It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• Skipping a Beat - Sarah Pekkanen
  Summary: A woman's husband's near death experience impacts their marriage.
  
• These Things Hidden - heather Gudenkauf
  Summary: A former popular high school student is released from prison and attempts to move forward with her life.
  

I'm reading:

• How to Host a Killer Party - Penny Warner
  

Reading soon:

• How to Crash a Killer Bash - Penny Warner
  
• Tales From the Yoga Studio - Rain Mitchell
• Save as Draft - Cavanaugh Lee

What are you reading?

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

The DUFF: Designate Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Review:
Bianca Piper is not the prettiest of her friends. Well, that's what Wesley Rush thinks anyway. He tells her she's the "Duff". Designated Ugly Fat Friend. See, Wesley's plan is to be nice to Bianca in order to get closer to her two gorgeous friends, Casey and Jessica. And just who is Wesley Rush? He's the hottest, richest guy in their high school. Every girl has a crush on him. Almost every girl, anyway. Bianca certainly doesn't believe in young, teen love and really doesn't see why other girls are fascinated with Wesley. He's really NOT all that.

Bianca is furious with Wesley for labeling her this way. She vows not to speak to him and avoids him at all costs. But this changes when she's paired with him for a school project. What started out as a "I HATE YOU" relationship turns into an enemies with benefit relationship. Bianca and Wesley start sleeping together and initially Bianca feels she has it under control. Sex with Wesley is a means to an end. She's using him to distract herself from how terrible and out of control her home life is. Soon, things take an unexpected turn for Bianca when she realizes she has developed feelings for Wesley.

The DUFF may not be a book for all readers (but in fairness, can't that be said for any book?) due to its sexual content. Yes, Bianca and Wesley have a lot sex. . . casual sex which raises red flags given their age. It's quite easy for the reader to quickly judge Bianca for her actions and easily conclude she's no different from the girls she ridicules.

It's here where the reader needs to take a step back and focus on why she makes these decisions. The world that she knows, the world that she's so protective of is falling apart and there's nothing she can do but watch it crumble. To distract her from the pain, she sleeps with Wesley. But what she doesn't realize is her emotions are causing her to connect to him on a level that is just as equally frightening.

Bianca certainly isn't an easy character to like. She's cynical, flawed and very judgmental. She's secretive and withholding, but she's scared and so insecure. She's a teenage girl who sometimes doesn't make the best decisions. Although circumstances may be different, some readers may see a little of themselves in Bianca.

The DUFF was a quick read for me, as I read it in less than three hours. I admit, I picked it up for that reason only so I was quite surprised that I was still thinking about it days later. Recommended.
______________
Book Details:
Pub. Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Poppy, an imprint of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 277
ISBN: 9780316084239
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Library

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. (Button courtesy of Bewitched Bookworms.)

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: The Bake-Off
Author: Beth Kendrick
Release Date: May 3

From the author's website:

Suburban soccer mom Amy has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. Former child prodigy Linnie just wants to fit in. The two sisters have been estranged for years, but thanks to a series of personal crises and their wily grandmother, they've teamed up to enter a high-stakes national bake-off in the hopes of winning some serious cash. Armed with the top-secret recipe for Grammy’s apple pie, they should be unstoppable. Sure, neither one of them has ever baked anything beyond brownie mix, but it’s just pie—how hard could it be?!

When the competition heats up, what begins as a straightforward pact for victory deteriorates into a sugar-coated free-for-all. Amy and Linnie struggle to rebuild their relationship as family secrets, old betrayals and new romances enter into the mix. Given the right recipe and an unexpected blend of bitter and sweet, even the oddest pairings can produce something delicious.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• The Diva Takes the Cake - Krista Davis
  Summary: Sophie plans her sister's wedding. An unexpected visitor is found murdered in a neighbor's yard.
  
• The Diva Paints the Town - Krista Davis
  Summary: Sophie's recluse neighbor dies and a body is found in his house. When Sophie calls the police, the body mysteriously disappears before they arrive.
• Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You - Nancy Tillman
  Summary: A heartwarming story that tells the reader he/she is loved no mater where he/she is.
• I Won't Comb My Hair - Annette Langen
  Summary: No matter how hard they try, her parents cannot convince Tanya to comb her hair.
• I'm So NOT Wearing a Dress - Julie Merberg
  Summary: Shelby likes playing catch and digging for worms. She doesn't want to wear a dress to her aunt's wedding.
  

I'm reading:

• Skipping a Beat - Sarah Pekkanen
  

Reading soon:

• These Things Hidden - Heather Gudenkauf
  
• Fall for Anything - Courtney Summers
  

What are you reading this week?

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot

Blast from the Past by Meg Cabot
Allie Finkle Rules for Girls, Book 6
Narrated by Tara Sands

Mini-review:
Allie Finkle has never been on a school field trip. At her previous school, her class went to the children’s museum (which included a Barbie exhibit!) and Allie was beyond excited about. Her then BFF Mary Kay suggested Allie give her signed permission slip to Mary Kay because Allie may lose it. So of course Allie did. On the day of the field trip, Mary Kay accidentally on purpose forgot to hand Allie’s in. So Allie had to spend the day at school while the rest of her class went on a fun day to the museum.

When Allie’s teacher Ms. Hunter announced the class would go on a field trip, Allie was thrilled! This time she would hand in her permission slip! And the best part is the class would have to take a school bus there! Allie walks to school so she’s never been on a school bus before. Unfortunately Allie’s excitement is short lived when she learns her former school will also be joining in on their field trip. Which means she will have to see Mary Kay and other the mean girls from her former school. To make matters even worse, Mary Kay is assigned to be her buddy! Can anything good come from this day?

Length: 3 hours, 55 minutes

Source: Library


Every Saturday, Julie at Booking Mama, hosts Kid Konnection - a weekly feature that highlights anything related to children's books (picture, middle-school and young adult). Have a post you would like to share? It's easy, simply visit Booking Mama to add your link.

This review can also be found at Audiobook Jukebox.


To Have and To Kill by Mary Jane Clark

To Have and To Kill by Mary Jane Clark
A Wedding Cake Mystery, Book 1

Review:
Piper Donovan is down on her luck. She was recently written out of her soap opera, A Little Rain Must Fall. Not having any callbacks from her auditions, Piper is forced to give up her Manhattan apartment. She returns home to Jersey to live with her parents. Her father is a former cop and her mother owns The Icing on the Cupcake bakery. It's there that Piper spends most of her days when she's not auditioning.

Piper stayed in touch with the leading actress from A Little Rain Must Fall, Glenna Brooks. When the two friends meet for lunch, Glenna announces she's getting married on Christmas Eve and asks Piper if her mother would be so kind to make her wedding cake. Piper immediately accepts on her mother's behalf. It's also during this lunch that Glenna discloses she has received a disturbing letter (anonymously written) about her upcoming nuptials. Piper warns Glenna to be careful.

Days following their lunch, someone close to Glenna is mysteriously murdered. All clues lead back to this letter. And it's not until another person from the soap is left for dead that Piper begins to realize someone is determined to not see Glenna walk down the aisle and will kill anyone that is in the way.

To Have and To Kill is the first book in Clark's new Wedding Cake Mystery series. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed her previous Key News series, so I was looking forward to reading this mystery. As usual, Clark did not disappoint. She has created a likable and intelligent amateur sleuth in Piper. There's a hint of a love interest for Piper, but it doesn't overshadow the mystery. Piper's parents round out the storyline as her mother is battling personal issues that may threatened her livelihood.

Overall I really enjoyed To Have and To Kill. It's a light, cozy mystery that is perfect reading for a lazy afternoon. I'm looking forward to reading future mysteries starring Piper.

______________
Book Details:
Pub. Date: December 28, 2010
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 303
ISBN: 9780061995545
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: Library

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: Ten Beach Road
Author: Wendy Wax
Release Date: May 3

From Amazon.com:

Madeline, Avery, and Nikki are strangers to each other, but they have one thing in common. They each wake up one morning to discover their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager- leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.

Throwing their lots in together, they take on the challenge of restoring the historic property. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, secrets threaten to tear down their trust-and destroy their lives a second time.

There's Cake in My Future - Kim Gruenenfelder

Title: There's Cake in My Future
Author: Kim Gruenenfelder
Genre: Chick Lit
Pub. Date: December 21, 2010
Pages: 358
Source: Library

It's a week before Nicole's wedding. The night of her bridal shower, Nicole informs her best friends, Seema and Melissa, that she rigged her cake in order to give each woman her "happily ever after". For Melissa, Nicole wants her to have the engagement ring. Melissa is currently dating Fred and he still "hasn't put a ring on it". And it's been six years. SIX!!! Seema will get the red hot chili pepper. She's been secretly in love with Scott and is afraid to tell him in fear it will ruin their friendship. And for herself, Nic wants the shovel. She was laid off from her newspaper and desperately wants to find a job. The shovel represents a lifetime of hard work.

Unfortunately neither woman pulls her intended charm: Nic gets the baby carriage; Seema gets the shovel and Melissa pulls the red hot chili pepper. Not completely buying into the fate of the pulled charms, each woman begins to panic when it appears as though the charms are leading them down a road they are not ready to explore.

Gruenenfelder did a fantastic job of bringing these friends to life. Told in alternating chapters, the reader can easily slip into the characters' stories and root for each to find happiness.

There's Cake in My Future is an amusing and engaging read. The ending left an opening for a sequel and I hope Gruenenfelder will bring back these characters. I felt as though I met new friends and I want to know what's next for these three women. This is one not to be missed by fans of chick lit. Recommended.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: Night Road
Author: Kristin Hannah
Release Date: March 22

Jude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. But senior year of high school brings unexpected dangers and one night, Jude’s worst fears are confirmed: there is an accident. In an instant, her idyllic life is shattered and her close-knit community is torn apart. People—and Jude—demand justice, and when the finger of blame is pointed, it lands solely on eighteen-year-old Lexi Baill. In a heartbeat, their love for each other will be shattered, the family broken. Lexi gives up everything that matters to her—the boy she loves, her place in the family, the best friend she ever had—while Jude loses even more.

When Lexi returns, older and wiser, she demands a reckoning. Long buried feelings will rise again, and Jude will finally have to face the woman she has become. She must decide whether to remain broken or try to forgive both Lexi…and herself.

Night Road is a vivid, emotionally complex novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, loss, identity, and forgiveness. It is an exquisite, heartbreaking novel that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most. (From Barnes and Noble)