Dork on the Run

The sequel to Dork in Disguise. Sixth grade dork, Jerry, is now running for class president against popular Gabe. The story was funny and the characters are likeable.

Marrying Mom

Mom moves back to New York from Florida and her 3 children try to set her up with a wealthy man to get her out of their hair. I found the 3 siblings annoying for the most part and the mom hilarious. The book ended all too conveniently for me. Also, the way their met their "new friends" didn't seem all that real to me either.

Princess Lessons

A companion book to the Princess Diaries books. Very quick and easy to read. It is "written" by Princess Mia and her friends and family, what is expected from a princess. Funny and cute.

Legally Blonde

I saw the movie years ago and then found out it was based on a book. The book is cute and funny. I don't like some of the characters they changed in the movie. A quick and fun read. My favorite quote: "Never date men named after cities in Texas."

Styles by Maggie Sweet

A Southern novel about a woman who has lived in the same town her whole life and what happens when her old boyfriend comes back in town. She does not have a happy life with her husband and frankly, I could not see myself putting up with what she does. A cute story with fun town characters too.

24/7

This book is about a fictional reality show that takes place on a tropical island and something goes deadly wrong. The book was ok but I don't think it was well written. Characters seemed stereotypical in some cases. The idenity of Control (who was controlling the game) was a little too much too.

Night of Rain and Stars

Usually the late Maeve Binchy I've read is my new favorite of hers. I generally love her books. However, this one wasn't one of my favorites. How the main characters met and that they all had similar type problems seemed a little too conveinent to me. I still enjoyed it but I was expecting more.

What the Dead Know

Heather and Sunny were 2 girls who disappeared from a mall 30 years ago. Now, a mysterious woman claims she is one of the missing girls. An ok book but not really my type of book. I figured out the truth about who the woman was about halfway through the book and figure out why the authorities didn't figure out the truth sooner.
I usually don't do this but lately I've taken to copying down favorite lines in books. This is my favorite:
People tried on Miriam's pain in that way, modeled it for her, almost as if they expected to be flattered by their interest. But they never had any trouble shedding it when the time came. They plucked it off and handed it back to her, continuning their blessedly uneventful lives.

Vacation

I am going on vacation in 3 days. On my last relaxing vacation to the beach last summer, I read 3 books in a week. This time we will be away for almost a week but no kids. I wonder how much I can read? I don't want to bring too many books but I would have having nothing to read. I know I could always buy a book but I have so many at home. It's always hard to choose because I want to bring something I know I will like. And something that is light reading, not heavy reading. So far these are the books I may or may not take
Night of Rain and Stars-Maeve Binchy (definitely taking. I usually save her books for vacations)
Styles by Maggie Sweet-Judith Stacey
24-Jim Brown
Legally Blonde-Amanda Brown
1st two books of Georgia Nicholson books-Louise Rennison

I will probably finish one on the plane going and coming back. And I will bring some magazines too. Of course, I will be doing other things than reading but I am sure I will be doing lots of relaxing and reading too.

Decisions, decisions!

A Book Meme

I found this on Kari's blog and thought it would be fun to do.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
The Kite Runner. I just have no desire to read it.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), Harry Potter, and Annie McGairy (Joy in the Morning). An afternoon tea would be fun.

Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave? Maybe War and Peace? I really don't know enough about it, though, to know if I would really like it or not.

Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
I can't really think of any. I didn't finish Lord of the Flies in high school because I just couldn't get through it. I think I might have taken a test on it then

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?
I can't think of any.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why?
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I think it's a gripping story.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Japanese

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery

What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
New authors

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather-bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
A large room with many ceiling to floor bookcases. All of my favorite books plus all the ones that I want to read. Some first editions. Cozy, comfy,chairs.

And the final portion of this assignment is to tag four others:
anyone who reads this, feel free to do it!

Princess Diaries V: Princess in Pink

This is the last Princess Diaries book I have at the moment. Enjoyable and funny like the rest. Mia spends much of her book thinking about the prom. She is obcessed about going to prom. Again, I must be getting old because it seems so silly to me now. But I did want to go to my prom, which I never did. You had to have a date for my prom so I couldn't go since I didn't have one but I would have gone alone.

If you grew up in the 80s

and were a big reader, like me, you probably read The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High. I read a ton of them. You could always skip the first chapter of TBC books since it just described them all (but I always read just what Claudia was wearing). You knew that Jessica and Elizabeth were 5'6", blond and tan and their handsome older brother Steven.

I wish I had come up with the concept for these 2 blogs but I didn't. They are both hilarious.

The Babysitter's Club blog
Sweet Valley High blog

The Secret Princess Diaries

Or Project Princess, Princess Diaries IV and a Half. For some reason, when I was collecting these books I got both the British and American version of this one not realizing they were the same book. I read the British version since for some reason it has a few more journal entries than the American one. This book takes place during Mia's spring break.

Princess Diaries IV: Princess in Waiting

I found myself upset with Mia for most of the book. Why can't she see how silly she is being? Or maybe that's how teenaged girls act. Now I feel old. Actually, I think I might have acted like her often.

Princess Diaries III: Princess in Love

This book revolves around Mia and her crush on her best friend's Lilly's brother, Michael. Mia has her first boyfriend, Kenny, who she does not like very much as a boyfriend. A very sweet ending to the book.

Princess Diaries II: Princess in the Spotlight

I read the first volume a while ago and liked it but not as much as I thought I would. I've only seen parts of the movies but I don't like the way they changed them. Anyway, I do like the books better now and am trying to read them all but I only own up to volume V; I will get the rest through paperbackswap, frugal reader or the library. The story is good and would be good without the whole princess aspect. I would read it for the adventures of Mia, non princess, but the princess thing just adds to the story.

Heartburn

Rachel finds out, when she is 7 months pregnant, that her husband is having an affair. I read that this book is semi autobiographical. I'm sure this is supposed to be funny but I found it more sad than funny. I guess I don't get the whole lifestyle of extramarital affairs where everyone is having one and nobody seems to care that much or the couple gets back together. And the way Rachel is always thinking of the next guy she could possibly date if her marriage breaks up. I had no idea this book was a movie; with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, nonetheless. Another for the Netflix list. Even if I didn't enjoy the book much, I want to see how the movie plays out.

Island of the Aunts

This is the third book I've read by Eva Ibbotson and I'm 1 for 3. I loved Which Witch. This book and The Secret of Platform 13 were only just ok. I don't think I was into the whole island setting and save the creatures part of this book. Just not that interesting to me. I still plan to read some other Ibbotson books in the future,though.,

The Diary of Melanie Martin

Another short preteen book. I actually read this in an hour. I am a sucker for any type of "diary" book so that's what made me pick this up. 10 year old Melanie travels to Italy with her family and learns more about herself and her family. I found out there is a series of Melanie and her travels books so I will read the others some time.

A Painted House

I like John Grisham's books. I forget when I opened this that this isn't one of his legal thrillers. But the narrator is a young boy and I love coming of age stories. A fascinating portrayal of rural cotton farmers in the 1950s. Some things Luke (the narrator) did frustrated me but I had to remember that he was only a child. It seemed like cotton ruled all and he was afraid to tell his parents and Pappy anything that might affect what happened in the cotton fields. I forgot this was made into a movie until after I read it. I got the movie from Netflix and have watched part of it. So far, it's been pretty accurate and enjoyable.

Frankie Murphy's Kiss List

A very short pre-teen book. Frankie Murphy is the new "cool" kid in class. Travis doesn't like him and challenges Frankie to kiss all 6 girls in the 6th grade in a few weeks time span. Funny, cute book.

The Tangle Box

This is the fourth book in the Landover series. I thought it was the final book but there is one more book, which I've ordered through Paperbackswap.
I don't enjoy too much fantasy but I like the Landover series. I think it's because it has some crossover with our world. In the first book, Ben Holiday buys a magic kingdom from a catalogue for $1 million dollars. By book 4, he is already established as the king of Landover but still doesn't know everything about this magical world. He has a myriad of problems during his first few years but somehow comes back from them all.
A fun series. I always find a slow part in these books but mostly it is good, fun reading.