Tag Archives: reviews

Princess In Waiting

Posted in Books by

Book: Princess In Waiting by Meg Cabot

Published September 2002|Published by HarperCollins Publishers|256 pages

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Find out more at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Meg Cabot

Goodreads.com Summary: Never before has the world seen such a Princess.

Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. But Genovian politics are nothing next to Mia’s real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long-sought-after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmere, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn’t there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?

The tales of Princess Mia continue with Princess In Waiting.  I really love Mia and how she deals with being a princess.

We see her in Genovia, worrying about the infrastructure of Genovia.  We also see her attend a lot of different functions and count down the days until she can see Michael.  I loved seeing her worry about whether Michael was going to break up with her because she needed to cancel their first date.  Michael, of course, is completely amazing, and doesn’t break up with her.

I love the references throughout the book.  The references do date the series a little, but at the same time, it’s totally cool, because it’s like a trip down memory lane!  So…there’s a point where Lilly calls Mia in Genovia and tells her that there was a movie about her life and how it makes Lilly look like an unsupportive, raving lunatic.  I wonder if it’s a reference to the movie adaptation, which I couldn’t get out of my head every single time Lilly brought up the movie.

I love that Mia’s insecure.  It makes her really easy to relate to, and I love that she’s not perfect.  I love that she spends part of the book thinking she isn’t good at anything, and is then surprised when Michael points out that he thinks she’s a good writer.  Mia really is a great character, and she always makes me laugh.

I didn’t love Princess In Waiting, but it is such a fun series to read.  I don’t know much more I can gush about Mia and how much I love her, but I’m sure I can manage to gush about her for the remainder of the series.

Final thoughts: Princess In Waiting is another fun addition to the Princess Diaries, and I like that it’s happening in a short amount of time- Meg Cabot really zeroes in on a specific time frame for each novel, and I like that, because it doesn’t feel drawn out.  It gets a 4 out of 5.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Posted in Books by

Book: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Published December 2012|Published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|292 pages

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Jenny Han’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: Some summers are just destined to be pretty.

When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother’s best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad’s brother, Jeremiah, Belly’s heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?

I loved The Summer I Turned Pretty!  It’s such a fun, cute read, and I even get a little teary-eyed at one point!

I just…I really loved The Summer I Turned Pretty…I love that it takes place during the summer.  I love that we only see the characters during the summer.  I loved the characters most of all- Belly was fun, I totally get why she likes Conrad, and Jeremiah is such a great guy.  Susannah is such a cool mom, and while Belly’s mom is my least favorite character, she was still an interesting character.

It is the perfect summer read, although I would read it anytime I needed a dose of summer.  I loved seeing what Belly was up to, her relationships with Conrad, Jeremiah and her brother Steve, and all of the flashbacks throughout the book.  The flashbacks really added to the relationships.

I so wanted Belly and Jeremiah to end up together, but I also get why she has this huge crush on Conrad.  I liked seeing snippets of her relationship with both boys, and how her relationships with them changed throughout the years.

There is a certain simplicity to The Summer I Turned Pretty.  You get taken back to a time when your biggest worry was what you were going to do that day and hanging out with friends for one last summer.  You feel happy and sad and you can’t help but smile and laugh too.

Final thoughts: I loved The Summer I Turned Pretty so much that all I can do is gush about how much I love it.  It’s cute, it’s fun, and great if you’re looking for something summer-y, no matter what time of year it is!  It gets a 5 out of 5.

Crank

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by

Book: Crank by Ellen Hopkins|Narrated by Laura Flanagan

Published August 2008|Published by Highbridge Audio|Run time: 4 hours, 31 minutes

Audiobook, via the public library

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Ellen Hopkins’ Website

Goodreads.com Summary: Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, she meets a boy who introduces her to crank. At first she finds it freeing, but soon Kristina’s personality disappears inside the drug. What began as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul, and her life.

I really liked Crank.  After listening to Identical, and having seen this one in the digital library, I decided to give it a listen.

There’s something very poetic about Crank, and it was a very interesting listen.  You really see what it does to Kristina, and how much she needs it by the end of the book.  Even her child can’t completely save her from it.  I liked seeing her life during this time, but unfortunately, you don’t see really see anything of her life before becoming addicted.  And you only see a little bit of her life after learning she’s pregnant.  I would have liked more of her life before, to see how much it really changed her.

I thought Kristina was interesting, but she wasn’t as interesting as I expected.  I think having a little bit more of her life before crank would have helped with that.  I mean, you get a really good look how someone gets addicted, but with Kristina, you don’t really get the why, which is something that’s sort of intriguing.  You see how ugly addiction is, and how hard it is to overcome.  Even at the end, with a newborn, Kristina still struggles with her meth addiction.  I like that she doesn’t sugarcoat it.  I like that you see it in all it’s ugliness.  I like that even at the end of the book, things aren’t completely wrapped up or resolved.  You really get a sense that addiction is something you always struggle with, no matter what else is going on.

It was a little hard to connect with Kristina, because I felt like I only knew the Kristina who was addicted to crank.

I thought Kristina calling crank “the monster” as interesting at first, but it got tiresome by the end.  I get why she calls it the monster, but it was still got old pretty fast.

It’s a pretty gritty, dark book, and Flanagan did a great job at showing Kristina’s downward spiral.  This is the second book I’ve listened to that’s been narrated by Flanagan, and she’s a great narrator who really brought Kristina to life.

Final thoughts: I’m slowly becoming a fan of Ellen Hopkins and I like how dark, gritty and real Crank is.  A little more of her life in Reno before becoming addicted to crank would have been nice, but overall, it is a really good read.  It gets a 4 out of 5.

GG 1 x 15: Christopher Returns

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Christopher Returns originally aired March 1, 2001.  It was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Michael Katleman.

In Christopher Returns, Chris visits the Gilmore Girls in Stars Hallow.

We open with Chris wanting to be more involved with Rory’s life, and Lorelei not having a lot of faith in him.

We see Rory giving Chris a tour of Stars Hollow.  This brings up a lot of questions for me.  It doesn’t seem like Chris is involved in Rory’s life, and I’m not sure if it’s Lorelei’s doing or if it was Chris or a combination of the two.

They go to the bookstore, where Chris tries to buy Rory an Oxford English Dictionary…only to have his card declined.  He promises to come back the next day for it, but apologizes to Rory for it outside.  He tells Rory to not tell Lorelei about it.

They come across Jackson, who’s talking about Chris to some of the other townspeople.  So, this has to mean Chris has never been to Stars Hollow, because otherwise they wouldn’t be making such a big deal out of it.  Jackson runs away after realizing they were right behind him.

And then…Friday night dinner.  We meet Rory’s other grandparents for the first and only time, and I can say with absolute certainty that I do not like them.  Strob starts going off about how Lorelei is just as out of control as she was when she was 16, how she ruined Chris’ life and future by getting pregnant, how she might have aspired to something more than a blue-collar university if she had attended a university like her parents planned for her…that Chris ended his family legacy at Princeton when Lorelei seduced him into ruining his life.  Emily tries to get everyone into going into the dining room for dinner, but Strob and Francine leave.

Okay, we need to talk about this scene.  I hate that Strob blames the entire thing on Lorelei.  Lorelei isn’t the only one at fault.  Some people are perfectly happy and successful, even if they haven’t gone to some prestigious school.

Then Rory goes to talk to Richard, and thanks him for defending her.  Richard, however, says that he would do it to anyone who attacked the Gilmore name.  He starts talking about how she put him and Emily through hell and that it was hard to tell his colleagues that his only daughter was pregnant at 16 and was leaving school.  He says they did nothing to deserve it, and that she treated him and Emily as though they were lepers.  Richard wasn’t happy about Lorelei getting pregnant, and wishes she followed “the proper procedure” like she was supposed to.  Chris was willing to get married, but Lorelei wasn’t.  She asks him if what she wanted mattered to him, and he tells her that things have to be sacrificed in order to do what is right.

We really need to talk about this scene too.  I get Richard’s point when he says that they did nothing to deserve how she treated them.  I mean, we only really get Lorelei’s perspective on what happened, and we don’t really get a lot on Emily and Richard’s version of what happened.  I get that marriage is one solution, but there’s also no point in getting married if it’s not right for you.

Rory and Emily talk in the kitchen, and tells Rory that it doesn’t mean anything.  She tells Rory that there’s been a lot of talk of disappointment over the years, but Rory and her existence have never been included in that list.  We go to the balcony, where Chris and Lorelei have drunken sex.

We also see Luke waiting in front of the diner for Lorelei.  Rory and Lorelei talk about how that night, and Lorelei makes sure Rory knows the horrible things said were directed at her.  Rory, however, says that they were directed at Lorelei because she had Rory.  Lorelei says that Strob and Francine’s anger and pride were getting in the way of them getting to know Rory, and that it’s a big loss on their part.  Lorelei wakes up and remembers that she was supposed to paint the diner with Luke.  She goes over to apologize, and comes home to talk to Luke.  Chris wants to marry Lorelei, and she, of course, still doesn’t want to.  She doesn’t think he’s responsible enough, and knows that he can’t buy a book without his card being declined.  He didn’t realize how much he missed Rory until he came to see her, but says it’s easier for him to stay away.  Lorelei says to come visit more, because Rory needs her dad.

Chris leaves, and promises to call Rory more.  Rory knows he asked Lorelei to marry him, but Lorelei says it wasn’t right and to trust her.  Rory’s hopeful he changed, because he did come to visit them this time.

We close with Lorelei in the diner after having painted it for Luke.

Favorite lines/Scenes: Chris meeting the townspeople; Emily, in reference to Strob: “Let’s face it, he’s an ass.”

Pop culture: Lipsmackers, I Love Lucy, The Offspring, Metallica

Final thoughts: I really liked seeing everyone’s relationship with Chris.  He’s not too involved in Rory’s life, and does seem really flaky, so maybe it’s for the best.  We get an idea of what all of Rory’s grandparents think of Lorelei’s pregnancy with Rory, and this episode does a great job with all the different relationships and how they have or have not changed over the last 16 years.  It’s a great episode, so it gets 5 mugs of coffee.

Drowning Instinct

Posted in Audiobooks, Books by

Book: Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick|Narrated by Kathleen Mcinerney

Published February 2012|Published by Brilliance Audio|Run time: 9 hours, 46 minutes

Audiobook, via audible.com

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Ilsa Bick’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. 

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain… magnetism. 

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.

Holy shit.

That describes how I feel after finishing Drowning Instinct.  I just…I don’t even know where to start with this.

There is so much going on in Drowning Instinct- there are so many issues that each one could be their own novel.  But Bick handles all of them well, and weaves them together so well.

Jenna is so damaged, and such an unreliable character.  But it works, and I like that she’s talking about her truth.  She really is an interesting character, as are all of the other characters, who are all fucked up in their own way.  Jenna was so easy to relate to.  A lot of the characters were, and I liked that I could relate to so many of them.  I even liked Mitch..even if I’m not sure we were supposed to.

This is definitely a dark story, with alcoholism, cutting, a student-teacher relationship (with the teacher being married) and other issues.  Even though my heart broke for Jenna at times, I couldn’t cry for her.  Things are definitely shades of grey in this book, and I like that Drowning Instinct is about those shades of grey, instead of looking at things in black and white.

We really have to talk about Drowning Instinct as an audiobook.  It was fantastic as an audiobook, because of the way the book is written.  We first meet Jenna in the emergency, where she is given a recorder by a detective.  She uses the recorder to tell her story- namely, what lead her to this time in the emergency room.  Mcinerney did a wonderful job with narrating, and she really captured the essence of Jenna.  Drowning Instinct works so well as an audiobook, so I’d highly recommend going for the audiobook version if at all possible.

Because Jenna’s telling her story into the recorder, we only get one side- which is Jenna’s, and one that is unreliable and biased.  But I think that’s the beauty of this novel.  It’s definitely dark and it’s definitely twisted, so by having Jenna’s perspective, you see that everything is not what it seems.

I liked going in and not knowing what was going to happen- the summary doesn’t give a lot away, which is nice.  I did figure out pretty early on that she’d end up with her teacher, but other than that, you didn’t know how it was going to turn out.  I wasn’t expecting the plot twist with her brother at all, although it is something I probably should have expected.  Mostly because…why would her parents have a problem with a girl talking to her brother just because he’s in the military?

The only problem I have with the book?  Jenna’s parents.  How is that her parents don’t want her to have a cell phone, be able to drive, or having locks on her doors, yet they have no problem leaving her at home, alone, for a week?  And Jenna calling her dad “psycho dad?”  More back story on that would have been nice.  All we see is a guy who likes to be in control, so knowing why she calls him psycho dad would have been helpful.

And the ending!  Jenna ends up erasing the entire recording, so the reader has no idea how things work out for any of the characters.  It just seems to fit with the novel.

Final thought: I loved Drowning Instinct!  It’s wonderfully narrated, works well as an audiobook, and is a twisted novel that was interesting to listen to.  There are so many interesting characters, and life is full of shades of grey.  I give it a 5 out of 5.

Speechless

Posted in Books by

Book: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Published August 2012|Published by Harlequin Teen|Pages: 227

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Hannah Harrington’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she’s ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there’s strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she’s done. If only she can forgive herself.

I loved Speechless!

I thought Chelsea’s vow of silence was really interesting, and I do think she learned a lot from it.  Like the power of speech, and how to truly listen.  I think she truly realizes how damaging gossip can be, but also how doing the right thing is important, even when it’s not easy.

I also liked all of the different relationships in the book.  The ones with Kristen and her former friends to the ones with her friends at the diner.  She doesn’t become friends with Kristen again, and their relationship is pretty unresolved.  Not everything can be worked out, and some things can never be fixed.  I also liked seeing how her relationship with Andy changed throughout the book, as well as Noah forgiving her for what happened.

It’s not a book about a kid who was beaten to the point of unconsciousness being Hannah outed him.  It did propel her to change, but it really felt like it was more about her changing as a person after seeing the consequences of her actions.

There is a lot of bullying going on- it’s not just Noah, for being gay.  Chelsea gets her fair share for telling the police what happened- and for not speaking, because either way, people think she won’t fight back.  At the same time, all of the shit she got was a bit much at times.  And all of her former friends?  They didn’t have a lot of depth, but they did what they needed to do, so they didn’t need too much depth.  They really do show that some people are just stupid and horrible and don’t care if they hurt people.  She goes through a pretty dramatic change, going from being a gossip to standing up for a kid who’s being bullied.

Harrington did a great job at handling all of the issues in the book, with very real characters.  It was really well-paced, and I liked that you got a day-to-day account of her life after the party.  I liked that all of the characters had their own flaws, and they were all so unique and interesting.

I really need to talk about the cover for a moment, because it fits the book so well.  I love how plain and simple it is, and it just really stands out.  I love that you don’t have some random but pretty girl on the cover.

Final thoughts: I loved Speechless, and thought it was a great book.  I loved the characters and how much Hannah changed from beginning to end.  it gets a 5 out of 5.

In A Heartbeat

Posted in Books by

Book: In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

Published February 2010|Published by Walker Children’s|Pages: 224

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Contemporary

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Loretta Ellsworth

Goodreads.com Summary: When a small mistake costs sixteen-year-old Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition, she leaves many things unreconciled, including her troubled relationship with her mother. From her vantage point in the afterlife, Eagan reflects back on her memories, and what she could have done differently, through her still-beating heart.When fourteen-year-old Amelia learns she will be getting a heart transplant, her fear and guilt battle with her joy at this new chance at life. And afterwards when she starts to feel different-dreaming about figure skating, craving grape candy-her need to learn about her donor leads her to discover and explore Eagan’s life, meeting her grieving loved ones and trying to bring the closure they all need to move on.Told in alternating viewpoints, “In a Heartbeat “tells the emotional and compelling story of two girls sharing one heart.

In A Heartbeat was an interesting read.  You see organ donation in a different way, and it’s because of the two (very different) narrators.  I really liked that you saw the girl who got the heart, but also the one who donated her heart.  It really added to the book, because you actually see the donor and what they were like.  It really shows that donated organs come from very real people who aren’t just made up of body parts.

I thought the idea of transplant recipients taking on characters of their donors really interesting.  You see Eagan and Amelia, and how Amelia takes on some of Eagan’s characteristics.  Of the two, I felt like Eagan was more developed as a character.  She was an ice-skater, she had friends, a boyfriend…all we know about Amelia is that she was sick and liked to draw horses- it was hard to connect with her because she spent so much time recovering.  I just felt like we didn’t get to know her as much.

I did like the alternating perspectives and seeing how two very different girls are now connected.  I thought the alternating perspective worked really well.

While I liked the book, I also have a few issues with it.  Other than 2 different personalities and different interestes, the two girls weren’t distinct nearly enough.  The only way I knew who was narrating was by where they were and what was going on- it just didn’t feel like two different girls were narrating.  There were also a lot of things that were mentioned and never explored.  Like, Eagan’s mom used to be an ice-skater.  It would have been interesting to explore their rocky relationship through ice-skating.  Or Eagan having a baby sister, and no one telling her.  Why was that kept a secret?  And how did she die?

There was just something off…I think it might be Amelia, who’s all about her heart issues.

Final thoughts: I liked In A Heartbeat, and thought it was an interesting concept, especially the idea of cellular memory.  It makes you think about organ donation, and how there are two different sides to it.  I give it a 3 out of 5.

Feast Of Fools

Posted in Books by

Book: Feast Of Fools by Rachel Caine

Published January 2008 by Signet Book|256 pages|Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Vampires

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Rachel Caine’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: The wait is over. dig into the feast…In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though-especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he’s set for Morganville.

Have I mentioned how much I love the Morganville Vampires?  Because I do, and I love it the more I read it.  Feast of Fools is a great book, and I just loved it!

I loved meeting Amelie’s dad, who turns out to be the cure for the disease that the Morganville vampires have.  It was hard to put down, and Caine really knows how to keep her readers interested in what’s going on.

I love that the characters are pretty consistent from book to book.  They’re not all over the place, and I love how loyal they are to each other.  It was also nice to see Shane slowly start to accept Michael.  But then the cliffhanger…now I need to know what happens next!

The book is really well-paced and I love how everything is unfolding pretty naturally.  It really feels like Caine knows where her series is going, and I like that everything that happens doesn’t feel forced.

I liked the characters…I really liked Oliver in this book, but I didn’t really like Amelie.  Considering what was going on, and what we learn towards the end of the book, I’m not surprised, but still.  But learning more about vampires, and seeing ones that aren’t from Morganville was pretty interesting.  There’s definitely something interesting about the world Caine is creating and I love her take on vampires.  I really like Richard Morrell, and he seems like a pretty decent guy.  If things don’t work out between her and Shane, I think I might want her to end up with Morrell.

I just love Myrnin, and he’s so fun to read.  Also fun?  Seeing Claire and Shane and their sexual tension.  I want them to just get together already, but at the same time, I like that the tension is continuing to build.  And speaking of both Claire and Myrnin, I like their relationship.  It’s too bad Myrnin doesn’t have more lucid moments, because they really could learn a lot from each other.

I think Feast Of Fools might be my favorite one (so far, because I’m only on book 4 and there are a total of 13 books out), and I have the feeling that it might be the turning point in the novel.  I mean, Bishop’s blood was tested, and he’s the cure, so everyone will get cured eventually.  The way things keep happening, it might be a while, because they just cannot get a break.  I like that something is always happening.  On the one hand, it’s nice that something always happens because it keeps things moving…but on the other hand, they really deserve a break from the craziness that is their life.

Final thoughts: It’s definitely my favorite book in the series, and it’s just so fun to read.  I love what Caine is doing with her characters and with Morganville as a whole.  It gets a 5 out of 5.

GG 1 x 14: That Damn Donna Reed

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

That Damn Donna Reed originally aired February 22, 2001.  It was written by Daniel Palladino and was directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

In That Damn Donna Reed, Dean expresses his approval of the 1950’s housewife, which leads Rory to dress up and surprise Dean with a 1950’s-styled evening.

We open with Dean coming over to spend the evening with Rory.  They watch the Donna Reed Show (which is an actual show, I googled it) and Dean says that he kinda likes the 1950’s housewife thing.  Rory and Lorelei just look at him when he says that.  I’m not surprised that Dean thinks the idea of a woman having dinner on the table is a nice idea.

At Luke’s, Taylor is trying to convince Luke to spruce up the diner.  Lorelei agrees, and Luke eventually decides to re-paint the diner. We go to Friday night dinner, in which Lorelei likes the wine and Richard and Emily aren’t going to Martha’s Vineyard.  Lorelei’s suggestion of going to Europe or flying coach doesn’t go over well with Richard and Emily.

Rory agrees to house-sit for Babette, who has a new kitten named Apricot.  Rory has a pet bird as an assignment for school- she has to observe it for a month.  She asks Dean to come over but he has to work.  He makes a comment about repressed housewives needing to shop for their husband’s dinner.  Rory doesn’t take it well, and doesn’t like the fact that Dean is kind of into the whole dinner on the table/’50’s housewife thing.  I kind of get why Rory doesn’t like it, but I have to agree with Dean when he says that there are 2 points of view.  Don’t get used to me agreeing with Dean, because I don’t think it’ll happen very often.  Rory doesn’t seem willing to listen to Dean’s side, and kind of dismisses it because he’s not agreeing with her.  In Dean’s defense, he did grow up in a home where his mom didn’t work for a long time, and even when she did go back to work, she still managed to cook on the weekends for her family.  It is what he knows, so it does make sense that he’d look for that in his own relationships.

Lorelei goes over to Luke’s to pick out paint colors, where they’re visited by Taylor and Kirk, who doesn’t believe Luke is re-painting the diner.  Andrew also stops by to take before-and-after pictures.  It is funny, because everyone’s so surprised that Luke is actually sprucing up the diner.

Rory cooks for Dean, and has a Donna Reed night for him.  She, in true Rory fashion, researches Donna Reed- and Dean tells her that he doesn’t expect to her be like Donna Reed.

Lorelei loses Stella (Rory’s bird) and calls Luke to come help her find Stella.  Meanwhile, Rory loses Apricot, and Lorelei says they’re not animal people.

We see another Friday night dinner, where Emily and Richard manage to rent a house in Martha’s Vineyard.  Lorelei admits to having having feelings for Luke, and Emily isn’t thrilled.

We close with Christopher- meaning, we finally meet Rory’s dad for the first time.

Favorite lines/scenes: Friday night dinner (both of them) and Lorelei singing a painting song

Pop culture: Donna Reed Show, the 1950’s housewife, A Streetcar Named Desire

Final thoughts: I really liked this episode, and it was interesting to see Rory and Dean disagree on the ’50’s housewife concept.  Also, I’m glad I don’t go to Rory’s school- a flour baby in health class for a week was bad enough, so I’m glad they never gave me an actual animal to take care of.  It gets 4 mugs of coffee.

Tempest Rising

Posted in Books by

Book: Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Published May 2011 by Walker & Company|243 pages

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Paranormal- Mermaids

Find out more: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Tracy Deebs

Goodreads.com Summary: Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water’s temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean’s future hangs in the balance. 

I really liked Tempest Rising.  I have no idea why it took me so long to read about mermaids, but this one is a good one to start off with!

A lot of things in Tempest Rising are predictable.  There’s a prophecy that focuses on Tempest- a prophecy that says she’s the one who will either join forces with Tiamat, an evil sea witch, or defeat her.  She doesn’t want to be a mermaid at first, but realizes that it is what she wants by the end of the novel.  She has a boyfriend, but in the end, she ends up with a mysterious stranger that turns out to be Selkie prince.

And I didn’t mind that there were quite a few predictable elements in the book.  I loved what Deebs did with mermaids and other ocean beings.  I loved the underwater city Kona lived in, and I can’t wait to get a closer look at where the mermaids live.  As for the human setting, I love that the book is set in San Diego!  I do wish we saw more than the beach, but considering the fact that Tempest loves to surf and the fact that she’s half-mermaid, I totally get why the beach is pretty important.  Plus, Tempest being a surfer makes her becoming a mermaid really interesting.

I loved the characters, and thought Tempest was interesting.  I didn’t care for Mark as her (former) boyfriend or Kona as her current boyfriend.  I felt like the book was more about her choice between land and sea, and while her Mark and Kona do represent her choice, it was kind of distracting.  I liked the relationships Tempest had with her family, especially the one she didn’t have with her mom.

Final thoughts: I really am looking forward to reading the sequel, and learning more about the ocean culture!  It was was a fun read and it was nice to read about mermaids.  I loved the characters and the setting, and while I didn’t love Tempest Rising, I still really enjoyed it.  It gets a 4 out of 5.