Review - Misfit by Jon Skovron

Title: Misfit
Author: Jon Skovron
Publisher:
Publish Date:

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Jael is a half demon, half human and due to her upbringing doesn't have a lot of foundation to hold on to. Her father has moved her around since she was little. She doesn't remember her mother. And her father will tell her nothing. Until her sixteenth birthday when her father reveals a necklace, a gift from her mother. Jael immediately starts make decisions for herself - good or bad. She meets her uncle, also demon and other freakishly crazy people who she has to figure out what their intentions are. Jael must try to find her true self, while battling the demons of hell.

A great story of a girl who is completely lost and while her father feels he is protecting her, his secrets only make it harder for Jael. GIRLS ROCK!! I was thrilled to see this character, Jael, rise above all the things being thrown at her from day one and make her own decisions, which made those around her rise to her level. Not always were they good decisions, but she made them regardless. I like that. A great book for a girl who needs a little swift kick in the butt.

Summary -

Jael has always felt like a freak. She’s never kissed a boy, she never knew her mom, and her dad’s always been superstrict—but that’s probably because her mom was a demon, which makes Jael half demon and most definitely not a normal sophomore girl. On her sixteenth birthday, a mysterious present unlocks her family’s dangerous history and Jael’s untapped potential. What was merely an embarrassing secret before becomes a terrifying reality. Jael must learn to master her demon side in order to take on a vindictive Duke of Hell while also dealing with a twisted priest, best-friend drama, and a spacey blond skater boy who may have hidden depths.

Author Jon Skovron takes on the dark side of human nature with his signature funny, heartfelt prose.

Review - Awaken by Katie K

Title: Awaken
Author: Katie Kacvinsky
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publish Date: May 20, 2011
Hardcover, 320 pages

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Maddie is a girl whose father is the leader of technology school, an online only society he invented to help prevent disease, pregnancy and other atrocities being dealt to the youthful kids. Maddie has a secret, a dark past that still haunts her. She meets Justin online and he invites her to a face-to-face interaction and she is instantly hooked, even though her father has people watching her all the time. There is just something magical about meeting and talking to people without the computer involved. They are more real and she is more real. The more she hangs out with Justin, the more she is pulled in to the society wanting a change. The change to go back to the way things were before all the computer control. But will Maddie be able to go against her family and what is Justin really wanting from her, a friendship or giving up her father's secrets?

This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed this book not only because Maddie has to struggle against what she wants, but what everyone else wants for her too. It is the most difficult thing as a child to rise above all the voices and hear your own, and worse when what you want may not be best for you. I thought Katie Kacvinsky did a fantastic job showing what society and interaction would be if we went to a technology society only. The secrets, the unknown, the trouble with trusting people and add to the fact, the people who are underground and want face to face interaction brought back.

Summary -
Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

Wordless Wednesday - Izabel

So cute when she stretches out like this.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday - Tune In & Teaser

Some days I am angry for no reason. I don't want to be nice or understanding. I want to tell people to stop whining and get over it. Everyone's life is tough. And this song is perfect for those days!

Bitch Meredith Brooks






"Faith and science, I have learned are two sides of the same coin, separated by an expanse so small, but wide enough that one side can't see the other. They don't even know they are connected."

The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Mary E Pearson

WINNER - The Insider by Reece Hirsch

CONGRATS!!!

Judy H

is the winner of
The Insider by Reece Hirsch

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IMM - In My Mailbox

The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
The Search for God at Harvard by Ari L. Goldman
Sass and Serendipity by Jennifer Siegler
Jennifer Siegler's blog
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The First Day of the Rest of my Life by Cathy Lamb
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum
The Memory Place by Mira Bartok
A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

eReader books -
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (review coming soon)
Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard (review coming soon)
Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (review coming soon)

What was in your mailbox???

A country kitty for sure

I am back in the city. After much a bit of angst, I drove in last night after work. And let me tell you (no, no my arms are tired jokes, I promise) it is so loud here. Between the traffic, leaf blowers (really, who invented these??), music, pollution and other travesties to the ear, I really miss the wilderness.

I mean let's be honest, I do not live in the middle of nowhere. My neighbors are less than 10 seconds away. I love in an actual neighborhood, but it's peaceful. There are birds, animals, cars and such, but it's SO QUIET. I don't know how to describe it, much less explain it except that when I go back, I will be listening fiercely.

I know that when I go out in the morning, I want to veer off track from work and stop to get coffee OUTSIDE. I roll down my windows every moment in the car - even when it's raining. I take my book outside and read in the wind. And my job is right on a busy street. Yes, we do have traffic. Maybe only a few minutes of stopped traffic, but our noise pollution is so limited. Again, what is the difference? Is it the fact that the people want it to be quiet? Or is it my own happiness that brings out the peacefulness of where I live now?

It could be that it is more than thirty degrees cooler, after a decade of living in hot quarters.

It could be that seeing trees - real, spruce trees, birds - like hawks, blue herons, lakes, the stars up close and personal is just to riveting I cannot imagine going back to living in a claustrophobic city.

I am a country mouse now.