Another one down!! My YA Challenge is complete.

It seems like I've stalled on my challenges so it's a relief to knock this one out. It gives me a littre more time to concentrate on completing my 999 challenge by the 9/9/09 bonus date. I still have quite a few young adult books in my review TBR pile so I'll continue with this list through 2009. Whoo hoo!!

1. Witch High Anthology
2. Fade - Lisa McMann
3. Dork Diaries: Tales From A Not-So-Fabulous Life - Rachel Renee Russell
4. Elijah's Coin - Steve O'Brien
5. Oh My Goth - Gena Showalter
6. Speed Demon - Erin Lynn
7. You Are So Undead to Me - Stacey Jay
8. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
9. Jennifer Scales and The Ancient Furnace - MaryJanice Davidson & Anthony Alongi
10. Jennifer Scales and The Messenger of Light - MaryJanice Davidson & Anthony Alongi
11. Dramarama - E. Lockhart
12. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson

Another one down!! My YA Challenge is complete.

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2009/08/another-one-down-my-ya-challenge-is.html

Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

The so called wintergirls Lia and Cassie have been best friends since they were young. Now at age 18 they are no longer friends, driven apart by their own eating disorders. Lia is anorexic and down to a scary 98 pounds. Cassie sees Lia getting thinner by the day and gets herself deeper into trouble with her bulimia. After a nine-month estrangement Cassie finally hits rock bottom and calls Lia for help but Lia doesn’t pick up the phone and her friend dies all alone in a run down motel.

Now racked with guilt Lia is haunted by images of Cassie everywhere she goes. Cassie’s ghost is taunting her endlessly about her weight. On top of that Lia is having trouble dealing with her divorced parents. Her mother is controlling and her father doesn’t seem to care but as much as they each try to help, Lia is sliding further into trouble with her lies. Will everyone realize the depth of her sickness before she does permanent damage to both herself and her little sister?

Wintergirls was a very emotional read. It’s shockingly realistic and Anderson makes it easy to visualize what might go through the minds of those suffering from eating disorders. It made me take a good look at how easily our society’s expectations might make a situation with a troubled teen worse.

I listened to this one as opposed to reading it but from snippets and excerpts I’ve seen online Anderson had a really unique writing style with Wintergirls that doesn’t fully come across in the audio. Here’s a link from Amazon about it. In the print version she uses strike outs, different fonts and italics to get a clearer picture of Lia’s state of mind. The most striking thing that did come across in audio is Lia’s calorie counting. Every time she mentions food she whispers how many calories that particular food is and each whisper gave me chills.

I’ve never had anyone close to me facing any of the issues in the book so I don’t know if this would hurt or help a struggling eater but I highly recommend it for YA readers.

Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2009/08/review-wintergirls-by-laurie-halse.html

Review: You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

The biggest worry fifteen-year-old Megan Berry has at this moment is scoring a date to the homecoming dance with the quarterback of the varsity football team. But when a zombie rings her doorbell on the night of their first date her problems multiply.

Megan is a Zombie Settler and the powers that have been dormant since a near-death experience five years ago are back and stronger than ever. As a Zombie Settler Megan attracts the undead who have gone to the grave with something they have to get off their chest. Once they clear the air Megan can send them back where they belong and move on.

But someone is using black magic to turn zombies into reanimated corpses which spells trouble for everyone in her small community. If Megan doesn’t figure out what’s going and stop it before the lunar eclipse there may be bigger consequences than not having a date for the dance.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did but just couldn’t get into it. The beginning starts off too slow and when it finally picked up I just didn’t like the characters enough. Megan is too hard headed even for your average teen. She doesn’t listen to anyone or see the too obvious clues in front of her. Plus her reaction to her fellow Settler Ethan dumping her for Monica is just plain unbelievable.

But even with all that I enjoyed the story a lot if not the characters. I would recommend this one as a library read if you are a teen or enjoy YA books.

Review: You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2009/08/review-you-are-so-undead-to-me-by.html

Review: Selling Forever by Kimber Chin

Even during the slowest season real estate agent Cara Jones knows how to push the right buttons to make a sale. So when she sets her sights on snagging the reclusive billionaire Richard Thompson for a charity auction she has no doubts she can close this deal.

As a self made billionaire Richard is wary of two things, gold diggers and the press. He is very adept at avoiding both. When Cara’s request to be a part of the charity auction comes in he immediately turns it down without thinking twice but there’s something about Cara’s picture that intrigues him.

After Cara follows up with a homemade apple pie it gets his attention enough to meet her and the sparks fly. Ever wary Richard doesn’t let himself get attached to the smooth talking saleswoman but slowly he lets down his guard. And just when he’s ready for more he learns something that sends him running before Cara has a chance to close the deal on his heart.

Once again Chin brings us another great romance story without all the sappiness you usually find in romance stories. Cara is a strong independent woman with a heart of gold and she certainly knows the way to a mans heart. Richard has reason to be cautious but is still a warm and caring a teddy bear of a man inside the harsh exterior. This quick novella is a bargain at just $2 for the e-book or $1.60 for the Kindle version and I recommend it for anyone who loves a good romance.

Review: Selling Forever by Kimber Chin

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2009/08/review-selling-forever-by-kimber-chin.html

Review: Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak

Author's Website

What started out as a school art project changes sixteen-year-old Samuel’s whole view on life. Intent on interviewing the recluse mother of triplets who were born deformed Samuel and his friend David head out to her rural home. With it’s run down exterior and darkened interior the house is already giving Samuel the creeps but when he lays eyes on the severely deformed babies he literally loses his lunch.

Haunted by thoughts of them he becomes obsessed. Within a few days he’s drawn back to the house and this time he meets Mrs. Greenan’s older son. A violent man who forces Samuel to commit a terrible act.

Now Samuel’s world is turned upside down. School, friends and his father are all pushed to the rear as the guilt over his actions hits him full force. Now his thoughts are all about saving the mother and her babies no matter what the cost.

Wait Until Twilight starts off a bit too slow for my liking but once I got past the opening few chapters I was immediately drawn into Samuel’s world. With a somewhat estranged older brother and a mother who passed away a year ago Samuel and his father lives are filled with different obsessions. For Samuel it’s acing every class in school. For his father it’s completing an art sculpture his mother designed before her death. With both of them getting through life this way it’s easy to imagine how Samuel got pulled into the crazy obsession.

Pak really nailed it on the head when he describes Samuels fear and thought process. It’s like you’re reading a sixteen-year-old’s journal instead of a novel. After reading this I’m still somewhat chilled and haunted by parts of it. With all the books I read it’s rare to find one that has a story that keeps me thinking it about it long after I’m done. This is a must read for contemporary fiction lovers.

Review: Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2009/08/review-wait-until-twilight-by-sang-pak.html