 40-Year-Old Virgin). The movie comes out in October and more information can be read in this article: http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576357/story.jhtml

Nick and Norah is the story of two teenagers who meet at a concert one night, share a kiss, and end up having a whirlwind adventure in Manhattan. The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Nick and Norah (written by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn respectively), and it's just amazing. I highly recommend it. (I'd also recommend Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List which is also written by Levithan and Cohn. It's not a sequel to Nick and Norah and not quite as amazing, but still great.)

I'm not sure how I feel about the upcoming movie, but that's my general reaction to all movies based on books these days. After massacring some of my absolute favorites (Ella Enchanted and Blood and Chocolate, to name the two big ones), I've kind of given up on Hollywood being able to do a good book adaptation.

A couple of other movies coming out in the near future that are based on books are Twilight (by Stephenie Meyer), and The Time Traveler's Wife (by Audrey Niffenneger), both of which are excellent and highly recommended books. Fingers crossed for the movies, though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Book Review: ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY by Valerie Hobbs

Anything But Ordinary by Valerie Hobbs

7 out of 10 Stars on http://flamingnet.com/

When he is thirteen, Bernie Federman moves to Pittstown, New Jersey. Proudly different than anybody else, he doesn't know anyone in the eighth grade, and from the very first day of school sits in the back of the classroom. Then he meets Winifred Owens, also fiercely individualistic, and possibly the only person less popular at school than Bernie. They fall in love and begin planning their life together. Both very intelligent, they are at the top of their class and apply to all the same colleges, neither of them dreaming they'll end up somewhere different than the other.

Then, shortly before graduation, tragedy strikes for Bernie, and all his dreams fall apart. He stops going to school, dropping to the bottom of the class, and starts working in a tire shop, abandoning his plans for college. Winifred is heartbroken, but presses on, going across the country to attend the University of California at Santa Barbara. Once there, she realizes just how much she doesn't fit in, and with the help of her new roommates, she gets a makeover and becomes 'Wini,' changing her major from nanoscience to communications and spending her time partying, gossiping, and drinking lattes. Meanwhile, Bernie realizes he may have lost her forever, so he travels crosscountry to catch up with her. However, once he finds her again and realizes that she's become 'ordinary,' it may be too late for them.

I really loved this book. It's different than a lot of the teen romances available today in that it deals with the dark horses, the underdogs, the "unpopular" kids. You really find yourself rooting for Bernie and Winifred to make it work, for Winifred to wake up and realize how silly she's being, and you want them to get back together in the end. From the moment I picked it up, I didn't stop reading ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY, and I would definitely recommend it. It's a great look at the first year of college and how much it can change a person (for better or for worse), and although the ending is slightly bittersweet, it still leaves the reader with a smile. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for other books by Valerie Hobbs.

Adult guidance recommended, as this book involves the lives of college students and deals with alcohol and sexual situations.

Book Review: LOVE UNDERCOVER by Jo Edwards

Love Undercover by Jo Edwards

4 Stars on http://teensreadtoo.com/

Kaitlyn Nichols doesn't have your typical parents. Her father is a member of the FBI secret service and is often gone for long periods of time. Her mother is a sex (excuse me, "relationship") columnist, and her research frequently involves piles of thongs and condoms lying around the house. However, despite what one might think, her parents' work doesn't usually affect Kaitlyn too much. Until now.

Enter Blaine Donovan, AKA "Gordon," AKA the son of a Texas billionaire, AKA major hottie. Blaine's father is in the middle of a big business deal, and his rivals have started threatening the family. So, Kaitlyn's dad has put Blaine in the Witness Protection Program as Gordon Dennis Nichols, Kaitlyn's third-cousin who has come to live with her family and go to school with her for a few months. Now Kaitlyn is responsible for keeping Blaine safe and watching for anything suspicious. She brushes up on her spy tricks by watching Alias, The Bourne Identity, and James Bond, and she feels ready to handle anything that comes her way. But when she starts to fall for Blaine, she realizes that she's broken the number one rule of being a secret agent: she's gotten emotionally involved.

I've really enjoyed all the books in the Simon Romantic Comedies series, and LOVE UNDERCOVER is a great addition. The spy stuff doesn't overwhelm the book, but it's just enough to be fun, and Kaitlyn deals with problems that every teenager faces: liking the popular boy who doesn't know you exist, dealing with mean popular girls, and occasionally keeping secrets even from best friends. I definitely hope that Jo Edwards contributes more books to the Romantic Comedies series – and soon!

Book Review: TOURIST TRAP by Emma Harrison

Tourist Trap by Emma Harrison

4 Stars on http://teensreadtoo.com/

Cassandra Grace and her best friends, twins Donna and Derek Policastro, have lived in Lake Logan, a tiny town in upstate New York, for their whole lives, and they're looking forward to spending their last summer before college together -- swimming at the lake, riding horses, and hanging out the Regency Theater, the old, run-down theater Donna and Derek's parents own. Cassie is also going to be busy working, giving horseback riding lessons at her parents' farm to the kids of the rich vacationers who spend the summers at Lake Logan, commonly known by the year-round locals as invaders. Cassie needs to make enough money for the entry fee of the jumper competition she plans to win with her horse, Lola, and she's determined that nothing is going to stop her from making that money and winning the competition.

Then Jared Kent shows up, son of the most infamous invader family (this is their first time back at Lake Logan in twenty years), and suddenly Cassie finds herself very distracted. She's skipping work and hang-out sessions with her friends in order to spend time with Jared, and she's definitely not making the money she needs. On top of that, Jared's father has made a proposition to the Lake Logan locals, one that has the whole town in an uproar and Cassie wondering whether she's making the right choice by being with Jared.

A story of first love, life changes, and just plain fitting in, TOURIST TRAP is a fun, light read, and teenagers, especially those getting ready to go off to college, will definitely be able to relate.

Book Review: FLORA SEGUNDA by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Written for TCM Reviews

Flora Fydraaca is about to turn 14 and celebrate her Catorcena, the coming-of-age ceremony that qualifies her to enter military training. She has to write a speech, but she’s finding it difficult because it is supposed to celebrate everything that is great about her family and her home, and neither of those things has been particularly wonderful for quite some time. Flora lives in Crackpot Hall, which has started to decay ever since her mother, the Warlord’s Commanding General, fired the magickal Butler. Now the 11,000 rooms randomly shift position, the windows leak, stairways forget to finish, and hallways end in nothing.One day Flora is running late and has to run back inside to get her overdue library book. Taking a chance, she uses an elevator and ends up in a part of the house she’s never seen before. Here she discovers Valefor, the banished butler who is now wasting away to nothing. He is convinced that Flora can help him, but the real question is should she help him? What happens over the next week changes Flora, her family, and Crackpot Hall forever.

Flora Segunda is a fun magickal adventure, with a very entertaining cast of characters. Ysabeau Wilce has created a fresh, original fantasy that is sure to please readers.

Book Review: VAMPIREVILLE by Ellen Schreiber

Vampireville (Vampire Kisses 3) by Ellen Schreiber

4 Stars on http://teensreadtoo.com/

VAMPIREVILLE follows right on the heels of its predecessors, and it is strongly recommended that the previous books in the series, VAMPIRE KISSES and KISSING COFFINS, be read first, otherwise things will not make sense and you're sure to be confused and not fully enjoy the story.

Alexander Sterling is back in "Dullsville," and Raven couldn't be happier about that. However, Jagger and his twin sister, Luna, are also hanging around, which is the reason why Raven has started carrying garlic in her purse with her. To make matters worse, now that Luna has been turned into a vampire, she's on the search for her true love, and she's convinced she's found him in Trevor.

Trevor may have been Raven's arch nemesis since kindergarten, but that doesn't mean that she wants him to fall victim to Luna's charms. Not to mention her fangs. So Raven takes it upon herself to protect Trevor – after all, the last thing Dullsville needs is a vampire-Trevor!

Raven is also trying to deal with having a nocturnal boyfriend. She mourns the loss of Alexander's company during the day, just as she despises the school that prevents her from being able to keep the same hours as he does. The time they do have together they spend searching cemeteries and other spooky deserted areas for Jagger and Luna's hideout, determined to drive them away before they turn "Dullsville" into someplace infinitely less dull – "Vampireville."

VAMPIREVILLE is a fun continuation of the VAMPIRE KISSES series, and will definitely leave readers eagerly awaiting the fourth book, DANCE WITH A VAMPIRE. The writing and storyline still doesn't quite live up to some of the other young adult books in this genre, but it is nevertheless an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.