Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Vols 1-10 by Louise Rennison

Published: Various

Summary: Curlypow

Obtained: Curlypow's collection

The 10 volumes that comprise the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson cover approximately 2 years in the life of ordinary British schoolgirl Georgia. She and her best friends, the Ace Gang, navigate the complex and troubled waters of high school with humour and tears. They cope with the highs and lows of first love, while dealing with angry and jealous prefects, unreasonable teachers, unsympathetic parents and the occasional demented cat. Georgia is in the unenviable position of having to decide between boyfriends, which turns out to be a much harder task than anyone would believe. The path to true love is definitely not smooth for Georgia!

I absolutely love this series. It was published over the course of 10 years and I have waited anxiously for every volume to come out. Sometimes I think that I relate to this series because I went to school in england and I remember 'nicker warmers in the blodge lab' (for the un-initiated, that is a radiator that can be sat on in the biology lab- I used one often in the cold winters)and other uniquely British items. But if you're not sure what things are you can always check out the glossary at the back of the books. Ms Rennison has managed to capture the realities of school with humour and insight. What exactly does 'see you later' mean in boy/girl language? Does anyone out there really know? Georgia goes from having no boyfriend to having 3, well not really 3, because Dave the laugh doesn't really count- does he? Well may'be, he certainly is a good snogger (kisser), but she only went out with him to make the Sex God jealous, and then the Luurve God came on the scene and .... Oh you'll just have to read them for yourselves.

I have just re-read all 10 volumes in 3 days - I know, get a life Curlypow. I didn't intend to read them that way, it just happened. I couldn't stop myself. I sat in my chair with my cup of tea and a box of kleenex and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The kleenex I must point out, were for tears of laughter, not sadness. The books are laugh-out-loud funny even after a third or fourth reading. In my humble opinion, these are an absolute, must have summer read. So if you haven't already met Georgia, pop off to the library, or bookstore and get aquainted, and if you have read them before - well they're worth reading again!

Vol. 1 Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging

Vol. 2 On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Vol. 3 Knocked Out by my Nunga Nungas

Vol. 4 Away Laughing on a Fast Camel

Vol. 5 Dancing in My Nuddy Pants

Vol. 6 Then he Ate m Boy Entrancers

Vol. 7 Startled by his Furry Shorts

Vol. 8 Love is a Many Trousered Thing

Vol. 9 Stop in the Name of Pants

Vol. 10 Are These my Basoomas I See Before Me

After by Amy Efaw

Published August 2009

Summary: Goodreads

Obtained: Borrowed from the library

Summary:
An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant...


Before that morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature.

But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made — Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers.

After that morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

Review:
WOW!! I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book after reading the summary.  Being a new mom, the concept of this ever happening just seemed unfathomable.  My curiosity got the best of me though and I started reading yesterday.  I just couldn't seem to stop!  Rarely do I find a book so raw that it had me yelling and cursing the characters, not sure whether to put the book down from frustration or to keep reading to see how it ends.  I'm glad I kept reading.

For the first 50 pages I found myself so angry at Devon.  She just seemed to be so 'out of it'.  I couldn't believe how this event couldn't have affected her.  Was she unintelligent?  Brain damaged?  How could someone be so disconnected and emotionally unavailable?  The book continued and slowly peeled back layers of her defenses to truly understand her situation.  Both the reader and Devon uncover the truth behind her story together.  It's easy to read something and form your own judgements about the individuals involved.  It's harder to admit that you formed your opinion without knowing the full story.

After was thought-provoking, emotionally charged and fast-paced.  It receives a 'thumbs up' from me and I'll be on the lookout for more by Ms. Efaw.  BTW, Amy Efaw mentions some interesting facts at the end of the book regarding the "Dumpster Baby" phenomenon.  I highly recommend reading this as well.  Tragic but fascinating.

Smart Chicks Kick It Tour

Calling all YA Paranormal fans!!

Smart Chicks Kick It Tour

In September 2010, a group of paranormal authors will be touring across the USA and stopping in (only) one Canadian city (sniff, sniff).  Each stop will feature 6 authors.  Appearing at every stop will be Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, and Kelley Armstrong.
 
 

 
Here is a list of all of the authors involved.
 
Appearing at Every Stop


Melissa Marr http://www.melissa-marr.com/

Alyson Noel http://www.alysonnoel.com/

Kelley Armstrong http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/

Appearing at Selected Stops

Jennifer Lynn Barnes http://www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com/

Holly Black http://www.blackholly.com/

Sarah Rees Brennan http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/

Rachel Caine http://www.rachelcaine.com/

Cassandra Clare http://www.cassandraclare.com/

Melissa de la Cruz http://www.melissa-delacruz.com/

Kimberly Dertlng http://www.kimberlyderting.com/

Becca Fitzpatrick http://www.beccafitzpatrick.com/

Kami Garcia &Margaret Stohl http://www.beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/

Jackson Pearce http://www.jacksonpearce.com/

Mary Pearson http://www.marypearson.com/

Carrie Ryan http://www.carrieryan.com/

Jeri Smith-Ready http://www.jerismithready.com/

Jessica Verday http://www.jessicaverday.com/

Rachel Vincent http://www.rachelvincent.com/

I cannot tell you how excited Curlypow and I (Christinabean) are about this.  Seeing there that is only one Canadian stop, we have both booked the day off....hope to see you there!  (How can you NOT be excited about this??)

Wake by Lisa McCann

Wake by Lisa McCann

Borrowed from Library

As I am sure many of you have already heard, it seems that Miley Cyrus has been signed up to play the part of Janie in the movie of Lisa McCann's book Wake. Not sure how Christinabean and I feel about that, but we'll leave that discussion for another time and place. I'm sure that in the wake (sorry about the pun) of this news, new editions of the novel will be published and there will be renewed interest. So I thought I would remind you all what the story is about and see if I can convince some of you to read if, if you haven't already!

Janie is a pretty normal 17 year old , in every way but one - she has the ability to enter peoples dreams. Unfortunately she has no control over her ability and would rather not have it all. Janie has no-one she can talk to about this, not even her best friend Carrie. When she meets Cabel at school, she begins to think that she has finally found someone she can trust with her secrets. Then she finds out that Cabel is dealing drugs and hanging around with another girl. How can she trust him again?

I'm ashamed to admit that I actually took this book home from the library three times before I eventually got around to reading it today. Not sure why - I don't think I like the cover very much - but now I'm just sorry I didn't read it first time around. It was really enjoyable and I whipped through it in about 24 hours. Ms McCann's descriptions of the dreams that Janie experiences were really spot on. I don't think there's anyone out there who hasn't dreamt of falling/drowning/being naked etc. so it was easy to believe what Janie was experiencing. The same can be said of nightmares, although I hope I never have one like Cabel's. Janie's relationship with Cabel is full of ups and downs, and is definitely not a sure bet. I have to point out that there is some bad language in this one, and several references to teen drinking and drugs, but truthfully that is what made the book seem more realistic to me. Well worth reading, if you haven't already done so.

Manifest by Artist Arthur

Hi all, curlypow here. This is my first review from a yet-to-be published ARC, and it was so much fun knowing that I could read this book ahead of time and tell you all about it.

Manifest by Artist Arthur

Pub Date: 08/01/2010
e-ARC courtesy of Harlequin and Net Galley

Krystal is a typical teen. Mad at her parents for getting divorced, mad at her mom for getting remarried, mad at her stepfather for trying too hard, and mad at her dad for not being around when she needs him. Then there's the fact that her mom moved her from her home and relocated to Lincoln, in the back end of nowhere. Could things get any worse? Well perhaps the fact that she is seeing, and hearing, ghosts might count.

Ricky is one of those ghosts she's talking to and he wants Krystal to find out who killed him - but where should she start? Krystal becomes friends with Sasha and Jake, two other misfits at her highschool and together they try to help find Ricky's murderer. Of course for Krystal, the fact that she's crushing on a dead guy doesn't help matters!

I have to be honest that when I started reading this I wasn't too sure about it, and I found Krystal a little annoying, but before long I was hooked. Krystal, Sasha and Jake were believable without being too over-the-top and Krystal's transition from moody to accepting was well handled. There is a good lesson in here, for both teens and adults. The mystery behind Ricky's death was somewhat startling, but I don't want say too much about it or I'll give away the story. It's an interesting and awkward subject and would make this story a great addition to our ISU list, in the social issues category. I ended up really enjoying the story. It looks as though this may turn into a series and I will look forward to reading more about these characters.

Rachel Vincent will be coming to the Chicago area!

Here's your chance to meet Rachel Vincent, author of the Soul Screamers series!

Rachel Vincent Event Schedule


Friday, June 25th:
10am-12pm
Meijer Highland, IN
10138 Indianapolis Blvd
Highland, IN 46322

2pm-4pm
Kmart Tinley Park, IL
16300 Harlem
Tinley Park, IL 60477

6pm-8pm
Walmart Joliet, IL
2424 W. Jefferson
St, Joliet, IL, 60436

Saturday, June 26th:
10am-12pm
Kmart Naperville, IL
1199 E. Ogden Ave.
Naperville, IL 60563

2pm-4pm
Kmart Bloomingdale, IL
156 South Gary Ave
Bloomingdale, IL 60108

6pm-8pm
Walmart Gurnee, IL
6590 Grand Ave
Gurnee, IL 60031

Sunday, June 27th:
10am-12pm
Kmart Racine, WI
2211 South Green Bay
Racine, WI 53406

2pm-4pm
Kmart Brookfield, WI
18200 W Bluemound Rd
Brookfield, WI 53045

In My Mailbox (Christinabean) - June 19, 2010

In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week.  Books may be bought, taken out from the library or bought from a store.


Since this is my first, I'll list some of the books I've received that I'm very excited to read -

Taken out from the library

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

Bought from the bookcart

The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Handle with care by Jodi Picoult

The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

Won from Readergirlz (this is my favorite) 

A copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth (signed by Carrie Ryan eeek!!!!)

Win a signed copy of Girl Parts by John Cusick compliments of Chick Loves Lit

Win a copy of Girl Parts by John Cusick compliments of Chick Loves Lit! Click here to enter!