Book Review- Airhead

I finished reading Airhead by Meg Cabot last night.

From the back cover:

Emerson Watts is gone.

Emerson Watts didn't even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening and had zero interest in meeting the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her-and life as she'd known it-forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she's actually a girl is the least of Em's problems.

But what Em's pretty sure she'll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that's going to make her dream come true . . . .

Nikki Howard is here to stay.

This is the first book that I have read by Meg Cabot, although I have several in my TBR pile. This definitely won't be my last! I loved the character of Emerson. I loved how she was kinda dorky and wasn't afraid to admit it. But I also loved how she later admitted that she liked things that she never thought she would. And I really liked Nikki's best friend, Lulu too! And I want a Cosy of my own! It's a good thing that I have the sequel to this book, Being Nikki to read next. I literally turned the last page not having a clue that it was the end...I thought there was more! I can't wait to dive into the next one!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Wednesday Wordle- April 29, 2009

Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)

Waiting on Wednesday- April 29, 2009

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Rampant

by Diana Peterfreund

Publication Release Date: August 25, 2009

From the Official Website of Diana Peterfreund:

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…

The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.

Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.

Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed ather eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything

Teaser Tuesdays- April 28, 2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

My two teasers:

" Even if you can't remember us, you have to remember Cosabella. I mean, you named her after your favorite line of lingerie! "

~ pg 102, Airhead by Joanna Scott

Mailbox Monday- April 27, 2009

Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week:

MONDAY

Generation Dead- Daniel Waters--FrugalReader

Many Bloody Returns- Charlaine Harris--Paperback Swap

Addition- Toni Jordan--FrugalReader Book Ring

TUESDAY


Demons are a Ghoul’s Best Friend (#2)- Victoria Laurie--FrugalReader Book Ring

All By Myself- Mercer Mayer--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

Arthur Writes a Story- Marc Brown--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider- Iza Trapani--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

I'm A Little Teapot- Iza Trapani--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

The Big Leaf Pile- Josephine Page--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

Just Go To Bed- Mercer Mayer--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

I Just Forgot- Mercer Mayer--Frugal Reader (for my kindergarten classroom)

WEDNESDAY

Zen and the Art of Vampires (Dark Ones #6)- Katie MacAlister--Paperback Swap

Very Valentine- Adriana Trigiani--FrugalReader Book Ring

FRIDAY

I’m With Stupid- Elaine Szewczyk--FrugalReader Book Ring

Must Love Dragons- Stephanie Rowe--BookMooch

The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers- Angie Fox--Shelf Awareness

SATURDAY

Pride- Rachel Vincent--RT Convention

Romance at the Edge: In Other Worlds- MaryJanice Davidson--RT Convention

My Soul To Take- Rachel Vincent--Harlequin Teen

Intertwined- Gena Showalter--Harlequin Teen

Book Review, Contest & Blog Tour- Follow Me

I just finished reading Follow Me by Joanna Scott.

From the inside cover:

On a summer day in 1946, Sally Werner, the precocious daughter of hardscrabble Pennsylvania farmers, accepts her cousin Daniel's invitation to ride his new motorcycle. Like so much of what follows in Sally's life, it's a decision driven by impulse and a thirst for adventure, a decision with dramatic and far-reaching consequences.

Soon Sally abandons her newborn baby, the result of her impetuous joyride. Shamed, confused, and filled with a yearning to have a bigger life than the one ahead of her, she finds work, she finds love, she finds people of great kindness and others whose cruelty would crush a weaker woman. Fueled in equal measure by her eternal optimism and her mercurial moods, she embarks on an odyssey of self-creation that spans six decades, the story of which she entrusts to only one person: her granddaughter and namesake. It's an uncommon legacy that young Sally believes until her father-- a man she has never known-- enters her life and offers another story altogether, forcing her to uncover the truth of her grandmother's secret history.

Boldly rendered and beautifully told, Follow Me is a paean to the American tradition of reinvention, a sweeping saga of timeless and tender storytelling, proving why Joanna Scott's "voice is one of contemporary fiction's most eloquent and essential" (Kirkus Reviews)

It took me a while to read this book. It is not one that you can sit down and speed through. You need to take your time to read all the details and get all the information about Sally's life. Sally has her ups and downs and this story takes you along for the ride. There are a wide variety of characters, and while I had a hard time feeling the warmth from them, they each tell their own part of the story. I found this book to be well-written and I couldn't wait to see how things tied together at the end.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fullfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Reading Challenge: F

Chick-Lit Challenge: 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanna Scott is the author of nine books, including The Manikin, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Various Antidotes and Arrogance, which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and the critically acclaimed Make Believe, Tourmaline, and Liberation. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Award, she lives with her family in upstate New York.

BLOG TOUR STOPS:
Here are 5 random stops on the blog tour:
caribousmom
The Burton Review
Morbid Romantic
Dan's Journal
A Bookworm's World

To see the rest of the stops visit here

I have an extra copy of this book to giveaway:

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address!)

+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment

+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)

~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!
~~The contest will end on Monday May4th at 11:59pm
~~This contest is open to US only.

Thank you Hachette for providing this book to review.

Contests- April 20-27

Bookluver-Carol's Reviews is having several contests:
A copy of Lament by Maggie Stiefvater and an iron key. Enter here
A copy of How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro. Enter here
A signed copy of Faery Rebels by R.J. Anderson. Enter here
A copy of Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Enter here
A signed copy, along with a tote bag with the I Know It's Over logo on it,and winner's choice of a mousepad with either the paperback image of I Know It's Over or the One Lonely Degree cover on it. Enter here

Books By Their Cover is giving away a copy of Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender if you post a picture of your scariest doll. Katie is also giving away a "oodles of fun random stuff". Enter here by June 15.


Insert Book Title Here is giving away 2 ARCs: Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley and Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. The contest ends on May 2.

Juiciliciousss Reviews is having a contest with 3 winners! The grand prize winner gets: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman, and the Ally Carter Series [all three!], and 2 First Place Winners gets: Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, Game by Walter Dean Myers, Miss Match by Wendy Toliver OR Map of A Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers, Evermore by Alyson Noel. Enter by April 25.

Reviewer X is giving away the whole Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfreund. The contest ends next Wednesday.

Reader Rabbit is giving away a copy of The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty. The contest ends in 2 weeks.

Reverie Book Reviews is giving away a copy of Evermore by Alyson Noel and The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong. The contest ends on April 30.

Putting Pen to Paper is giving away a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The contest ends May 1.

Tales of a Ravenous Reader is giving away a copy of Wings by Aprilynne Pike. The contest ends on May 3

Fantastic Book Review is giving away copies of the following books: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols, Pride by Rachel Vincent and Stargazer by Claudia Gray. The contest ends on May 9.
She is also giving away a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz. Enter here by May 12.

The Sunday Salon- April 26, 2009

This has been a busy weekend. Kory and I went out to a piano bar on Friday night with some friends. Yesterday I went to the RT convention with my friend. I got 2 books, one of them signed by Rachel Vincent. Today my friend and I went to a pie festival. All you can eat pie for $10! MMMMM!!!

I finished and reviewed the following book this week:

Follow Me by Joanna Scott

I fullfilled items for the following challenges:

A to Z Reading Challenge: F

I am currently reading One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon for a blog tour and up next is Airhead by Meg Cabot.

Award!

I received this award from Ambrosia Jefferson at Fire & Ice:

"The Let's be Friends Awards stands for this: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."

Thank you so much!

The Friday 56- April 24, 2009

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like).
5. Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.

"Then she'd stop staring and wait for another time, when she thought he was too deeply involved in his work to notice her."

From Follow Me by Joanna Scott

Food 4 Thought Friday- April 24, 2009

Food 4 Thought Friday

Breakfast
When was the last time you did something for the first time? What was it? I just signed up for Twitter for the first time...I guess its time to join the craze!

Lunch What's your middle name? Why? Leigh...I have no idea why my parents chose it
Dinner What was the first car you drove? A 1996 purple Mustang...man I loved that car..it was my baby!
Midnight Snack What is the strangest/weirdest gift you have ever received? Hmm..probably some little trinket from teaching...Its the though that counts though..or a television from my boyfriend for our first Christmas...I already had a tv and made no mention of needing nor wanting a new one
Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?) This whole volunteering to test the kids thing works out well with off-campus lunches!

Friday Fill-In- April 24, 2009

1. Apparently there's some sort of reason that we have to change insurance companies, but I don't get why.

2. It's a hot and sunny day.

3. 2009 has been okay so far.

4. And that was it.

5. For too long I've been unmarried.

6. I am not obsessed with books; I am not!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting in free to the piano bar Howl at the Moon (with free drinks) with Kory and some friends, tomorrow my plans include going to the RT book convention with Brit and Sunday, I want to make that am going to, go to the Pie Festival with Cori!

Friday Finds- April 14, 2009

Here are my finds for the week:

Fairest of Them All- Jan Blazanin

Artichoke's Heart-Suzanne Supplee

A Brand New Me- Shari Low

Confessions of a First Daughter- Cassidy Calloway

Sweet Love- Sarah Strohmeyer

Intertwined- Gena Showalter

Ash- Malinda Lo

Beautiful Creatures- Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Wednesday Wordle- April 22, 2009

Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)

Waiting on Wednesday- April 22, 2009

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp

by Lauren Lipton

Publication Release Date: May 29, 2009

From Amazon.com:

Lipton's second effort (after It's About Your Husband) is a feast of standard genre fare redeemed by the author's wit. After a night of partying in Vegas, Peggy Adams wakes up married to a stranger. Her new husband is Luke Sedgwick, scion of an old Connecticut family who manages the dwindling family fortune and cares for his elderly aunt Abigail in the crumbling ancestral manse. When Peggy arrives in Connecticut to sign the annulment papers, Abigail intervenes, unwilling to let the last living Sedgwick get divorced on her watch. She poses a deal: if they stay married for a year, Abigail will allow them to sell the Sedgwick estate and split the proceeds. Since Peggy needs a windfall to save her faltering business and Luke wants to pursue his dream of becoming a writer, they agree, but married life brings plenty of familiar obstacles and a foregone romantic conclusion. Lipton's skewering of WASPy culture is reliably entertaining, and her perfectly mismatched leads are sturdier than most. It won't change your life, but it'll help kill a couple hours at the beach.

Teaser Tuesdays- April 21, 2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

My two teasers:

"But what if she couldn't find a mother who knew all the words to all the songs ever written? Keep singing, Mama."

~ pg 226, Follow Me, Joanna Scott