The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Hello!

The best thing about long weekends: all of the time you can spend reading. I love to procrastinate my homework until the last possible minute so I can enjoy other past times like reading. I just finished a book called The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith. It officially gets published in February of 2012, but because I am part of a special group at school, we get to read advanced reader copies or galleys. Back to the book.

Summary: Hadley Sullivan is a seventeen year old girl who is traveling to England to see her father get remarried. She misses her first flight by four minutes, and then meets a cute boy named Oliver who is on the next flight (the flight she will now be taking) to England. They chat and get to know each other a little, and over the course of a twenty four hour period fall in love.

I give this book a three, because while I enjoyed it, it is a fluffy girly book. If this was made into a movie, I would put it in the same category as 27 Dresses. I love that movie, but again, its fluffy and girly. The main character, Hadley, can sometimes be whiny and an irratating narrator, but I love the plot, and often during the father daughter moments, both past and present, I have teared up. New relationships form, old ones are repaired, this is a story of the heart, and how a girl finds her way home to her own heart. One of my favorite aspects to the whole book is obviously the guy. Oliver is sweet, funny and caring, and just wonderful. He is always looking out for Hadley, trying to distract her when she has her claustrophobic episodes, and makes her feel better. He says to her that she makes him feel better too.

Favorite Quote: "'Right,' he says. 'I feel incredibly safe. When I'm knocked unconscious by my tray table during some sort of emergency landing, I can't wait to see all five-foot-nothing of you carry me out of here.'"

xoxo.

Miss Liz

The Pale Assassin

Hello!

I have just finished reading a book called The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot. I thought it was a fairly interesting plot with good characters, although I thought that at parts, I felt that the character reactions were unrealistic. However, I still really liked the main characters, and I think that it was a different view on historical fiction than I am used to. Usually, the main character is clearly on a side of whatever revolution is going on at the time. In this book, the French Revolution is occurring, and the main character, Eugenie de Boncoeur, does not know what side she is on, or if she is on a side at all.

The book has a main focus on the French Revolution, and while that gave me a very good understanding of the time during the book, I wish I had known Eugenie better and have experienced more of her life and her personal experience.

Summary: Eugenie is a fourteen year old, wealthy aristocrat, who has been orphaned. She and her brother are cared for by their guardian whom they don't know very well. This guardian makes a marriage contract for Eugenie with an extremely wealthy revolutionary who has a long term grudge against her family. Her brother, Armand, originally wants the revolution, so that everyone will be equal, however, he doesn't want the death of the royal family. Armand gets caught up in plans and instead of escaping the country with his sister, he sends someone else in his stead... Eugenie and her companion run for their lives, hoping that they will reach England, and that they will be safe when they get their. Can they outrun the Pale Assassin?

I give this book overall two point seven five stars. I liked the story a lot, and understood the plot, and was occasionally surprised by a twist in it, however I felt that some of their reactions were unrealistic and that some of the side characters that they met along the way were shallow and again, unrealistic. The story itself was a little shallow, I felt I only got to scratch the surface of what was underneath, I missed a lot of the emotional parts that could have made the story deeper. I would recommend this book to friends, although I would tell them my opinion before they read it to caution them.

Favorite Quote: "My intention is to remain at your side wherever you are."

xoxo.

Miss Liz

Poem of the Day

Hello!

Today, I went to a poetry seminar at my school and we chatted most of the time about other students poems, but we also got to share a poem from the book Good Poems selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor. My favorite poem so far in the book is called Young and Old by Charles Kingsley:

Young And Old

When all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.

When all the world is old, lad,
And all the trees are brown;
And all the sport is stale, lad,
And all the wheels run down;
Creep home, and take your place there,
The spent and maimed among:

God grant you find one face there,
You loved when all was young.

I like this poem because of its rhythm, and the transition between being young and old. When you are young, you want to live and be young, and then when you are old you want to sit back with other old people, particularly someone you love and think of your life together. I also think that its interesting because it sounds like a paternal person is talking to a young person and giving them advice. I love the ending I just think that it is beautiful and it makes me happy every time I read it. I think its beautiful, and I love it.

Thats all for today.

xoxo.

Miss Liz

The Brides Farewell

Hello!

I just reread a book that I hadn't read in a while. It's called The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff.

Summary: Pell Ridley, living in rural England, has watched her family suffer in many ways, especially her mother. She wants no part in the life that everyone has planned for her, even when she would get to marry her childhood sweetheart. She runs away from home on her prized horse, Jack, and rides to a fair to see what life brings. She goes on a journey, meets many people and learns who she is and what is really important.

I would give this book a four stars, because it is so brief, and the characters seem very removed. However, I think that the story is fascinating and I love the book. I think that Dogman is wonderful, and quite frankly amusing, just because of his carefree survival attitude, despite the fact that he is barely in the book. I also love the way which Meg Rosoff writes. While the reader is removed from the characters emotions, the reader is still involved in a way that is indescribable. You care about the characters, not because you know and understand exactly what they are feeling, but because you invested some part of yourself in them, when you started reading. I was myself when I read the book. I didn't become the main character or get deep into what she was thinking, which I thought was cool. I also like how she doesn't include much dialogue, because that makes the dialogue that she does write become vastly more important. The speech shows something about the characters and the relationship of the character. Many things are left up to interpretation or are vague, which at first was irritating, but by the end, I enjoyed the way Rosoff let the reader decide what happened in a way. She woke up my own imagination when I was reading, which is something I don't often experience. When I read, I let the author do the imagining for me, so this was a completely different experience for me.

Something that also stuck me about this book, was its simplicity. The girl, Pell, left home and abandoned her fiancee, and went on a journey which ended in self discovery and some sort of happiness. This was a refreshing change after all of the modern day books, where so many things are going on all at once.

There are so many great and unique parts to the book, I can't even begin to describe them all. I had forgotten how much I loved this book.

My favorite quote: " 'Why will I have you?' He paused. 'Because you'll have me. It's the same for both of us, don't you see?' " (p.214)

I give this book as I said before, a four. I think that the book is short and a lot of things happen very quickly, but I like the plot, the characters, the writing style, and the feel that I got when reading it. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

xoxo.

Miss Liz

Haven by Kristi Cook

Salve Readers!

Okay, I just finished a book called Haven by Kristi Cook. I would give this book a three star because while the main character is original, the story and the plot is not, I had a lot of Twilight deja 'vu throughout the novel, when Aidan and Violet were falling in love, and Aidan's problem with being with her and the whole he's there one minute and the next minute he is gone. Still, it was a pretty good book and I think the fact that this story takes place in the school where there are people with special gifts is cool. Also, I think the supporting characters are great. I love the room mate Cece, Kate, Sophie, and Marissa.
Something that I don't really like is that there were a lot of loose ends, which sort of bugged me a lot. Like, What was with Jenna? Or Joshua? What are there friendships going to be like? Why does Jack have a brother, and how is he going to save him? Is Aidan ever going to make Violet a vampire? And what about the rest of the vampire world? Some many questions with so little answers. I just hope that in the sequel which is coming out soon, that at least some of these questions will be answered.

Summary: "Violet doesn't understand why she feels drawn to the Winterhaven School. She just knows it's the tight place for her. When she discovers the school's secret, it all makes sense: Everyone at Winterhaven had psychic gifts. For the first time in her life Vioet doesn't have to hide her visions. She's always seen them as a curse, but now she can hone her ability and try to control it.
But she's thrown completely off balance when she meets the most alluring--and most mysterious-- boy in school. She's never connected with anyone the way she does with Aidan, and the intensity takes them both by surprise. But as their relationship deepens, she begins to have visions of Aidan's death--and sees that she is the one who's fated to kill him.
Violet's never been able to prevent her visions from coming true. But this time she'll do whatever it takes... even if it means sacrificing her own life for the boy she loves." - Inside cover

Favorite quotes: "Cold was the new hot" - Violet McKenna
                          "Hey c'mon, Vi. Snap out of it. Stay with me, love." - Aidan Gray

Song: Wherever You Will Go by Camino Palmero
           She's So High by Tal Bachman

I give this book a 3 star because I think it is a good story and many young adults will enjoy it, however it is not as original as I had expected.

xoxo.
Miss Reader

Quote of the Day- The Hunger Games

Hello.

Quote of the Day: " 'You are not leaving me here alone,' I say. Because if he dies, I'll never really go home, not really. I'll spend the rest of my life in this arena trying to think my way out." 

This quote is from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I like this book, and I think this dystopian world is really fascinating, and the whole idea of the hunger games, making children kill each other is a jarring and disgusting thought. The story, told by a contestant in the games, Katniss Everdeen, is a scary, emotional journey that has you reeling at every turn.  This quote is near the end of the book, and Katniss is saying this to Peeta, the other District Eleven contestant. She makes the crowd believe that she loves him, but the question that the audience is always asking is 'Is she really in love with him? Is she just making up all of these excuses and reasons for the pretend love to cover up the truth?' I personally was asking these questions and practically begging her to give it up and admit to loving Peeta. Peeta is an awesome individual, he sort of reminds me of Ian from The Host by Stephenie Meyer, because they are both kind, handsome individuals who fall in love with the heroine. Peeta will stand by Katniss in everything and will do anything to make sure that she is safe.
I love Peeta, and think he is just what Katniss needs. However, some people do disagree with me and think that Katniss should end up with Gale, who is her best friend. Before Katniss was selected to be in the Hunger Games,  Gale and Katniss would go out every day after school and go hunting for different things, they enjoyed their time together. Gale noted that the only time Katniss ever smiles is when they are in the woods.

I give this book a four star because I think the story is definitely unique, and the reader becomes very emotionally attacked to the characters which shows good character development. My favorite part is when Katniss realizes that she doesn't want to be with out the boy with the bread. (If you want to understand - read the book!)

xoxo.
Miss Reader

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

Hello.

I just finished reading Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson. I really enjoyed the way this book flowed, however, I think that the heroine Leigh could have figured out her feelings a little bit more quickly than she did.

Quick Summary: Leigh is a girl who goes to Stiles college and is in love with her high school sweetheart of one year, Andrew. She is a psychology major who rooms with Ami an art major who seems to understand many things despite not knowing how to write an analytical essay. The relationship between Andrew and Leigh evolves through this novel, and not in the 'they fell even more in love way', rather the opposite actually. After Leigh's car is towed and she has no way to get home for Thanksgiving, Nathan, Andrews room mate, comes to the rescue, and drives her seven hours to her house.

This book is very similar to Back When You Were Easier To Love.  The plot is very similar and the main characters are sort of in the same position, however it is interesting to see how the two different authors handle the situation. The subtleties of the differences in the characters personalities is what made all of the difference. Leigh is so different from Joy in the way that Leigh is a psychology major and she has this weird problem with procrastination. Not unlike myself actually, however my friends usually call me the MVP (most valuable procrastinator). Joy on the other hand, is very organized and is mormon, which isn't that big a deal, and certainly adds to the cuteness factor and charm, however also reduces the amount of physical interactions where as in Psych Major Syndrome, there is quite a few scenes involving talking of sex, and mentoring teenage girls on teenage pregnancy. Overall, it was very charming and funny.  The supporting characters where very amusing too. Ami, Leigh's best friend and room mate is an artist and understands Leigh very well, she is also very opinionated on the subject of Andrew, Leigh's boyfriend. There is also Rebekah, a teenage girl whom Leigh confides in who is very cynical, and is very straight to the point.

I give this book an overall rating of three and a half stars. I think it is a very charming book with interesting character, however, I was also left wondering about a lot of things, that just seemed kind of random, like whatever happened to the twenty page paper that she wrote in Nathan's room? Or what was with Jenny, and what was going on between Sydney and Leigh? But, I still liked it and I really like Nathan, one of the sweetest guys in books, and I think that it was a crucial conversation between Leigh and Andrew, when he unknowingly tells her things about Nathan that she never knew.

Favorite Quote: "Two strangers- please tell me there was only two- mating like rabbits through the wall may have been a part of it."

xoxo.
Miss Reader

Quote of the Day - Angel Burn

Hello.

One of my favorite books is called Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly. I love the romance and the constant danger that Willow, the half angel, and Alex, the angel killer, are always in. They want and need to be together, however, they also need to fight the angels which are corrupting and feeding off of the human race. 

Quote: "No matter how dangerous the future might be, or how much we simply wanted to be together, not fighting the angels wasn't an option. It just wasn't." 

Quick summary: A second wave of Angels are coming to earth, and they feed off humans, the more humans we allow to come to earth the greater the risk that the human race is going to die out. Willow is a half angel who doesn't know this world exists until she uses her psychic ability to predict the future for a girl in her class, and all she sees is blackness, depression and an angel. Alex is a seventeen year old guy who is running around killing these angels, which he has been trained to do ever since he was a little boy. the angels have taken everything from him, his mother, father and brother. He is now one of the greatest angel killers alive, and he is one of the only ones alive to. He is unknowingly working for the angels, and he realizes there is something wrong when he is sent to kill Willow, a teenage girl who only half angel. Alex knows that Willow is different and that she might be the only hope for the human races survival. He will do anything to keep her safe, and he ends up falling in love with her. And Willow with him.

This book is perfectly part action, part romance. They are constantly on the run from the Angels, however they have a couple of cozy moments along the way. Neither one thinks that the other one is interested, and then the moment occurs when Alex kisses her, that they are in love, both of them together. 

Also, the characters are very 3D. They have many sides to them, and they have specific likes and dislikes. Willow loves her mother who has Angel Burn, and cars, and has a psychic ability. Alex is an Angel killer who loves the road and the rush of killing an Angel. Also, Alex is extraordinarily handsome, hot, and sexy. He definitely makes my heart stutter, and makes my breath come faster.  

I give this book 4.5 stars because I think that this book is creative and uses a classic fantasy creature and flips their role. Angels are usually guardians, the ones who are trying to save the human race, not the ones who are killing them. I love this book, it is definitely one of my favorites.

xoxo.

Miss Reader

Quote of the Day - The Host

Hello.


Quote of the day: “That's not true at all,” he disagreed. “It's not the face, but the expressions on it. It's not the voice, but what you say. It's not how you look in that body, but the things you do with it. You are beautiful."

I love this quote from The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It is one of my favorite books and this quote said by Ian, a human, to Wanda, a soul, is so just beautiful and makes me smile every time I read it. I love Ian, he is my favorite character and if I got to choose a man out of a book to marry, honestly I would choose him. He is by far my favorite ever. He is kind, sweet, and is head over heels in love with Wanda, and will do anything to protect her.  Also, I prefer The Host to Twilight, just because of the fact that the characters seem much more realistic, despite that the story is so out there. I forget where I heard the phrase, but someone described it as "the science fiction story for the people who hat science fiction" and I think that this is a ver accurate description.

Quick Summary: I honestly have no idea how to sum up this story so I am going to quote the inside cover: "Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity had succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining 'wild' humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man she loves -Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain journey to find the man they both love. "

The Host is one of my favorite books of all time, it just warms my heart thinking about it. While reading it, I laughed, cried, smiled, and at times, almost threw the book across the room. I have a soft spot in my literary heart for both Melanie and Wanda, they are both extremely different and in the end, have different hearts. All of the characters from Walter, Ian, Kyle, Jamie, Jared, Jeb, Melanie and Wanda, they each have their own personality that adds funny twists and happy times, as well as the sad times. I thikn this book really shows the relationships between people are the only thing that ends up mattering. The whole world seems to be coming down around them, and because they have each other, everything is better. 
Another thing I love is the preface, its a poem called Question by Mary Swenson.

Question

Body my house
my horse my hound
what will I do
when you are fallen

Where will I sleep
How will I ride
What will I hunt

Where can I go
without my mount
all eager and quick
How will I know
in thicket ahead
is danger or treasure
when Body my good
bright dog is dead

How will it be
to lie in the sky
without roof or door
and wind for an eye

With cloud for shift
how will I hide?

Personally I think that this poem fits the book really well. I give this book a four star. I love story and the character, but the writing style is not my favorite.

Also, a song that reminds me of this book is Home by Vanessa Carlton. I think it's a beautiful song and I also think that the part where it says "With you I am home" is perfect for this book.

xoxo.
Miss Reader

Quote of the Day - Fly me to the Moon

Hello.

New Idea: Everyday I will post a quote from a favorite book,  from a book I am currently reading or a quote from someone in my life. I like to write down quotes that I find amusing, or inspirational.

So quote of the day is: "Even though there were no shortage of hotties in Manhattan, finding an age-approptiate, unmarried hottie with a good job was like getting a really great gift-with-purchase--they were only available while supplies lasted. Where as finding an unmarried, age-appropriate hottie with a good job who wasn't afraid to commit would be like locating the Holy Grail--we've all heard it exists, though we've yet to see it for ourselves." -Alyson Noel, "Fly Me to the Moon

When I read this part of the book I laughed out loud. It just warmed my heart to know that I am not the only one searching for the perfect man, and am not the only one who is not able to find him. I would give this book three stars, because it is not a terrible dense book, but the overall story has a nice plot, and quotes like this throughout the book give it a nice warm, comic feel.

Quick Summary: Flight attendant Hailey Lane is happy to be home early to see her boyfriend on her birthday, and at her apartment a surprise awaits her, one that she does not welcome. With a broken heart, she sets out onto a world wide trip, with the help of free flight passes and long layovers in beautiful places, she begins to see the world and all it has to offer her.

I thought this was a nice light funny beach read that warms the heart, and reminds us that heart break isn't always as bad as it seems and that the world is full with possibilities for each and everyone of us, we just have to take a leap of faith and hope that we find what we are looking for.

xoxo
Miss Reader

Back When You Were Easier to Love

Hello.

Back When You Were Easier To Love  by Emily Wing Smith, is a very sweet romantic book. I love the way Noah is always there for the main character, Joy, and she doesn't even really see it.

Summary: Joy is obsessed with her "boyfriend" who suddenly left with barley a goodbye to her or to anyone else. She thinks that she can't live without him and is determined to go to Pitzer, the college where Zan now goes. Apparently before Zan left, he told Noah, his best friend, to "befriend" Joy. He tries to do this, but Joy is standoffish, and wants no part in it. Then, she has an idea. Why not take Noah with her on her journey? This is exactly what she does. They make a journey to Pitzer, and Joy discovers not only who she is, but who she truly loves.

I think that this is a really sweet, just happy book. I closed the book with a smile on my face. The way the book is written is also a nice change of pace. The chapters are short with little sassy titles. They span from the current times to the past, and Joy shares enough information that the stories of the past are worthwhile, but they are kept short, so your eyes never waver from the page. Noah Talbot is the sweetest most generous boy alive. I saw what he was feeling from the beginning of our journey, and it was a delight to see how the heroine grappled with him, Zan, and their journey, all the while unconsciously finding herself.

I give this book four stars. It was a light read, but extraordinarily delightful, and Noah is definitely one of my book boyfriends (boys in books who I wish would miraculously jump off the page and become my boyfriend.)

My favorite quote of the whole book was "He looks all expectant, eager-to-please, and I know now's the time I could ask him to go on a tour of every public restroom in the vicinity and he'd do it, no questions asked."

The song that this book reminded me of was a song called "It's a Miracle" by Barry Manilow. Joy has an obsession with Barry Manilow in the book, and I thought that this song would be extremely appropriate and I like the song in general.

xoxo.
Miss Reader

Prom and Prejudice

Hello.

This weekend I read Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, and I think that it is a fairly good book. I probably would give it a three star.

Summary: Prom and Prejudice is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Lizzie Bennet is one of the two scholarship students at Longbourn Academy, an all girls school in New York. Prom season is starting and all of the girls are trying to get a date with one of the boys from Longbourn's brother school Pemberley. Jane is Lizzie's room mate and Charles is Jane's sort of boyfriend. Darcy is Charles friend, and slowly he falls in love with Lizzie, except that she doesn't want anything to do with him. There is an interesting twist, Lizzie loves to play the piano, and that is one of her saving graces it seems.

I think that this is a good retelling of Pride and Prejudice, although I think it was a little short and lacked description. Everything went by so quickly that sometimes despite the very straightforward writing style, was sometimes confusing.

I really enjoyed the characters and thought that they were amusing. I think it is an interesting twist how Wick is turned completely into a bad guy, he is the antagonist in the story. I didn't really expect that.

I would peg this as a good summer-beach read. Three stars.

xoxo.
Miss Reader