TMI by Sarah Quigley
Synopsis (from product description on amazon.com:
Friends call Becca the Overshare Queen, but her tendency for TMI never seemed like a problem to her until she blabs about her sweet band-geek boyfriend’s sloppy kisses—and gets dumped! Realizing it may be better to resist the temptation to overshare face-to-face, Becca decides to blog anonymously about everything instead. On her blog, Too Much Information, Becca unleashes her alter ego, Bella. Bella tells it like it is . . . though perhaps with a bit more drama. After all, no one’s going to read it, right?
Review:
Despite the fairly simple plot, this book was wonderfully fresh and original. Becca is a truly likeable character, who doesn't mean to open her big mouth as much as she does. Verbal diarrhea is just her nature.
Sarah Quigley gets the teenage angst just right without going over the top into melodrama. Another thing that impressed me about Quigley's writing was her spot-on portrayal of high school theater. Becca's interaction with her friends also reminded me a lot of some of the high schoolers in my youth group.
I think Quigley also hits the nail on the head with her themes of privacy on the Internet/blogs, or the lack thereof.
This is a book that I definitely recommend for its' funny, fresh take on the intense need of our culture to share everything about our lives with immediacy and pretend anonymity.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Review #4: Real Life Homeschooling by Rhonda Barfield
Real Life Homeschoolingby Rhonda Barfield.
This was my first nonfiction book of 2010.
Whatever your feelings about homeschooling are, this book is a good read simply for its' own sake. The book highlights the lives of 21 families who homeschool. The families are all different with different reasons for teaching at home. Some families homeschool for religious reasons, while some families are completely secular. Some families are large, while others only have one or two children.
I think that this book helps change people's views of homeschoolers from weird, unsocialized freaks, to regular people. The author tries very hard to let the families and their experiences speak for themselves.
If you are a family considering homeschooling, this book helps to show what options are available to homeschoolers as well as some glimpses into the struggles and joys of teaching your children yourself.
I higly recommend giving this book a try.
This was my first nonfiction book of 2010.
Whatever your feelings about homeschooling are, this book is a good read simply for its' own sake. The book highlights the lives of 21 families who homeschool. The families are all different with different reasons for teaching at home. Some families homeschool for religious reasons, while some families are completely secular. Some families are large, while others only have one or two children.
I think that this book helps change people's views of homeschoolers from weird, unsocialized freaks, to regular people. The author tries very hard to let the families and their experiences speak for themselves.
If you are a family considering homeschooling, this book helps to show what options are available to homeschoolers as well as some glimpses into the struggles and joys of teaching your children yourself.
I higly recommend giving this book a try.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Review #3: Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel
This review is of Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel.
Review:
The plot is actually a fairly simple one to follow: Echo's older sister, Zoe, was murdered and the book is about Echo's struggle to come to grips with her death.
Alyson Noel uses Zoe's final diary entries to provide insight into Zoe's character, and as a vehicle to facilitate Echo's healing. Zoe's diary entries are a little hard to swallow at times because they are not written like a real diary would be written.
Overall, the story had more believable moments than not, which I often find lacking in Noel's writing, so that was a pleasant surprise. However, there were parts that didn't seem to fit with the story. And ultimately, Echo never quite seems to connect with her sister as Noel hopes she will.
This was an incredibly quick read, and more enjoyable than not. So, if you are willing to overlook some unbelievable moments, I would recommend this book.
Review:
The plot is actually a fairly simple one to follow: Echo's older sister, Zoe, was murdered and the book is about Echo's struggle to come to grips with her death.
Alyson Noel uses Zoe's final diary entries to provide insight into Zoe's character, and as a vehicle to facilitate Echo's healing. Zoe's diary entries are a little hard to swallow at times because they are not written like a real diary would be written.
Overall, the story had more believable moments than not, which I often find lacking in Noel's writing, so that was a pleasant surprise. However, there were parts that didn't seem to fit with the story. And ultimately, Echo never quite seems to connect with her sister as Noel hopes she will.
This was an incredibly quick read, and more enjoyable than not. So, if you are willing to overlook some unbelievable moments, I would recommend this book.
Review #2: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
I haven't posted in over a month, and if anyone is reading this blog, I apologize for that. Real life conspired to make this book blog quite low on my list of priorities. However, I am hoping to get caught up over the next week or so. My reviews will be short so that I can acheive that goal.
So up next is Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy
Synopsis:(Courtesy of amazon.com product description)
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.
Review:
I read this book mainly because I was curious to see what sort of book a reality star could write. And as much as I hate to give a bad review, I have to say that overall this book was generally a disappointment. Like candy, the book was almost sickeningly sweet. (And how was that lovely cliche that I just used? Hee.)
The narrative jumps back and forth in third person point-of-view between sweet, rich, girl next door, Jane, and her non-conformist, beauty queen best friend, Scarlett. After moving to L.A. both girls get discovered at a club, and suddenly find themselves on a new reality show. Jane comes across as a major Mary Sue character for a good two-thirds of the book. Everything about her is so good. And Scarlett is supposed to be her counterpoint, more of the bad girl. For example, the book opens with Jane finding a guy in her bed who turns out to be Scarlett's boy du jour.
As far as the plot goes, it's a lot of fluff. The problems revolve around the girls handling sudden fame, and all that comes along with that. I almost didn't finish this book because the first half started off so slowly. The second half picked up and helped me want to finish.
Overall, this book felt like Lauren Conrad was indulging her desire to write her own experiences into a memoir of sorts without actually going the nonfiction route. So, if you have a burning desire to find out what living The Hills was really like for Conrad, I would recommend this book for you.
So up next is Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy
Synopsis:(Courtesy of amazon.com product description)
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.
Review:
I read this book mainly because I was curious to see what sort of book a reality star could write. And as much as I hate to give a bad review, I have to say that overall this book was generally a disappointment. Like candy, the book was almost sickeningly sweet. (And how was that lovely cliche that I just used? Hee.)
The narrative jumps back and forth in third person point-of-view between sweet, rich, girl next door, Jane, and her non-conformist, beauty queen best friend, Scarlett. After moving to L.A. both girls get discovered at a club, and suddenly find themselves on a new reality show. Jane comes across as a major Mary Sue character for a good two-thirds of the book. Everything about her is so good. And Scarlett is supposed to be her counterpoint, more of the bad girl. For example, the book opens with Jane finding a guy in her bed who turns out to be Scarlett's boy du jour.
As far as the plot goes, it's a lot of fluff. The problems revolve around the girls handling sudden fame, and all that comes along with that. I almost didn't finish this book because the first half started off so slowly. The second half picked up and helped me want to finish.
Overall, this book felt like Lauren Conrad was indulging her desire to write her own experiences into a memoir of sorts without actually going the nonfiction route. So, if you have a burning desire to find out what living The Hills was really like for Conrad, I would recommend this book for you.
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