Thursday, March 26, 2009

Judge a book by its cover?


Heck yea! I'm notorious for doing that. Why? Because they do say a lot about the book. Growing up I had to deal with the cheesy covers placed on Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly books. They contained cartoonish characters that made me want to gag. I didn't want to be seen dead with those books! And I was right. I hated Beverly Cleary books and the Judy Blume books I did read where the more sophisticated ones with teenagers on the covers.

The covers that are placed on teen books today are awesome! It makes me want to read them. For example look at Luxe.
It has this classy look to it. I personally favored those books that looked grown up. I always picked up a book that was large and had a classy cover.

Even today, I pick books with nice covers such as "Twilight", "Plain Janes", "The Pursuit of Love" and "Blue Bloods" to name a few. I seriously picked them because of their cover. I hate reading the summary from a book jacket. It's like the whole story and key plotlines ruin it for me. So I use the cover and the first paragraph of a book to guide me. If I can't get through the first paragraph, forget it!

So I say, YES!! Judge a book by its cover. Honestly I think this "saying(?)" was made up back when publishers had no choice with their book jackets and every single book had a plain leather cover with some gold embossing. Now it's like come on! You can do better than that.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Pip, pip! and all that rubbish!

The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate: Two Novels The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate: Two Novels by Nancy Mitford


My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the Pursuit of Love. Mitford's style of writing is fun to read. I enjoyed the peek into the inner sanctum of an entitled English family. The details of everyday life and how the family evolved are for great storytelling. Linda's pursuit of love didn't lead her in the right direction but the matter of fact way in which the narrator tells her story makes you laugh and cry.

Love in a Cold Climate was very fascinating but not as funny as POFL. Mitford's writing and her inside look to the privileged English family is interesting and allows you to see how the other half lives. I recommend this book to all who are interested in English life.
My favorite quote of the book: "Be kind to the young ladies, you never know who they may marry".


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Friday, March 06, 2009

Princess Diaries V: Grandmere Rocks!!

Princess in Pink (The Princess Diaries, Book 5) Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
This 5th installment of the PD is very entertaining. Mia starts to realize what she is good at and nurtures it by writing for the school newspaper. While once again her friend Lilly is no friend at all, her mother is self absorbed with her own problems and her boyfriend doesn't understand how much the prom means to her. I am so hooked on this series.

It seems to me that Grandmere is the only person who understands Mia. Whenever there is something wrong or is bothering her, Grandmere is the only one to catch it and actually asks her what is wrong and helps her solve it. Neither her BFF or her mother (not to mention her absent womanizing father) take the time to talk to her and be there for her. Grandmere rocks! I also enjoyed this book more because it included more Michael. :)


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Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Koyal dark, mango sweet.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth


My review


rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was a nice coming of age story, though the author's point was a bit belabored in her attempt to establish Jeeta as an independent thinker. Jeeta's voice in the book made her seem younger than her 16 years.



It's a very simple story of a young girl’s struggle to defy convention and decide her own destiny. I realized too late there was a glossary of terms at the end of the book, which would have helped me understand it better. I do recommend it as a book club selection as a way to start introducing your teens to other cultures and their dating rituals.




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