Addicted to Drama

Thanks Melissa de la Cruz for my dose of summer fun, drama and escapism. I'm starting to think that no one does crazy YA fluff like de la Cruz. Her books are so fun, and highly addictive.

Girl Stays in the Picture is no exception. It's the story of Devon, a teen pop-star sensation fresh out of rehab, hoping to make her big comeback filming a movie in St. Tropez. Casey & Livia round out the trio of girls, and bring their own stories, drama and perspectives to the book. Get one last fix of summer fun by checking out this book. The only bad part? It ends in a major cliffhanger and de la Cruz hasn't published a sequel yet!!   

On a Serious Note

 I know, I read a lot of books that are fun, fluffy and light. But every now and then, I try to balance it all out. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky was recommended to me a few years ago, and I finally read it. Irene Nemirovsky began working on this novel in the early 1940's while living in Paris, where she was a successful writer, but also a Russian Jew. What makes this story especially poignant is that in 1942, Irene was arrested and deported to Auschwitz: a month later she was dead at the age of thirty-nine. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of her story, and her daughters took the manuscript with them into hiding.

Fast forward sixty-four years later and Irene's work has finally been published and translated. This novel follow the stories of several groups of people as France is occupied by the Nazi's during World War II. If you're looking for a clear, succinct novel with a definitive ending, this is not the book for you. This novel is more of a narrative, not quite stream-of-consciousness, but comprised of several vignettes, loosely connected. There is not really an "ending", but I feel that this book is invaluable in capturing the essence of a people, of a nation, as they face the unthinkable. This book is not a Young Adult book, it is categorized as adult fiction and deals with mature themes and events. However, anyone with an interest in History, especially that of WWII, would benefit from reading this. 

Wicked Lies

Oh Sara Shepard, you've done it again. Dragged me right back in to the drama of Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily. It's crazy, silly, melodramatic, and I'm embarrassed that I can't get enough. I just finished Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5). I've heard through the Grapevine that Ms. Shepard should have left well enough alone, and not added four more books to her previous series of eight. I guess now I have seven more books to read and not three. I feel like I'm in for a penny, in for a pound, so I'll read them, but I'm not really happy about it. I hate it when a series drags on for too long, and I feel like now, this series is just being milked for the money it can make, not for the quality of the writing. I know that I shouldn't be too hasty to judge, so I'll reserve any harsh comments or criticism and hope to continue to be pleasantly surprised by this series. Maybe when I'm done, I'll go back and watch the TV Series.....

Frankly Scarlett...

...I do give a damn! I loved Scarlett Fever, the sequel to Maureen Johnson's Suite Scarlett. It was very well done. It's always nice to revisit characters that you liked so much the first time around. This time, Scarlett & Family are back and better than ever. If you're looking for a fun series with great characters, look no further! Ooh, and one more thing. Let's talk about cover art. I'm going to put both cover versions on either side of my text. Which one do you like better? Which cover would you pick up?

Shifting Gears

So, I finally tackled the book Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. This has been on my radar for a few years. In fact, I actually started the first chapter like 2 years ago. I know, craziness. So, what took me so long to finally read the whole thing? Who knows, but I'm glad that I did. This book is definitely a "boy" book. The main protagonist Chris has just started college when the FBI shows up, wanting to know what happened to his friend Win. Chris & Win had taken the summer to ride their bikes Cross Country, but got into a fight towards the end of the trip and separated. Chris assumed Win made it back, but it looks like he was wrong. So what really happened to Win and does Chris know more than he's letting on? This book is part mystery, part coming-of-age novel, and just plain good. Read it!

Tiger Beat Teenage Dream

OK. I admit, this post is going to show my age. I just read Stories I only tell my Friends: an Autobiography by Rob Lowe. (Dreamy sigh) Oh that Rob Lowe, what a heartthrob. You can keep your Jonas Brothers, Taylor Lautner and Justin Bieber. I'll take The Brat Pack any day. The Book? Not bad. Some amusing anecdotes and fun stories. More than anything, it seems like Rob Lowe was the King of being in the right place at the right time. This book was a fun, good diversion, just perfect for a summer read. Read this if Young Hollywood of the 1980's & 1990's interests you.