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Top 10 “Older” Books I Don’t Want People To Forget About

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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 list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 “Older” Books I Don’t Want People To Forget About

This week, I’m going back in time to talk about “older” books I don’t want people to forget about.  Or as I like to call it, books from my childhood I don’t want to forget about.  Here’s my list!

  1. The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin.  I loved this series, and it’s nice to see a bunch of 13-year-olds who are still fairly innocent.  It’s such a contrast to a lot of the books out today.
  2. The Sweet Valley Universe by Francine Pascal.  This is another I immediately thought of, and honestly, I don’t know why I’m putting it on this list.  But they were a big part of my childhood.
  3. Goosebumps by R.L. Stine.  I’m not sure what R.L. Stine is up to these days, but I loved how you didn’t need to read everything in order.  In fact, you could skip books, because it wasn’t one continuous story.
  4. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.  I haven’t read this one in forever, but it’s on my mind because of the movie.
  5. Angus, Thongs, And Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.  I remember reading this book, but I don’t remember a lot of it.  Still, I love that it’s just the life of a girl.  I feel like we don’t see enough of that.
  6. The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brasheres.  It’s a book about friendship, which is something that seems pretty rare in YA these days.  Having books about friendship is good.
  7. Bridge To Terabithia.  I loved this book in elementary school.  I just love the story, and the friendship between Jess and Lesley and the imaginary world they created.
  8. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  I’ve finally started re-reading this series, and I still love it.  It’s nice to see Mia work through everything in her diary.  Plus, it’s just a fun read.
  9. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I loved this book, and I love how it’s a great coming-of-age story.  I just loved seeing her grow up.  It’s the only one on this list I didn’t read as a kid, and it’s a shame it took me so long to read it.
  10. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  I haven’t read this book in forever but I just loved it!  It’s such a good story.

Are there any books you don’t want people to forget about?

GG 1 x 7: Kiss And Tell

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Kiss And Tell originally aired November 11, 2000.  It was written by Jenji Kohan and was directed by Rodman Flender.

In Kiss And Tell, Rory and Dean kiss in Doose’s Market.  Everyone in town seems to know, except for one person: Lorelei.  Lorelei is weirded out because Rory didn’t tell her.

Opening Scene: They talk about laundry, and we learn Rory did some laundry.  And that Lorelei isn’t wearing any underwear.  Taylor and Luke are talking about Autumn decorations in the diner.  Lorelei and Rory want coffee and muffins, and even Lorelei’s lack of underwear doesn’t get their attention.  So she goes behind the counter and serves her and Rory.

Next, Rory goes into Doose’s Market (owned by Taylor), and sees Dean, who offers her a free soda.  He kisses her as she picks out a soda hidden behind his back.  She thanks him, runs out of the market with the cornstarch she was looking at, and runs over to Lane’s.  They talk about the kiss on aisle 3 (which is a good aisle, apparently).

It is so Rory to run away after saying thank you.  But it’s not her to decide she doesn’t want to tell Lorelei.  So she doesn’t tell her.  We also find Lorelei trying to get someone to come fix her fridge because it’s making a weird noise.  I’m sure she’s just getting passed around that office so they can laugh at her making the noise.  I don’t blame them at all.

So Lorelei finds out from Mrs. Kim that Rory and Dean kissed.  I just love Mrs. Kim.  She cracks me up.  Seriously.  And of course, Lane is living vicariously through Rory.  And gives Rory the gossip on Dean.

Lorelei tries to get Rory to talk about the kiss at the diner, but Rory has to get back to the table in the town square because they’re a pilgrim short.  We really don’t see enough of the town events.  Lorelei spies on Dean at Doose’s but Luke manages to get her to leave.  And she starts wondering why Rory didn’t tell her.

Lorelei finally brings up the kiss and is being supportive of Rory finally growing up.  They go into Doose’s to load up on food while they watch Willy Wonka.  Rory’s nervous because it’s too weird, but they go in and everything is fine.  Lorelei goes a little crazy with the candy (not surprising).  Dean likes Willy Wonka…and they clearly do this often, because the cashier totally knew that they were having a movie night.  It’s cool when you go to a place so often they know you.

Lorelei invites Dean over to watch Willy Wonka, and Rory is not happy.  Who would, if their mom invited the guy they like over to watch a movie?  Lorelei apologizes, even though she was just trying to help.  Rory is not sure what to wear, and wishes she could be more like Lorelei, in terms of the whole “guy thing.”  I found that pretty relatable.

He’s late because Babette started talking to him.  And Sookie comes over to meet him…under the guise of bringing over dessert.  Everyone’s curious about the guy that kissed Rory.  Movie night commences, and Lorelei gives him the “hurt my daughter and there is no safe place for you anywhere near Stars Hollow talk.”  It goes fine, and eventually Lorelei hangs out in the kitchen…until Rory wants her to watch the movie with them.  Because Dean is being all perfect and Lorelei isn’t being a good enough chaperone.

The episode ends with Rory telling Lorelei about the kiss.

Pop Culture References: Freud, Willy Wonka, Prince Charming, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Way We Were, Boogie Nights

Favorite lines/scenes: Anytime Emily Kuroda (who plays Mrs. Kim) is on screen.

Lorelei: “Stop saying mother like that.”  Rory: “Like what?”  Lorelei: “Like there’s supposed to be another word after it.”

Final Thoughts: We see the start of what is Rory’s first relationship.  It’s never said outright (I think) but it’s definitely implied.  I’m not a fan of the Dean-Rory relationship…which I’m sure I’ll talk about while they’re together.  It’s a pretty average episode.  It’s big in the fact that the Dean-Rory relationship progresses, but other than that, nothing spectacular happens.

Kiss And Tell gets 3 mugs out of 5.

Incarnate

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Book: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Purchased for my Nook (234 pages)

Genre: YA: Fantasy/Paranormal

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Jodi Meadows

Goodreads Summary: New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Incarnate is really interesting.  I love the idea of everyone being reincarnated, except for Ana.  Ana, interestingly enough, took the place of Ciana, and no one knows how or why this happened.  Everyone is suspicious of her, because she took Ciana’s place, and she’s seen (by some) as a bad omen.

It really is an interesting idea, and I loved seeing Ana comes to terms with who she is.  She struggles with being different, but by the end, she’s more okay with it.  I didn’t like her mother, who kept her from society.  I also didn’t care for her father, who makes a surprise appearance before dying.  The characters, in general, were really interesting, and you have a whole cast of them.  Everyone has thousands of stories to tell, because they’ve been around for so long, and I wished we heard more of those stories.

I also loved the setting.  For some reason, I was picturing Asia as the setting the whole time.  It sounds like such a pretty, interesting place, and the details were described really well.

I thought the society was interesting, and I loved what Meadows did with reincarnation.  There are so many possibilities with this society, and it will be interesting to see what Meadows does with Heart in the next book.

And of course, I have to mention the romance!  I just love Sam and Ana together.  They are just so cute together, and I’m glad they finally got together in the end.

Incarnate gets a 4 out of 5.  I didn’t love it, but I still really liked it.  It’s so creative, and I like that it so many different genres.  It didn’t feel like one cliche after another.

Bad Girls Don’t Die

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Book: Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender

Published by Disney Book Group

Borrowed from the library as an e-book (346 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Ghosts

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Kate Alender

Goodreads Summary: When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.

Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?

I enjoyed Bad Girls Don’t Die.  I haven’t read too many books featuring ghosts, but I think this one is my favorite.  Lexi’s sister is possessed by a ghost hell-bent on revenge, which is definitely interesting but not all that unusual for a ghost story.  I like how there’s something weird going on, but you’re not completely sure what it is until later in the book.  It’s definitely creepy, so it all comes together for this really interesting atmosphere.

There is a little bit of everything- romance, mystery and friendship are all in there, but it could have had a little more paranormal activity.  In all honesty, there’s too much going on in this book, so it really felt like Alender couldn’t make up her mind about what she wanted to include.  There are also some things that aren’t resolved in this book that will probably be resolved in one of the other books in the series.

It was definitely predictable, but it seems like there is a lot more to what’s going on.  I have a feeling there’s more to come, and other things will pop up.  The characters are also predictable, and what I expected, but it was still fun to see their reactions to what was going on.  I did like that it was a normal family going through something paranormal.

It started off slow, but once things got going, it was more enjoyable.

I give it a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, and it was a fun yet creepy read.

Crazy World

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I came across Anna Graceman while browsing the music section in iTunes.  For some reason, her album jumped out, and that led me to the couple of singles she has on iTunes.

Crazy World is my favorite of the two- but I still like Showtime.  The video is cool, and it has this “I totally filmed random stuff while out and about” feel to it.  Be sure to check out Anna Graceman at her website.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the video!

Daughter Of The Forest

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Book: Daughter Of The Forest by Juliet Marillier

Published by Tom Doherty Associates

Purchased for my Nook (384 pages)

Genre: YA: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Juliet Marillier

Goodreads Summary: Lord Colum of Sevenwaters is blessed with six sons: Liam, a natural leader; Diarmid, with his passion for adventure; twins Cormack and Conor, each with a different calling; rebellious Finbar, grown old before his time by his gift of the Sight; and the young, compassionate Padriac.

But it is Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter, who alone is destined to defend her family and protect her land from the Britons and the clan known as Northwoods. For her father has been bewitched, and her brothers bound by a spell that only Sorcha can lift.

To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known, and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss, and terror.

When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems that there will be no way for her to break the spell that condemns all that she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and Sorcha will have to choose between the life she has always known and a love that comes only once.

Daughter Of The Forest…it’s okay.  Marillier is so good at describing things, and I loved the setting.  It was so cool to see ancient Ireland and pieces of the conflict with Britain.

Let’s start with the characters.  I didn’t like Sorcha.  I appreciate what she did for her brothers and the sacrifice she made for them but I just couldn’t connect with her.  And the romance!  It is yet another boring and obvious romance.  Speaking of romance, I think one reason why I didn’t like Sorcha was because she didn’t want to get married.  Understandable, but given she’s the only girl in the family, and her dad wants to make things safe, her getting married was bound to happen.  Plus, it just didn’t seem to fit with the time period.

There were times when we got a lot of info, but also times when we didn’t get all that much.  Then there’s the fact that Oonagh is only around long enough to turn Sorcha’s brothers into swans, only to disappear and never be heard from again.

Plus, she was way too calm.  I know she wanted to save her brothers, and couldn’t make a sound for years, but you’d think she’d show more of a reaction when coming across obstacles.

Overall, I give it a 2 out of 5.  Interesting setting and time period but I didn’t particularly care for Sorcha or Red.

The Faerie Path

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Book: The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones

Published by HarperTeen

Purchased for my Nook (336 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Fairies

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Frewin Jones

Goodreads Summary: Swept away into a court of magic and beauty, she discovers she is Tania, the lost princess of Faerie: the youngest daughter of Oberon and Titania. Since Tania’s mysterious disappearance on the eve of her wedding five hundred years before, Faerie has been sunk in darkness and gloom. The courtly Lord Gabriel Drake, who Tania was once to marry, has found her and brought her back.

With Tania’s return, Faerie comes alive again as a land of winged children, glittering balls, and fantastic delights. But Tania can’t forget Anita’s world, or the boy she loved there.

Torn between two loves and between two worlds, Tania slowly comes to discover why she disappeared so long ago. She possesses a singular magical ability and she must use it to stop a sinister plan that threatens the entire world of Faerie.

I love Faerie novels but this one didn’t work for me.  The idea was interesting and I liked that she’s a long lost faerie princess but I just couldn’t connect with Tania.

I loved the world Jones created, and how Faerie plunged into darkness after she disappeared and after Titania died.  And how the darkness disappeared after she came back to Faerie.  I loved the descriptions- they’re very vivid, and I could picture everything perfectly.  I also loved how Faerie coexisted with the mortal world and how there were places where you can go between the two was cool.

The idea of a faerie princess disappearing into the mortal world is interesting- and even more interesting was the fact that it was for 500 years.  What I didn’t particularly like was how we don’t know what happened to Tania for those 5o0 years.  It would have been nice to know what happened but it’s apparently too hard to get that info from her memories.  Plus, I felt like we didn’t get a good glimpse of who she was as a person.  I get why didn’t get a sense of who she was as a faerie princess, because she doesn’t remember that life.  But we also didn’t get a good sense of who she was…in general.  It was just hard to connect with her.

It definitely focused on her getting back to the mortal world, and how she was impressed by her faerie princess background but also didn’t want to leave her old life behind.  It’s a strange combination of wanting to accept Faerie but also wanting to live in the mortal world because it’s all she’s known.  She just went back and forth so many times that it was more annoying than anything else.  I wanted to like her, but I couldn’t.

The romance was boring.  Actually, it was pretty standard, and not a surprise at all.  I didn’t really care about either guy.  As for the other characters, there were a lot, and they just randomly showed up for a few scenes and then disappeared, only to randomly show up again.

It gets a 2 out of 5.  It was just okay for me, but it’s an interesting idea.

Top 10 Series I Haven’t Finished

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

Top 10 Series I Haven’t Finished

This topic is right up my alley!  I didn’t realize how many series I’ve read, and how many I want to finish (or not finish in some cases) until I started working on this list.  Some I decided not to finish but there are some I really want to finish.

  1. Game Of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin.  I know it’s not actually that Game Of Thrones series.  I just can’t be bothered to google the actual series name.  I was bored out of my mind reading it, so I won’t be finishing it.
  2. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.  I have no clue why I haven’t finished it.  I might know how it ends, but that’s no excuse for not finishing it.
  3. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.  I have been putting off finishing it for some unknown reason.
  4. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray.  See my reason for Paranormalcy.
  5. Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine.  I fell in love with this series after the first book, and yet I’ve only read the first couple.  At the rate I’m going, the entire series is going to be out by the time I get around to reading a few more.
  6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.  This is another series I won’t be finishing.  Interesting idea, but I just didn’t like the characters.
  7. Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent.  I’ve only read the first book in the series, so I have a few more to go.  See Morganville Vampires.
  8. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.  I like the series so far, but I really, really need to finish some of the other series I’m reading.  This one is pretty low on list of series to finish.  I like it, just not enough to finish reading it RIGHT NOW.
  9. Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  Same thing as Wondrous Strange.
  10. Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  I’m pretty sure I haven’t finished this series, and I’d really like to.  Plus, I haven’t read since high school, so it’ll be nice to revisit a YA series I read when I actually was one.

Are there any series you haven’t finished?

GG 1 x 6: Rory’s Birthday Parties

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Rory’s Birthday Parties originally aired November 9, 2000.  It was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson.

In Rory’s Birthday Parties, we celebrate Rory’s birthday, twice!  Emily has a posh birthday party for Rory Friday, while Lorelei throws her a really cool birthday bash on Saturday.

The opening scene: At Friday night dinner, we learn Emily and Richard’s lawyer is coming over the next day.  They want Rory and Lorelei to pick out what they want after they (being Richard and Emily) die.  Lorelei wonders why she doesn’t bring a tape recorder to dinners.  That is really creepy but it is funny.  They also have pudding, which is a strange thing for Emily to serve.

Lorelei and Emily make plans to go shopping for a birthday present for Rory and they’re actually getting along for once.  And Rory learns that her grandmother invited a bunch of her Chilton classmates to her birthday party.  I don’t blame Rory for freaking out, because a lot of people see it as an obligation party.  Oh, the joys of private school!

While shopping, Emily keeps finding things Rory wouldn’t really go for.  She eventually settles on a $12 bracelet, which Emily doesn’t think is an acceptable amount for a present.  Luke gets invited to Rory’s party, and Lorelei shows Rory the dresses for her party.  Rory considers telling her mom about the invitations, but changes her mind because her mom was happy that she and Emily were getting along.

I was amused that cops shut down her 8th birthday and arrested the clown.  Not surprising, but still funny.

The scene were Lorelei comes into Rory’s room and talks to her is a great scene.  All about how fast she’s grown up and what she wants.  It seems like a yearly tradition but I think we only see it once more as a dream.

At Emily’s house, she’s getting the house decorated.  I just love seeing Emily in charge and being demanding.  And Lorelei knows her mother too well- including the fact that the candles are 6 inches apart.  The party doesn’t seem Rory, but then again, Emily planned it, and she definitely turns it into something that’s not completely about Rory.

Of course, we see Paris and Tristan at her party…it just keeps getting worse for Rory.  Until she finally just snaps at Emily, who pushes her to say a few words.  It’s definitely more Lorelei than Rory.  Emily’s not happy, and blames Lorelei.  Who promptly wonders why it’s her fault.  They have this great bonding moment after Rory snapping.

Rory tries to apologize to Emily, who’s still mad because of how Rory acted.  She invites Emily to the party Lorelei is throwing, but Emily pretty much says no.  And then Lorelei and Emily fight because Emily says no.

Rory goes to the college fair before her party, and runs into Paris at the Harvard table.  They’re both horrified to learn that the other wants to go to Harvard.

Rory’s second party: It’s pretty loud and it seems like so much fun.  There’s a picture of Rory on the cake.  I’d love to go to a party thrown by Lorelei.  Or just live in a town as colorful as Stars Hollow.  Lorelei gives a toast and then invites everyone to eat Rory’s face.

Emily and Richard show up, to Lorelei’s lovely welcome: “it’s a party, get your asses in here.”  They meet some of the people from Stars Hollow and hear some of the stories of Rory and Lorelei’s life in Stars Hollow.  We learn they’ve never been to the house, but have visited the inn.

The episode ends with Emily admitting that she doesn’t know Lorelei at all.  And the party clean-up, of course.  Plus, Dean gives Rory a present.

Pop culture references: Like A Virgin by Madonna, Barbara Streisand, the pope, Elvis, Shirley Temple, Freaky Friday

Favorite scenes/lines: Friday night dinner, where they’re putting sticky’s on everything

Lorelei and Emily: “Mom, I want to talk to you.”

“Should I sit down?”

“Yes, but not there.  We have a sticky on it, so we want to keep it nice.”

Final thoughts: It’s a fun episode.  We see 2 very different parties, but I really liked it.  We see more of the relationship between Lorelei and Emily and how different it is from the relationship between Rory and Emily and the one between Rory and Lorelei.

It gets 3.5 mugs of coffee.

Every Last Kiss

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Book: Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole

Published by Lakehouse Press

Purchased for my Nook (244 pages)

Genre: YA: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Courtney Cole

Goodreads Summary: 17-year old Macy Lockhart has the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

For thousands of years, she has been a Keeper in the ancient organization, the Order of the Moirae. She literally holds fate in her hands. 

But this is something that she forgets, because her memories are wiped clean when she is reborn each time, until it is time for her cycle to begin again in her seventeenth year in each life. 

And for the last two thousand years, this has never been a problem. Until now. But now, fate is being challenged and to fix it, she is forced to return to a previous life, one where she was Cleopatra’s handmaiden, Charmian. 

Cue up the second problem: Unless she interferes with the fabric of time, the very thing she has returned to repair, then her soul mate, Hasani, will die leading Marc Antony’s armies against Rome. Can she really stand aside and allow the love of her life to die all over again?

There is something very beautiful about Every Last Kiss.  I love the setting and how everything is described.  I mean, how often do you see ancient Egypt as a setting, and Cleopatra as a character?  It’s nice to see a novel where the character doesn’t travel back to medieval Europe, or history that isn’t European.  I so want to go back to ancient Egypt after reading this book.  Some of the details are great, and they really made the novel interesting.

The premise is interesting- she holds fate in her hands, and every 17 years, she starts over, with her memories wiped clean.  The reincarnation aspect isn’t that unusual, and is even the teensiest bit cliche now.  Her going back 2000 years, and then foward 2000 years…it didn’t work for me.  It starts and ends in a completely predictable way.  There are some random time shifts, which were a little distracting.  I feel like there’s this really big picture, and that going back in time are really important, but we don’t really know what’s going on.  It just felt convoluted.

I didn’t get the romance- it’s clear there is one, but it didn’t work because we don’t see enough of it.  It’s really hard to see and understand why they’re so in love.  Then again, romance isn’t the main focus of the novel…but it’s likely to take center stage in the remaining books.

Things moved along, but I just couldn’t connect with the characters, especially Macy.  I didn’t feel like there was enough conflict- she had to choose between not changing destiny because of the potential consequences and saving the guy she loves.  It was hard to see why she’d want to save Hasani, but I will admit that the idea of changing destiny and history was intriguing.  It’s a shame it wasn’t really explored and that she ended up accepting that she couldn’t change things.

I didn’t mind modern language, because she did go back in time, and that’s to be expected.

It gets a 2 out of 5.  It was okay, and I don’t think I’m interested enough to keep reading.