Guitar Notes (Mary Amato)

***

         For Lyla, using the school practice room is part of her cello routine.  She's been playing since her mother died, and she's very talented.  But over the years, the pressure of competition has gotten to Lyla and her love of the cello has faded away.
         For Tripp, the practice room is a means for survival.  His mother took his guitar away in an attempt to force him to get a life.  Tripp doesn't want a life; he wants a guitar.  So he is secretly borrowing a school instrument to play during his lunch period.
         Lyla and Tripp use Practice Room B on alternate days.  They never see each other, but Lyla sees the trash Tripp left behind and leaves him a note of complaint in the strings of the school guitar.  And Tripp writes back.  Soon snappish exchanges turn into a musical challenge, and the unlikely pair become better friends than they would ever have thought possible.

         I liked the characters in this book quite a bit, but the progression of their relationship didn't really flow for me.  Lyla and Tripp are both nice people, so it's funny to see what they think of each other before they really know what the other person is like.  I was happy when they became friends because they understood one another in a way that their other friends (or not, in Tripp's case) didn't.  But when their casual friendship turned into a secret love, I just wasn't feeling it.  The ending just didn't seem right to me.  Over all, though, I thought Guitar Notes was a pretty good book.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: August 20, 2012

Happy first day of fall!  It's actually pretty nice weather today.  Much better than the cold and rainy homecoming game last night.  I skipped out on the game, but apparently we crushed the other team.  Football isn't really my thing, though - I get more excited about baking pumpkin treats.  What's your favorite part of autumn?  Post it in the comments.

My Life Next Door (Huntley Fitzpatrick)

****

         Samantha Reed's mother does not approve of the next door neighbors, the Garretts.  They're noisy and messy, have lots of kids, and don't seem to care what other people think of them.  But those are the exact reasons that Samantha's been watching the Garretts since they moved in when she was a little girl.  The idea of a close-knit family is very appealing to Samantha, who is getting sick of her mother's quest for perfection both in public and at home as she runs for reelection to Congress.  While her mom is busy campaigning, Samantha meets Jase Garret and is quickly absorbed into the chaos of his family.  Just when it seems as though Samantha has found a place with the Garretts, her mother does something unforgivable and puts Samantha's relationship in jeopardy.

         If you're craving some serious chick lit, My Life Next Door is the sort of thing you want to read.  There's plenty of drama and a super-sweet guy.  What more could you ask for?  This novel is a Sarah Dessen read-alike, for the Sarah Dessen fans out there.  I thought it was really cute.  To be read when you're in the mood for something girly, or when you've just finished a depressing book and are looking for a happy ending.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: August 17, 2012

What do you think about chick lit - love it or hate it?  Share the best and/or worst chick lit books you've ever read in the comments.

Nevermore (James Patterson)

***

Final installment in the Maximum Ride series.  To avoid major spoilers for those who haven't read Nevermore yet, I'll be as vague as possible.

         After evading demented whitecoats and fighting evil, Maximum Ride and her flock are trying to settle into a normal life.  Fang is out of the picture, leading a gang of his own while leaving Max to fulfill her destiny, whatever that may be, with Dylan.  Right now, that means going to school and pretending to be average kids.  But the flock has never been able to stay in one place long without attracting trouble.  When events spiral out of control and it seems as though life as we know it is about to end, Max is presented with a way to save the people she loves - if she's willing to make other sacrifices to do it.

         I have to admit that I was a bit let down by Nevermore.  When I read the first few Maximum Ride books in middle school, I loved them.  They were action-packed and Max's dry humor was refreshing compared to my usual reads.  But as time went on, this series seemed declined quite a bit.  The books just weren't as good from The Final Warning on out.  Though Nevermore was better than some of the books from the middle of the Max series, it wasn't one of my favorites, either.  The ending was almost anticlimactic.  And kind of confusing and weird, as well.  I finished the book, and my first thought was: wait, what?  After everything Max and the gang had been through, it seemed like a cop-out to finish the way it did.  Nevermore was lacking in a proper resolution.  Sometimes, that can be okay - great, even.  But maybe the execution was a little off, because the ending seemed to be missing something.  On the positive side, I was relieved to find that the love triangle has been resolved.  (Although I wasn't a huge fan of that plot development in the first place.)  Despite the fact that it wasn't my favorite Max book, I'm still glad I read it.  And I'll probably end up reading James Patterson's next series, an excerpt of which was very helpfully included in the back of Nevermore.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: August 9, 2012

Ever been disappointed by a book series that you really loved?  Post in the comments!

BookWatch: Something to Get Excited About . . . Big Time

         Blog readers, there is something that many of you do not know about me (at least, those of you who don't know me personally).  It's something you probably should know, seeing as this is a book blog, so I'll tell you.  I am a huge fan of Harry Potter.  I say "huge", but that's only a verbal representation of something that cannot really be expressed in words.  I've read J.K. Rowling's books so many times that I've lost count.  I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the day it was released.  I love, love, love everything J.K. Rowling has written.

So, I'm obviously quite excited about her new adults' book, which is coming out on 27 September:

Want to read a summary of the book on goodreads.com?  Click here.

Apparently, The Casual Vacancy won't have anything to do with the wizarding world.  Part of me is sad about that because I can't get enough of Harry Potter.  On the other hand, though, I'm excited to see what else J.K. Rowling can come up with.  My expectations for the book are super-high (which is probably unfair to the book), but I think Rowling will deliver.  Who knows?  Maybe this will be better.  Actually, I'm not sure that's humanly possible . . . but hopefully it's just as good as Harry.  

Any other Potter fans out there?  Will you be reading The Casual Vacancy?  Post in the comments to tell me what you think!

Introducing BookWatch

In an effort to mix it up a bit (book reviews can get a bit boring, after all) I'm going to start posting about exciting books that haven't yet been released.  BookWatch posts will mostly be about books by authors I've already read, either here on the blog or Before Books on the Bluff.  I'm always trying to keep track of the authors I love and all of their upcoming releases, and I know it can be a lot of work.  Hopefully BookWatch will help you stay on top of the list of books you're dying to read!

Expect the first BookWatch post sometime this week.  :)

Texas Gothic (Rosemary Clement-Moore)

****

         Amy Goodnight is one normal girl in a family full of witches.  Her mom, sister, and aunts all embrace their abilities, but Amy prefers to separate herself from the supernatural.  She accepts a summer job ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas hoping that it will bring her away from her family's crazy antics.  Instead, Amy arrives just as a dead body is discovered at a construction site near the ranch.  People are being mysteriously injured and rumors of a violent ghost are spreading through town.  Worst of all, the infuriatingly cute cowboy next door is sure that the Goodnights have something to do with it.

         Texas Gothic was an awesome mystery/ghost story - I plowed right through it in a few days.  It had all of the right elements: cool characters, an architectural dig, a family feud, and a little romance on the side.  Plus, there were nice unexpected twists and it was super-creepy in a good way.  Granted, it doesn't take too much to creep me out, but whatever.  I stayed up late reading this book even though it kind of freaked me out when I did.  It was worth it, because the story was so interesting and I was dying to know what was coming next.  If you're in the mood for a great ghost mystery, I would definitely recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: July 31, 2012

It's supposed to be lovely and sunny and warm this week.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to enjoy it much, as today was the first day of school.  This seems to happen every year in my town: it's chilly when we get out of school in early June, but gorgeous when school starts again at the end of August.  Someone should seriously rethink this system.  Has school started for you yet (assuming you do, in fact, go to school)?  Are you excited, indifferent, or dreading it?  Post in the comments - you don't need to be a follower to do it!

Prized (Caragh M. O'Brien)

****

Sequel to Birthmarked

         Gaia Stone managed to escape from the Enclave with her baby sister, but that doesn't mean they're safe.  After a short time in the Wasteland, newborn Maya is weak and sick.  Gaia is relieved when a young man arrives and takes her to his home, a community called Sylum.  When they arrive, the powerful matriarch takes Maya away to be raised by another family.  If Gaia wants to see her sister again, she has to play by the matriarch's rules and gain her trust.  That means treating men as inferior and avoiding physical contact with them.  Just when Gaia is making headway with the matriarch, someone unexpected reappears in her life and she is forced to question everything about the life she's making for herself.

         One thing I really like about this series is Gaia's moral strength.  She faces a lot of conflicting ideas about what is right and what is wrong, especially when her survival relies on her ability to live by somebody else's beliefs.  At first, Gaia has a hard time figuring out whether the Enclave's system or Sylum's system is better.  Both societies had convincing arguments, but in the end Gaia was able to come to her own conclusions regarding fair treatment.  I think it's a pretty admirable when someone risks everything because it's the right thing to do, and Gaia is more likable because of it.  This was a good addition to the series, and I'll definitely be reading the next one when it comes out.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: July 28, 2012

Yesterday I got all of my wisdom teeth extracted.  I have a slight case of dentist phobia, probably because of a dentist who pulled about half of my teeth thinking it would prevent me from needing braces.  (He was wrong).  Anyway, I was pretty freaked out by the whole thing.  They had loads of trouble finding a vein for the IV, so they stabbed me five times.  Once I came to, I was apparently delirious.  I hate the feeling of having no control of what I say or do, especially when I'm not going to remember it afterwards.  I hear some people actually like this drugged state, though.  Now my cheeks are all swollen and I hardly have an appetite.  I suppose the pain could be a lot worse, though.  What about you?  Have any dental/wisdom tooth stories to share?  Even though the dentist has nothing to do with books, let's hear about it!