Twilight Déjà vu?

At the beginning of the book I have to admit I was a bit horrified. No, not because of the supposed murderer on the loose or Camelia’s near-death experience but the striking resemblance the book had to Twilight. After Ben rescues Camelia as from an out of control car in the school parking lot that was sure to hit her, they are assigned to each other as lab partners. Camelia quickly comes infatuated with Ben, even though her friends warn her against it. Camelia instantly feels a strong connection to him, but for an unknown reason he seems like he cannot stand to be around her! Sound familiar? It was like hello, we have all just read this exact plot! Not to worry though, Stolarz quickly redeemed her individuality (sorry no vampires here). One interesting twist she threw in is that the reader sees notes written by a stalker about Camelia that first seem only a little creepy. In the first part of the book, the stalker is assumed to be Ben, although you may want revaluate when the psycho factor escalates. Ben is the only one who knows just how much danger Camelia is in. Will Camelia trust Ben and his unusual power, to save her life? I still can’t completely look past the all too familiar, ordinary girl becomes involved with dangerous, mysterious boy. I suppose it’s popular for a good reason, it does make for an interesting story; I just would like to see something a little different. At least it wasn’t entirely predictable, I loved the mystery aspect in the book, and had lots of fun trying to figure it out myself, which proved to be a challenge! Despite the unoriginal theme, it was a generally very good book and I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

My Top 10 Challenge

This was an extremly difficult decision for me. Out of all the books I have read and loved, I could only chose 10 to put on this list! Thankfully I was not forced to put them into any particular order; if that was the case, I don't know what I would have done with myself. After much deliberation, I finally compiled this list. I sure hope you enjoy it!

Pretty Little Liars
After reading a certain number of books they can quickly become all too predictable. This one however is not—at all. Just when I start think that I know who mysterious “A” is, something else pops up in the plot and I’m wrong again— but I like it!

Wake
So I basically read this in two hours if that tells you anything. It is very fast-paced; it had me sucked in by page one and just would not allow me to put it down! McMann keeps everything right to the point, using minimal descriptions and it works beautifully.

Fabulous Terrible The Adventures of You
This young adult novel written entirely in 2nd person was surprisingly quite smooth. The plot was very imaginative and exciting. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Gossip Girl
I’m slightly ashamed at myself for how much I enjoy these books. Not one of these characters has even decent morals but they are just so entertaining. This series makes an incredible, easy beach read.

How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls
While being fairly predictable with the Cinderella- story theme, the novel was cute, fun and enjoyed thoroughly!

The Junie B. Jones Series
I was first introduced to Junie B. when I was six years old. Barbara Park has such a great voice in these beginning chapter books; it really does seem as if they were written by a kindergartener! I laughed then and even now I still read them occasionally and laugh even more.
The Princess Diaries
This one of the few books I have reread several times. The whole series is laugh-out-loud funny and I could completely relate to Princess Mia going through everyday high school- freshmen awkwardness, but in addition I was also treated to the innovation of a real life fairy tale!

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things
I kind of felt forced to carry this book around with me everywhere I went for the whole day I reading it. I just couldn’t help but root for main character, Virginia as she faced issues with her family, friends, body image and of course—boys.

The Nature of Jade
This book definitely has more depth to it the most of the others on my list and was still a pleasure to read. When I finished it left me feeling inspired!

Chasing Harry Winston
While this novel would certainly be considered a beach read, I could honestly say I learned a few good lessons from main characters Leigh, Emmy and Adriana.

Mad Props to Audrey Niffenegger

Let me just start by saying, I loved this book! Okay, so the main character is a librarian who also happens to time travel. That sounds kind of lame, I know, but miraculously Audrey Niffenegger somehow pulls it off. Not only did she manage to put it in an order that made sense, it was just so good! The book jumps around in dates ranging from 1968 all the way to 2053. I have to admit the first few chapters I was a bit lost, although it didn’t take long for the story to click with me. When reading this novel, it is extra important to pay close attention to all the tiniest details, because there is so much foreshadowing that can be easy to miss.
It has been debated whether The Time Traveler’s Wife is a romance or science fiction book. The way Niffenegger equally divided the view points of both Clare and Henry with more focus on their love for each other than Henry’s Chromo- disease that causes him to time travel, leads me to conclude that this is a romance. Really, the main focus is Henry and Clare’s relationship that starts when she is only six, although Henry’s time traveling certainly is a huge conflict! Clare has to go through the first part of her life, waiting for Henry’s dispersed visits and, later on, having him randomly disappear from work or their home. Poor Clare never knows where he is and if he is safe. The fact that Henry can never bring anything with him when he travels (not even the underwear he is wearing!) can make things very dangerous and interesting to say the least. This makes him place less value of material things, and much more on relationships, especially his with Clare.
I very strongly recommend this book to anyone with a large imagination or someone who is just looking for a great love story. I couldn’t begin to understand anyone who would not, at the very least, appreciate the technicalities of the story, although rumor has it these people do exist.

Reading-- Maddie Style!

I am a visual reader. When I read, in my mind, I know exactly what each character and their whereabouts look like. I used to like it when the author would give lengthy descriptions, making it easier for me to visualize the characters. I now, however, have come to appreciate shorter ones that give me more room to use my imagination! I guess this explains why I have been disappointed in each and every book that was turned into a movie. I have already played out a movie of it in my head, and this new one totally contradicts it!

I don’t think there is a bad place to read a book. Okay I take that back. Reading while operating heavy machinery or something of that sort would probably not be recommended. Although, there has been more than one occasion where I really didn’t want to put a book down and was very tempted to continue my reading as I zoomed down the interstate. My very favorite place to enjoy a novel is at the beach in sand while basking in the sun. Pools can be pretty nice too, depending on just exactly how many screaming, splashing eight-year-olds are around. If there are no accessible pools and I’m not at the beach, I tend to read at night in bed to help me wind down. Well, that’s when I’m reading a mediocre book. If it’s getting pretty intense I may have to take it with me to wherever I had obligations to go, or maybe I’ll just cancel. Several friends yelling at me to “Put the book down!” can be very distracting after all.

My Book Store Adventure; What Draws Me to a Book

When browsing a book store for a potential buy, we are ultimately required to judge a book by its cover. Obviously it’s only logical that we would be attracted to a book that features something we find interesting, unfortunately in my case this is generally food. After rushing to pick up a book sporting a cupcake, the blurbs do not quite grab me so I move on. Next I see a dark looking novel, although there isn’t any pink frosting involved it has my attention none the less! I love mysteriousness in a book, and have observed this is best displayed by a simple cover possibly showing a troubled looking character. I pick up the dark novel and read the back. The description is short and to the point, and it makes me want to tear right into it like it was the previously mentioned cupcake. One problem with this book—it’s hard cover, which can be a very attractive quality—that is, when my dad is paying.

Okay let’s surf some other options. While I’m browsing I come across several books with titles that seem as though they could practically be their own short story. When I see books with super long titles or over done cover designs, I feel like it is a failed attempted to make up for a lacking plot line or a mediocre writing ability. I think there is so much power behind a one word title; I cannot recall a single book titled with one word that I have ever been disappointed by.

Ah yes, here is a nice simple looking book I open it up to the first page and read several positive reviews. I always like to go through and read any reviews before I buy the book. I figure if all these people enjoyed it so, I certainly might as well! Time to read the first sentence... it is a decent description but not too unique. I have no choice but to hit the shelves once again! I see a cover displaying a butterfly and I shudder. Cats and butterflies have certainly never been anything I hold near and dear to my heart to say the least, so that book would never be considered. After some deep thought I decide the dark hard cover is my best bet. I give a slight shudder as the cashier rings me up, but I feel it will be well worth it!

Qualifications for my book soulmate ;]

Although I have read and enjoyed many types of books varying in writing styles and genre, there are a few qualities I particularly admire. I believe that an exceptional writer has the ability to take something such as a documentation of their breakfast cereal and turn it into an interesting read, I like an action-packed read that will suck me right in! No matter how strong the plot, if you can’t connect to the characters the story is worthless. I don’t think I’m alone in that I want to be able to relate to the characters, so I feel their pain, joy or fear that is being expressed in the story. It is important to have a nice description of the setting, characters etc. but I don’t need a whole page explaining a pair of socks or something equally ridiculous. I think it’s best to keep the extra words, especially the adjectives, fairly minimal. Last but not least, I strongly appreciate comical breaks. I mean who doesn’t like to laugh? Especially in a dark or morbid book it’s great to giggle if for just a moment.

The Mad Rundown: Pretty Little Liars

Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret…. “Pretty Little Liars,” written by Sara Shepard is about high school juniors Emily, Hanna, Aria and Spencer who have lost contact since the disappearance of their friend Ali--but a dark secret still ties them together. Unbeknownst to each other, they all have a secret of their own as well. That is until all of them start receiving anonymous notes signed by “A.” This mysterious “A” seems to see everything these friends do and is holding every secret against them. I loved this book and couldn’t get enough of it! Luckily, there are five more books out in the series.