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GG 1 x 20: P.S. I Lo…

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

P.S. I Lo… originally aired May 3, 2001.  It was written by Elaine Arata and Joan Binder Weiss and was directed by Lev L. Spiro.

Brief Summary: Rory goes to Richard and Emily’s house after having a fight with Lorelei.

We open with Rory and Lorelei playing 1,2,3 at the diner.  Luke, of course, wants to know what they’re playing, and watches as Kirk is Lorelei’s choice.  Rory’s first guy is Dean, and they stop playing.

Max calls Lorelei, and Lane and Rory are talking as they walk through town.  Lane tells Rory that Dean doesn’t work at Doosey’s on Wednesdays, while Lorelei later runs into Luke at the Cat Club.  He went shopping to get Rachel a birthday present, but hates going to the mall.  Lorelei volunteers to go shopping for him and will pick out a few potential presents.

Dean is Lane’s partner for a science project, which is awfully convenient.  Mrs. Kim has very specific rules for them working together, and they talk about Rory.  Lane mentions how Rory can’t go into Doosey’s, because Dean works there.  As much as I like Rory, not going into the market because Dean might be in there is a little weird.  It’s a small town, you can’t avoid places just because your ex-boyfriend might there.  Rory walks in and finds them working on the project, and leaves immediately.

The next morning, Lorelei wakes up Rory, and wants her to skip school so they can go shopping together.  Rory goes to school instead, and Lorelei gets a great present for Rachel and a bunch of clothes for Luke, who is insistent that he doesn’t want it.

At Chilton, Rory isn’t paying attention in Mr. Medina’s class, and he wants to talk to her after class.  He’s worried about her, and mentions her break-up with Dean.  Rory is confused as to why he knows about her and Dean, and she learns that Lorelei and Max have been talking for a while, and are now back together.

Back at Luke’s, he’s trying on the clothes Lorelei got, and says he’s going to return them later on.  Meanwhile, Lane is waiting for Rory at the bus stop with coffee, and apologizes for not telling her that she was studying with Dean.  Lane didn’t want to make Rory sad, because Rory gets sad every time someone brings up Dean.  Rory doesn’t want anyone to protect her, and that she’d get over Dean faster if people stopped protecting her.  I totally get Lane’s point, and Rory in this scene was kind of annoying.

Rory and Lorelei talk about how Lorelei didn’t tell Rory about Max- Lorelei didn’t want to share her happy news when Rory was so sad about Dean and because she wanted to give Rory some space.  Rory mentions Lorelei breaking up with guys a lot, so she’s not expecting the thing with Max to last long.  Lorelei stops at the market while Rory goes home…only she goes to Richard and Emily’s instead.  Lorelei arrives at home to find that Rory isn’t there.

When Rory arrives at Richard and Emily’s, they’re getting ready to go to a fundraiser.  Richard pays the cab driver and Rory goes inside.  Random thought- why did Rory take a cab instead of taking the bus?

Anyway, Rory tells them she had a fight with Lorelei, and didn’t know where to go.  She apologizes for ruining their night, and goes to bed early.  Lorelei is all worried about Rory, because she has no idea where Rory is.  Emily calls Lorelei, who wants to go get Rory, but Emily says to wait until morning so everyone can have some time to think and calm down.  The next morning, Rory goes off to school, and Emily mentions that she talked to Lorelei, who wasn’t mad at Rory for leaving, but was really worried.

Lorelei is walking home from Luke’s, after a night of not sleeping well, and sees Dean in the market, so she goes to talk to him.  I really hated how Lorelei went off on Dean, who did tell her about why they broke up.  I’m not the biggest fan of Dean, but I do think he has a point when he says that he’s tired of everyone blaming him for the break-up and how he’s tired of everyone treating him like he’s the bad guy.  I mean, everyone’s so willing to blame Dean, and it’s like the thought that Rory might have had something to do with it never crossed their mind.

Lorelei goes to talk to Rory, and tells Rory that she doesn’t want Rory to make the same mistakes she does, in terms of relationships.  Rory finally talks about the break-up, they make up, and they go home.  The episode ends with Lorelei calling people to tell them she’s dating Max.

Favorite line/scene: Mrs. Kim: “I see all.”

Rory: “Don’t take this personally, but get out.”

Richard: “Rory, I’m sorry you’re upset, but I applaud your timing.”

Pop culture: Anna Nicole Smith, Mary Kay LaTournaeu, Out Of Africa, Meryl Streep, Fabio, GQ, Hanson

Final thoughts: I really liked this episode, which is the last one BEFORE the season finale.  Things are getting wrapped up for the finale, which I’ll talk about next week.  I really can’t think of anything I want to add, so this episode gets 4 mugs of coffee.  I didn’t love this episode, but it’s still pretty good.

The Raven Boys

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The Raven Boys CoverBook: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater|Narrated by Will Patton

Published September 2012|Published by Scholastic Audio|Run time: 11 hours, 4 minutes|Audiobook via the library

Part of a series? Yes, Raven Cycle #1

Genre: YA/Fantasy

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Maggie Stiefvater’s website

Goodreads.com Summary: Legend holds that Glendower, a vanished Welsh king, sleeps beneath the hills until he’s needed. The first person to find him will be granted a wish – either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Gansey has it all – family money, a car, time for extracurriculars and friends – but he’s always loved the tales of sleeping kings. He thinks he’s found one too, or at least the area where one might be: in the town of Henrietta, VA. And the best way to be there is to attend prestigious Aglionby Academy for Boys.

Blue is the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, but is too practical to believe in things like spirits or true love. Her policy is to stay away from Aglionby boys…but it may be that one in particular can change her mind about magic, and maybe even love.

My Review:

I’m really not sure what to say about The Raven Boys.  I started out liking it, but by the end, I found myself getting bored.  I will admit that getting a wish by way of a sleeping Welsh king is intriguing, and I loved the idea of ley lines and magic and psychics.  But there was just too much going on for me to properly stay interested.  There were a lot of characters, who are all unique, and I loved that they were unique.  But many of them had their own storylines, and it felt like a lot of them narrated parts of the novel, so keeping track of everything I was listening to get a bit tiresome.  Plus, whenever I’d get interested in something, I’d lost that same interest minutes later.

Virginia seemed like a strange setting- and it took me half the book to realize that it was even set in Virginia.  With all the talk of ley lines, magic and psychics, it really seemed like it was set in, like, Scotland or England.  It just, whenever I hear ley lines, I think of the Southwest or the U.K., maybe even Central America, but not Virginia.

As for the narration, Will Patton was a great choice.  He did a great job narrating, and he really got it right.

I think the major reason why The Raven Boys didn’t work for me was because I listened to it.  There was enough going on that I had trouble keeping up with it, so it’s quite possible that I might have liked it better had I held the book in my own two hands.

Final Thoughts And Rating:

I kind of get why people like Maggie Stiefvater, but The Raven Boys had too much going on, and I felt like Stiefvater introduced too many characters and had more plot points than was really necessary.  It really didn’t work as an audiobook, even though Patton did a wonderful job narrating.  Nothing really seems to be explained but a lot is introduced.  It gets 2 stars.

Top Books Of 2012, Part 2

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So, in a recent Top 10 Tuesday post, I talked about some of my favorite books of 2012.  Except…I just couldn’t couldn’t limit myself to just 10.  I tried to do the honorable mention thing…

…only to list enough to do another list!  And that’s what I’m doing today!  Here are some of my other 2012 favorites:

  • In Honor by Jessi Kirby.  I loved In Honor, and how Honor went on a road trip to fulfill her brother’s last wish.  Such a great book!
  • And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts.  I feel like I’ve talked about this one frequently, but it really has stuck with me, and it really is one of the stand-outs of the year.
  • Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  A world where love is a disease and you have to undergo surgery so you don’t get it?  Definitely a strange world (and one that’s a little scary).  But still a great read!
  • Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  I can’t believe Cinder never made it on my first list!  I love Meyer’s take on Cinderella, and how it’s a futuristic, Cyborg Cinderella story.
  • Don’t Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala.  I think this one is one of my favorite YA contemporaries I’ve read this year.  I could definitely relate to Joy.
  • When She Woke by Hillary Jordan.  I love this cross between A Handmaid’s Tale and The Scarlet Letter.  Plus, it’s an adult dystopic novel and the idea that you have Chromes, who have their skin dyed according to the crimes they commit…it’s kinda strange.  But also interesting.
  • Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  I think Shatter Me is one of my favorite dystopic novels, and I think it’s because Juliette can torture and kill people just by touching them…unless they are one of the two people who seem immune to her touch.  I’m really looking forward to Unravel Me, which comes out next year.
  • Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers.  A convent where you have assassins blessed by the God Of Death and serve the old gods?  I’m so there!  I loved the historical aspect of the book, and you have assassin nuns.  What’s not to like?
  • Wings by Aprilynne Pike.   I know I’ve talked about Wings a lot, but it really is one of my favorites.  I love what Pike did with fairies!
  • Need by Carrie Jones.  This one is another one I’ve talked about a lot, but this series has a lot of funny moments.  And Zara is a fun, cool character.
  • Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.  I am so excited about Boundless, which comes out next year.  This series is one of my favorites, at least where angels are concerned.  But it’s also one of my favorites, period.
  • Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  It’s Anna And The French Kiss, so how could I not include it?  Anna and Etienne are such an adorable couple, and I love that it’s in Paris.
  • Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  I almost forgot about this one, and I don’t know how I can do that, because Evie is such a cool (and very memorable) character.

I really could go on and on about the books I’ve read this year, but I think I’ll have to save that for another day.  And for a post that’s not highlighting some of my favorites from the last year.

Ghost Town

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Ghost Town CoverBook: Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

Published October 2010|Published by Penguin Group|236 pages|Purchased for my Nook

Part of a series? Yes, Morganville Vampires #9

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Vampires

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Rachel Caine

Goodreads.com Summary: 

While developing a new system to maintain the town’s defenses, genius student Claire Danvers discovers a way to use the vampires’ powers to keep outsiders from spreading news of Morganville’s “unique” situation. 

But when people in town start forgetting who they are-including the vampires-Claire has to figure out how to pull the plug on her experiment before she forgets how to save herself…and Morganville.

My Review:

This is definitely an interesting book in the Morganville Vampire series.  Claire fixes the machine that keeps Morganville going…but everyone loses their memories in the process.  Well, most everyone- Claire and Oliver seem to be the only ones immune to the strange memory loss, which isn’t really surprising.  I’m not at all surprised that Claire came up with something that had serious (but temporary) consequences- but I was surprised that people didn’t remember the last three years.

And Shane knowing that he was still into Claire, even when he didn’t remember her?  It was such a sweet moment in the book!  Myrnin was his usual crazy self, and Shane’s dad totally did something unexpected.  Amelie and Oliver really do have an interesting relationship, and you really see that during the brief time Oliver took control over the town.  I really can’t wait to see how that relationship continues to develop.

Ghost Town certainly adds to the series, especially with that cliffhanger ending!  I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had one, and I was wondering when Caine would bust one out.  Again, the characters are pretty consistent, except for when they’re not…and there is usually a reason for them acting weird.

Final thoughts:

I really liked it, and while it’s a fun and interesting read, it’s not one of my favorites.  Still, it’s pretty consistent, and each book keeps building on the last one, so it gets 4 stars.

A Blue So Dark

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A Blue So Dark CoverBook:  A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

Published September 2010|Published by Llewellyn Worldwide|200 pages|Purchased for my Nook

Part of a series? No

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Holly Schindler

Goodreads.com Summary: Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

My Review:

The plot: The connection between creativity and mental illness is one that’s pretty interesting.  There were times when things were predictable- like when Aura’s boss at her part-time job turned out to be her grandmother.  Or her mom getting help and acting perfectly fine after what seems like a month of treatment.  That, to, me didn’t seem too realistic. However, I liked that her mom was schizophrenic and not depressed, which is what I’d expect.  Also predictable?  Aura being okay with her interest in art in the end.

The characters: I didn’t really care for Aura’s mom, grandma or dad.  But I did like Aura.  I liked seeing Aura struggle with her own creativity because of her mom.  Aura’s artistic talents seemed similar to her mom’s, in that they both drew and painted and whatnot.  I like that there’s that connection between them, but it was also irritating because I would have liked Aura to be creative in a different way than her mom.

Other Thoughts: I didn’t really like how no one seemed to notice or care that Aura was the one taking care of her mom.  Like, she gets called into the counselor’s office, who didn’t even ask if anything was going on at home.  Granted, they do call her home quite a few times, it’s almost like there was no effort to call her dad.  I get why Aura didn’t tell anyone, and I’m not sure she would have told her counselor, even if she had been asked about her home life.  Is this reality for some kids out there?  Sure.  I could relate to Aura in some ways, and overall, she was pretty likeable.

Final Thoughts and Rating:

I liked A Blue So Dark, but not as much as I thought.  It was a little predictable at times, and some things just didn’t fit.  But the connection between mental illness and creativity is a pretty interesting idea, and I did like the parallels between Aura’s creativity and how creative her mom and grandma are.  It gets 3 stars.

Meant To Be

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Meant To Be LM CoverBook: Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Published November 2012|Published by Random House Children’s Books|304 pages|Purchased for my Nook

Series or Stand-alone? It’s a stand-alone!

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Lauren Morrill’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question. 

It’s one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she’s queen of following rules and being prepared. That’s why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that’s also why she’s chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB (“meant to be”).

But this spring break, Julia’s rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she’s partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

The Review:

I was really excited about Meant To Be, because it just sounds so fun and cute!  It was fun and cute, and I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would.

I loved that it took place in London on a school trip.  And I LOVED that Julia’s idea of her MTB changed.  I wasn’t a big fan of Julia, and thought she was kind of annoying.  She’s really determined to follow the rules, to the point that she’d rather look through her many guidebooks instead of visiting the places in said guidebooks.  It was clear early on that she and Jason would end up together, and I honestly don’t get why she was so interested in Mark.  Maybe to show how you can put someone on a pedestal or something?  Jason was all over the place- sweet and fun one minute, and ignoring Julia the next.  And I don’t completely get their attraction to each other.  There’s the obvious opposites attract thing going on, but their relationship could have been a little more developed.  Overall, the romance was pretty predictable.

You don’t really get when Jason started to like Julia…and while you see the moment she realized she liked Jason, it felt really random.

I think my favorite part was the descriptions of London- it just makes me want to visit London even more than I already do.  It just felt like Julia was going through the motions when she was visiting.  I was kind of reminded of Anna And The French Kiss, in the sense that they’re both about teens exploring a foreign country while falling in love.  If you liked Anna, you might want to check this one out.

 Final thoughts:

It was a cute, quick read.  I didn’t like it as much as a I thought I would, but I still enjoyed it.  And the cover is just beautiful!  Meant To Be gets 3 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: 10 Books And Movies To Get Me Into The Christmas Spirit

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Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top 10 lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: 10 Books And Movies To Get Me Into The Christmas Spirit

I figured this would be a great post for today, so I’m sharing some books and movies that get me in the holiday spirit.  I love this time of year because of all the movies and t.v. specials and books that put me in the Christmas spirit.

The Book Edition:

  1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.  It doesn’t seem like Christmas without this one.
  2. The Night Before Christmas.  This is a Christmas classic, and it really doesn’t seem like Christmas unless I read The Night Before Christmas.
  3. Harry Potter.  Something about Harry puts me in the Christmas mood.  Besides, you know Christmas at Hogwarts is totally amazing.
  4. The Polar Express.  How can you not get into the Christmas spirit after reading this?
  5. The Gift Of The Magi.  It’s definitely Christmas-y, and I haven’t read it since I had to read it in middle school.  It’s  a great story to read this time of year.

The Movie Edition:

  1. Home Alone.  I just love Home Alone, and nothing says Christmas like Home Alone.
  2. Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.  This stop-motion movie is a Christmas classic, and you cannot convince me otherwise.  It is not Christmas until I’ve watched this movie.
  3. A Charlie Brown Christmas.  I love the holiday season because of the Charlie Brown movies!  I love a Charlie Brown Christmas, and it’s so fun to watch.
  4. Love Actually.  It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies EVER.  And it has Alan Rickman!
  5. Miracle On 34th St.  I know this is horrible but…I’ve never seen it!  Every year I tell myself I’m going to watch it and then I never do.  Still, it doesn’t seem like Christmas without it!

Happy holidays everyone!

GG 1 x 19: Emily In Wonderland

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Emily In Wonderland originally aired April 26, 2001.  Emily In Wonderland was written by John Stephens and Linda Loiselle Guzik and was directed by Perry Lang.

Brief Summary: Emily visits Stars Hollow and spends the afternoon with Rory.

We open with Friday night dinner, where Rory is asking for pictures for a visual family history project for school.  We learn that Lorelei burned all of the pictures of her as a kid.  Rory notices that the chairs are new but Lorelei thinks they look the same.  Emily talks about how she’s been looking for them all over the East Coast and how she looked for them for three years in different antique shops.  Rory tells her about Kim’s Antiques and invites her to Stars Hollow for an afternoon.

The next morning, Rachel shows Lorelei a picture of her and Luke at the Firelight Festival and then shows her a picture of an old abandoned inn, and invites Lorelei to go see it with her.  Lorelei mentions that she and Sookie have talked about opening their own inn someday.

At the inn, Lorelei sees Roon in the lobby, and we learn that most of his family doesn’t want to talk to him and that he lost his job and got kicked out of the place he was living in.  Lorelei agrees to let him work at the inn and live in the tool shed, where Lorelei and Rory lived when Rory was a baby.

Meanwhile, Emily arrives in Stars Hollow, and Rory wants to give her a walking tour of Stars Hollow.  Emily, of course, disagrees at first, but Rory says she can borrow a pair of shoes from Lorelei.  They finally arrive at Kim’s Antiques, and Emily initially complains about how cluttered it is…until she spots something she likes.  She browses while Lane and Rory talk.  They eventually leave and Emily mentions how she likes the antique store and the shoes she borrowed from Lorelei.

Meanwhile, Roon asks Michel where his room is and Michel is very amused with this- and doesn’t believe Roon when he says Lorelei hired him.  Lorelei vouches for Roon, and takes him to the tool shed.  Rory and Emily stop by, and Emily and Michel meet.  They really like each other, and then they run into Lorelei before Rory gives Emily the grand tour.

On the one hand, it’s not that hard to believe that Emily rarely makes the trip to Stars Hollow, and that it was probably her first time at the inn.  Especially with the relationship that Lorelei and Emily have.  But you’d think Emily would have an idea of where Lorelei was after leaving home at 16, and gone to bring her back home.  We finally see the shed that Lorelei and Rory lived in, and Emily doesn’t take it well.  I don’t blame her, because Lorelei went from living this really nice life, in a mansion to working as a maid and living in a shed.  It had to have been hard to see.

Back at Luke’s, Lorelei sees his apartment for the first time.  Rachel is showing her pictures, and they talk about Luke.  Lorelei talks to Luke about how he should give Rachel a chance, and that she’d probably end up leaving because she thought he didn’t want her to stay.  Apparently, it’s not the first time he’s heard this speech from her, so I don’t blame him for not believing her.

Rory gets a phone call from Emily, and Emily is asking her a bunch of questions, like her favorite color and her favorite flower.  It turns out that Emily has a big surprise for Rory- a room at the mansion for Rory, since Rory is spending a lot of time there.  Rory goes downstairs, and Emily mentions the shed that Rory and Lorelei lived in.  Lorelei just really needed to live away from Richard and Emily.  It does seem like it was completely horrible for Lorelei, but seriously, why didn’t Emily and Richard make her come home?  It seems like they just let her leave, and had no clue where she was living, but if they did know where she was, why didn’t they go after her?  And if they did, it was certainly never mentioned on the show.  I think they would have mentioned Lorelei leaving twice, but maybe the writers never thought of including that.

The episode ends with Lorelei, Rory and Sookie at the Dragonfly.

Favorite scenes: the opening Friday night dinner

Pop culture: boy bands- notably, N*SYNC, Backstreet Boys and 98 degrees, Charlie’s Angels, Prince, To Kill A Mockingbird, infomercials

Final thoughts: I really liked this episode.  It was nice to see Emily visiting Stars Hollow, which she really doesn’t do very often.  Well, not that we see.  It does bring up an interesting aspect to Emily and Lorelei’s relationship, and you have to wonder why Emily didn’t have a special room for Rory before.  It gets 4 mugs of coffee.

2012 End Of Year Book Survey

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I still have a couple ideas for end-year-bookish stuff, but I figured I’d start with this end of the year book survey hosted by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner.

2012 Year End Survey

Best In Books

1- Best Book You Read In 2012 (You Can Break It Down By Genre If You Want)

I am so glad I can break this one down by genre!  I don’t know how I’d pick otherwise.

Best YA Paranormal- Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine, The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Best YA Dystopic- Divergent by Veronica Roth, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Best Adult Fiction- When She Woke by Hilary Jordan, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Best Overall- The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

2- Book You Were Excited About And Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

This is a hard one because I liked most of what I read.  I think I’m going to have to go with A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  It totally seemed up my alley, but I just couldn’t get into it.

3- Most Surprising (In A Good Way!) Book Of 2012

Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan had me all over the place.  It’s also one of the books that I WILL NOT allow myself to read at work, because I don’t want anyone to freak out if they see me crying.

4- Book You Recommended Most To People In 2012?

If you’re talking about books I mention a lot, then check out question #1.  But I’d also recommend Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Unwind by Neal Shusterman and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

5- Best New Series You Discovered In 2012?

The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Wings by Aprilynne Pike and Need by Carrie Jones top the list of series I read and loved this year.

6- Favorite New Authors You Discovered In 2012?

I’m not going to recap my favorite new authors here, because I’ve already covered some of my favorite new authors in this post.

7- Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

This is a hard one, mostly because I mostly stick to YA and history.  But I loved Still Alice by Lisa Genova and really liked Good Fairies, Bad Fairies by Brian Froud.

8- Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

There are so many choices, and part of me wants to go with something I haven’t said already…but I really have to go with Morganville Vampires.  It’s a very addicting series!

9- Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read In 2013?

Hmmm…probably The Fault In Our Stars by John Green and Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers.

10- Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012

One of my favorite things about reading is seeing all the really pretty covers!  This one is my favorite:

Unearthly Cover

11- Most Memorable character in 2012?

A from Every Day by David Levithan.  I didn’t care for it, but A is pretty memorable.  Lennie from The Sky Is Everywhere is also my top choice.

12- Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

My choice for this one is The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  It’s so beautiful, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED the random memories on the scraps of paper found around town.

13- Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

It’s a toss-up between And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts and A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls LaNier.  And The Band Played On is a great look at the few first years of AIDS and it’s strange seeing how it was back then, especially knowing what AIDS is like now.  As for A Mighty Long Way, it’s still mind boggling that schools were desegregated not that long ago.

14- Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

It’s a tie between Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Looking For Alaska by John Green.  I just can’t believe it took me so long to read them!

15- Favorite Quote/Passage From A Book You Read In 2012?

From The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: “My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn’t go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her. That’s just how it is. Grief and love are conjoined, you don’t get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.”

16- Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Shortest: I have a ton of books that are around 200 pages, so I’m not even going to bother listing all of them.

Longest: 11/23/63 by Stephen King- it’s an astounding 863 pages.

17- Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.  It had quite the ending- to the point that I immediately bought Barely Breathing (the sequel) and starting reading it.

18- Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)

Joe and Lenny from The Sky Is Everywhere and Anna and St. Clair from Anna And The French Kiss.  Both couples are so adorable, and I couldn’t help but fangirl over Joe and St. Clair.

19- Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

I’m going to go with The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling…because I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.  I really liked it, and it was great to see a new book from her.

20- Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else

Looking For Alaska by John Green.  I saw this one on so many Top 10 Tuesday lists that I requested from the library immediately.

Book Blogging/Reading Life In 2012 (Optional)

1- New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012? 

There are so many, but The Broke And The Bookish and The Grown-Up YA are just two I read.  I really could go on and on about some of my favorite book blogs.

2- Favorite review that you wrote in 2012?

I think my favorite review that I wrote is the one for Anna And The French Kiss.  Mostly because I kind of acted like a fan-girl.

3- Best discussion you had on your blog?

I don’t really do a lot of discussion-type posts on my blog.  The only one that really jumps to mind is the post where I talked about why I love (but sometimes hate) my e-reader.  Maybe I should have some more discussion-y posts.

4- Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I really like the Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down posts that Jamie (from The Perpetual Page Turner) does.  Tara, from The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say “Shhh,” has some great posts on her journey to her Ph.D.

5- Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Honestly, I LOVE Top 10 Tuesday.  It’s so much fun coming up with a different list every week.  Some weeks are easier than others, but either way, it’s fun to write my list and see what other people come up with.

6- Best moment of book blogging in 2012?

I think my best moment was when I realized that book blogging is something I love to do and where I want to focus my attention, in terms of blogging.  Although getting an audible account and getting my Nook are great too, because I have a ton of ways to feed my reading habit.

7- Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

Endure by Carrie Jones got 119 views.  Top 10 Tuesday posts are always popular too.

8- Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Besides the obvious answer of all of them, I really have no clue.  Nothing is really coming to mind, even after looking through a bunch of old posts.

9- Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Being able to download e-books and audiobooks from the library!

10- Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

My original goal was to read 115 books, but I ended up changing that to 200…and I’ve currently read 215 books!  So, yes, I have completed my only goal in terms of reading.

Looking Ahead

1- One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

Where do I even start with this one?  I could go with all of the books I wanted to read and didn’t get to, but I think The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone is at the top of the list.

2- Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

If you want to know which books I’m listening forward to, be sure to check out my list of my most anticipated reads of 2013.

3- One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

The one thing I really want to do next year is read outside of YA more.  As much as I love YA, I really want to expand my horizons a little more.

And that wraps up this year-end book survey!  Have a lovely day!

Every Day

Posted in Books by

Every Day CoverBook: Every Day by David Levithan

Published August 2012|Published by Knopf Books For Young Readers|219 pages|e-book via the library

Part of a series? No

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|David Levithan’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: A has no friends. No parents. No family. No possessions. No home, even. Because every day, A wakes up in the body of a different person. Every morning, a different bed. A different room. A different house. A different life. A is able to access each person’s memory, enough to be able to get through the day without parents, friends, and teachers realizing this is not their child, not their friend, not their student. Because it isn’t. It’s A. Inhabiting each person’s body. Seeing the world through their eyes. Thinking with their brain. Speaking with their voice.

It’s a lonely existence–until, one day, it isn’t. A meets a girl named Rhiannon. And, in an instant, A falls for her, after a perfect day together. But when night falls, it’s over. Because A can never be the same person twice. But yet, A can’t stop thinking about her. She becomes A’s reason for existing. So each day, in different bodies–of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, walks of life–A tries to get back to her. And convince her of their love. But can their love transcend such an obstacle?

I really wanted to like Every Day.  It’s such an intriguing concept, but I have quite a few issues with the book that I just couldn’t get past, no matter how hard I tried.

Like, I like the idea that A is in a different body every day and that everyday, he is still in love with Rhiannon, no matter who he is inhabiting.  But I felt like a lot of those characters were really superficial and like he relied very much on stereotypes.  You have the suicidal girl with no friends, the boy who’s home-schooled and has a crazy mom, and a person who’s over 300 pounds and gets a lot of looks of disgust.  A lot of the characters felt like the token fill-in-the-blank group.  Interestingly enough, the only characters that didn’t feel like the token whatever were the GLBT characters.  They were easily the most believable characters, but even with being more believable than the other characters…they too felt superficial.

Every Day just felt one-sided and kind of preachy.  I think having a couple scenes (or maybe even a chapter or two) from Rhiannon’s perspective would have made it interesting.  You don’t really get what Rhiannon’s really feeling or thinking, and you don’t see her trying to deal with loving someone who’s in a different body every day.  And the book being kind of preachy?  It really felt like Levithan wanted the reader to know that race, gender, appearance and sexual orientation don’t matter, but it got so irritating by the end of the book that I just didn’t care about how much they loved each other.  The whole thing- the romance, the clichéd characters, the gender-neutral A who switched bodies- felt really forced.

You do think about accepting people for who they are but it really felt like A wanted Rhiannon to love him no matter what, even when she didn’t seem completely into A.  I just don’t get why they’re attracted to each other, and I think that’s something that should have been explored a little more.

And we do have to talk about the body-switching.  We just know it happens every day, but we don’t learn about why or how it happens.  We just know that it does happen.  And it isn’t until the end that we get hints that it happens to other people too.  It seems like there might be a geographic limit, but I’m not completely convinced of that, because A is never more than 4 hours away from Rhiannon.  It seemed more convenient than any other reason.

Final thoughts:

I get why people love Every Day, and why it has so many rave reviews.  The concept is intriguing and A having no gender is really unique.  The characters and plot were really superficial and it just didn’t work for me.  Every Day gets 1 star.