| New Books in the OHS Library -- come by and check them out! Which one(s) do YOU want to read most? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, February 3, 2011
New Books!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Bright Young Things -- Review by Hope Austin
Bright Young Thingsby Anna Godbersen
***stars
The year is 1929 and best friends Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are fed up with their repressed Ohio lifestyle. On the day of Cordelia's sort-of shotgun wedding, the girls abandon their hum-drum town and get one-way tickets to New York City. Once there, the two go out and try to follow their dreams: Letty wants to be an actress on Broadway, and Cordelia wants to find the man she believes is her father, who is conveniently a very wealthy bootlegger. Not long after they get there, the girls have a falling out and go their own ways. Letty gets what seems like her big break and Cordelia is taken under the wing of a socialite. The girls learn that not everything is quite what it seems.
There were a lot of times when I found this book a chore to read, especially with regards to the romance. I felt like there was no point to a lot of it. Although, this book is the first in a series, so maybe it'll all come together. Overall, it was pretty unremarkable. That said, I'll probably be reading this series to the bitter end because I just want see how it ends.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Rosebush - Review by Halea Coulter
Rosebushby Michelle Jaffe
* * * and half stars
Jane Freeland is pretty, popular, rich, and on the verge of death when she is found in a rosebush. When Jane wakes up in the hospital, her head is heavily bandaged and swollen; she is also paralyzed and unable to talk. Jane remembers nothing other than going to a party kissing her boyfriend, and going off to talk to her friends, after that her memory is gone. The doctors tell her she was hit by a car because she was either drugged or trying to commit suicide; but Jane knows that can't be right, she is positive someone is trying to kill her. Over the next four days, Jane get visits from all her friends, which includes a creepy stalker, and all of them have different versions of the story. During that time, Jane is repeatedly threatened by her killer, and each time something comes back to her, such as her voice, and the use of her arms. Everyone thinks Jane is going nuts because of the medication she is on, and after awhile, Jane thinks she is too, and with only a cute orderly named Pete to help her, she knows she is in for some trouble.
I found this book interesting, but in the end, nothing special. The story was told from Jane's point of view and her tone, surprisingly enough, didn't bother me. The only things that really bothered me about this book were her boyfriend, who just wasn't nice, and of course, the mother came off looking like the bad guy which is way too typical in YA fiction. Also the lack of direction bothered me, I felt like the book went off on way too many tangents, it just introduced too many story lines, which all ended up being necessary but it was annoying to push through. Overall it wasn't a book that I just couldn't put down, but it was good enough that I wanted to finish it because it really did wait 'till almost the last page to reveal if she was just crazy or if there was someone trying to kill her. I would recommend the book if you have time for it, but if you feel like you have better things to read, then go with those instead.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Earth My Butt and Other Big Round Things - A review by Sarah Gnefkow
The Earth My Butt and Other Big Round Things
By Carolyn Mackler
4 Stars
The Earth My Butt and Other Big Round Things is a really good book. I started reading it and just couldn't put it down. I wish that i would have taken time to read it because it was one of those things that I just didn't want it to end. This book is definately one that I would recommend if you're looking for a fun, rebellious, but kind of out of the ordinary read.
It is about a girl named Virginia Shreves who is a larger than average girl. Her favorite things to do are eat, make lists, email her best friend that moved to Walla Walla, and hook up with a boy named Froggy. Virginia (Gin for short) feels that no guy would ever want to be with her in public so she decides to follow the "Fat Girl Code of Conduct". Virginias family would be considered the 'perfect' family. Her mother is a popular therapist, her father a top executive, her sister Anais is in the Peace Corps, and her brother Byron is a god. Everyone looks the same in the Shreves family they are all tall, beautiful, blonde, and skinny, except for Virginia. Gin's mother pushes her to go on diets and be a skinny Shreve just like the rest of the family. But when a tragedy happens to her family involving Byron, Virginia rebels.
This book is fun to read and it goes by pretty quick. It was definitely one that I have never read anything like it. It was pretty much a good book. I would definitely give this book 4 stars.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
One Amazing Thing - Review by Halea Coulter
One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
* * * * stars
One Amazing Thing was a good book. It took me awhile to conquer, but i did it. I feel like I would have liked it more if I dedicated some time and just went through it all at once. But it is a book I would definitely recommended
I haven't ever read another book like this one. The closest I think might be Canterbury Tales, which no one has probably read any of unless they happen to be a senior. I think it was a good book, but I would only reccomend reading it if you can't find anything else to read.
The book opens with one of the main characters, Uma, sitting in a passport office with sixth other people and two workers in the office, and suddenly an earthquake rips through the building and it starts to flood, and all nine people are trapped together. Uma jokes that it is a Lord of the Flies situation, which it is, there is a definate power struggle between characters to be the leader. Finally Uma, who at that time is reading Canterbury Tales, suggests that everyone tells one amazing thing, one thing they haven't told anyone else. All of the characters are just so different, (for example, there is a Muslim-American struggling with the way people are treating him because of the 9/11 attacks, and theres also an African-American Vietnam Vet who is running out of medicene in his asmtha inhaler) and they all come together so well with such fascinating stories, that even if it takes awhile to get into, it's a hard book to hate. the ending wasn't my favorite, but thats up to you to decide.
I haven't ever read another book like this one. The closest I think might be Canterbury Tales, which no one has probably read any of unless they happen to be a senior. I think it was a good book, but I would only reccomend reading it if you can't find anything else to read.
Girl Parts - a review by George Morejon
Girl Parts
by John M Cusick
*** stars
Girl Parts starts off with a girl killing herself on the internet. She broadcasts it on webcam with an audience of her schoolmates watching. After this happens, a new psychiatric comes in to help with the disassociation problem (being disconnected from the real world) the students are facing. The solution he recomends is to assign "companions" to these kids, including popular rich kid David Sun. David is a stuck-up brat who just wants to fool around with girls, but still a person chosen for the programme. When he gets his companion, whose name is Rose, he finds out he cares for her and wants to be with her more than any other girl he's been with before. David thinks he's found his dream girl, but things change at a party when he finds out that Rose isn't "fully functional", if you know what I mean.
When David finds this out, he abandons her at the party, and Rose wanders out into the forest lost and confused. She finds her way to an ocean ridge and is about to jump, which would destroy her link to the Sakora satellites helping her understand things and also probably deactivate her, but a kid named Charlie (who she'd only met one time before when David hit him with a car) tries to save her, dragging them both into the ocean. Charlie's kind of disconnected from society, so after Rose gets desynced from the satellite, they form a sort of bond. This bond strengthens as he hides her from the Sakora agents who are looking for her so they can deactivate her and helps her get over David basically throwing her away.
This book took about 4 hours to read and was way different than anything else I have read, so I wasn't that sure what to think of it. I hadn't seen the idea of robot companions like this in any novel, although I wasn't unfamiliar with the idea. I liked David up until he dumped Rose, which I thought was a jerk move to do. Rose was interesting and I liked being able to read how she was programmed to think, before and after her big change. Her want to be accepted by people and be real reminded me a lot of Pinocchio. Overall, I'd give this book a 3 out of 5.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Awakened- Review by Aspen Gates
Awakened
P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
****stars
Awakened is the eighth book in The House of Night series, and it continues on with Zoey and her friends trying to rid the earth of the evil Neferet and Kalona. However, all of that is put on hold when when in Burned, Zoey soul is shattered and she is stuck in Nyx's Realm. So it's up to Stark and the rest of Zoey's friends to help get her back before it's too late while also trying to get rid of Neferet and Kalona. Now that Zoey has been saved, she and Stark are gaining back there strength and Stevie-Rae is now presiding has the High Priestess at the House of Night in Tulsa, but everything is going wrong. Stevie-Rae is still trying to hide her relationship with Rephaim and to make it worse, Neferet has returned to try and take back the House of Night with the help of Darkness, and kills an innocent boy to do it. With all that's going on, the House of Night is desperate for Zoey to come back home because they believe she is the only one that can destroy Neferet, but there is only one problem. Zoey is not sure that she wants to come back to the House of Night. With all that's going on, who else will die by Neferet's hand? What will happen between Stevie-Rae and Raphaim? Will they be discovered, and if they are, what will be the outcome? And will Zoey return to help not only save the House of Night, but perhaps the world from decay? Read this amazing book to find out.
Awakened I thought was a very important book in this series. It answers a lot of questions that many may have had from reading the first seven books. It also puts together a lot of Aphrodite's visions and makes them come out in this book. I gave this book four stars because like all the others, it keeps me locked in and wanting to know what is going to happen next. So I definitely recommend Awakened along with the rest of the House of Night Series for those who have not read this yet in the O'Hara library. So enjoy and for those who are reading this series, Destined, the next in this amazing series comes out later this year. Yay!
Deadly Litttle Secret --- a review by Amy Lyon
Deadly Little Secretby Laurie Faria Stolarz
***1/2
Three months ago, Camelia was almost run down in the school parking lot. If not for the mysterious guy who saved her life then rode away on his motorcycle, she probably wouldn't be alive. So now, when he starts attending her school, she can't help wanting to at least thank him. But when she tries to, he denies and tries his best to ignore her. Rumors are spreading that he murdered his ex-girlfriend, and Camelia's ex, Matt, always willing to help, offers to find out more. What Matt tells her is slightly disturbing, but is it real? And does it matter, now that things are heating up between them? And who is stalking girls at school?
Deadly Little Secret was a fast read that had me on edge for most of the novel. Each chapter brings new suspense, about the stalker and her possible romances. I was impressed with the ending, it was almost expected, but there was a little twist. I will definitely be reading the next two books.
Everwild -- Review by Ian Zig.
Everwild
by Neal Shusterman
*****
Where to start?... Everwild is the second book in the Skinjacker Trilogy. The first book, Everlost, introduced the afterlife-ish world with all the kids who had short lives and died before their time. The main characters of the trilogy are Nick, the Chocolate Ogre, Mary, the Sky Witch, and Allie, the Outcast. Everwild is all about Nick and Mary, lovers pitted against each other, exploring Everlost with the intentions of building an army. Allie is just the wild card that's thrown into the mix. Will they get their war? Will Mary and Nick make up their differences and go on loving each other? You'll have to read it to find out.
Now, I'm sure that this blog does this book absolutely no justice, but suffice to say that I loved it! I cannot wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out! If you like reading fantasy and out of the ordinary books, then you'll like this. I would reference this book to all of my friends. You can trust me when I say there's a reason I gave this book 5 stars.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney -- a review by Hope Austin
The Mockingbirds
by Daisy Whitney
***stars
Alex Patrick is an aspiring pianist at Themis Academy, an ultra-elite boarding school. One morning she wakes up in a strange bed with only a fuzzy recollection of how she got there. As her memories recover, Alex has a shocking realization: she was date-raped. Luckily for her, she has options. She seeks out the help of the Mockingbirds, a To Kill a Mockingbird-inspired, for-the-students-by-the-students group that swears to deliver justice to all students who are wronged.
The author tries to combine the topic of rape with a thriller about vigilante students. It doesn't work. It seems like she wanted to write a story about the aftermath of a date rape, but didn't want anything to do with the trappings of the American legal system, so she made up her own. The story could easily have taken place without the Mockingbirds. That being said, the book does deliver a good (albeit heavy-handed) message about rape and society, specifically about how society sees rape victims.
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