Every Thursday, I will post a video (or more) that is somehow connected to a book I’ve read. I’ve also included a Mr. Linky widget at the bottom for anyone that’s interested in posting videos of their own.

This week’s novel is The Boyfriend Game by Stephie Davis. In the novel, Trisha finds herself in a dilemma when she develops a crush on Graham. Their relationship is based on the fact that they would much rather play soccer than flirt with the opposite sex. I chose the song “It’s Tough Have a Crush” by OK Go. Enjoy!

Wishlust is where I will post a few books that are on my infinitely long Amazon wishlist. By infinitely long, I mean almost 600 books! Hopefully, you will find a book or two that seem interesting to you. =)

Going Nowhere Faster – Sean Beaudoin
Stan Smith has the world’s dullest name, and the world’s dullest life to go with it. At 17, the former junior chess champion turned “Town’s Laziest Register Monkey at the Town’s Only Video Store” has no car, no college, and, of course, no girl. If that weren’t pathetic enough, he’s got an organic-food-freak vegan mother, an eccentric inventor father, a dead-end job, a dog with a flatulence problem, and a former classmate threatening to kill him. With a 165 IQ, Stan was expected to Be Something and Go Somewhere. But when all he has is a beat-up old bike that keeps getting vandalized, he’s going nowhere, faster.

To Catch a Pirate – Jade Parker
Once caught, it’s harder still to let a pirate go

When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold.  When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother.  He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace.  “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing.

A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him.  But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.

Hail Caesar – Thu-Huong Ha
Caesar thinks he can’t be touched by anything or anyone. Boys idolize him. Girls lust after him. And he has power over them, because he doesn’t care about any of them . . . until the new girl comes along, and turns Caesar’s world upside down. A funny, honest, in-your-face portrait of a guy who has to learn to stop being a legend in his own mind.

When Sara Black’s OCD father lands a job as a janitor at the elite Anton High, Sara, a junior, is given the opportunity to enroll in the school. Most students have to enroll freshman year. Anton High School is a change from the public high school life she was accustomed to. Most of Anton’s students come from privileged lifestyles, so when Sara’s classmates mistakenly believe she comes from London, England, instead of Lundon, Massachusetts, she goes along with it. She also does not tell her classmates that the janitor is her father or that her mother ran off with her old science teacher. Soon, however, some of Sara’s classmates feel their popularity is threathened by Sara, and her black lies soon catch up to her…

The best thing about Little Black Lies was Cohen’s ability to slowly reveal details about Sara’s family life, which added up to the bigger picture. These details were scattered around the book, but each time they perfectly flowed with whatever was happening at the moment. I loved reading about how Sara’s mother’s affair affected her father. Cohen’s portrayal of her father’s OCD was realistic. I also enjoyed reading about Sara’s relationship with her mother.

Sara’s classmates were reminiscent of Mean Girls, with Carling being the Queen Bee. Nothing too original, but entertaining nonetheless. I also really liked Leo, Carling’s boyfriend, who eventually became the love interest of Sara. Leo’s past with Sara’s lies were an interesting combination. I only had one major dislike about Little Black Lies. From the beginning, Sara realized her lies were wrong, yet she continued to consciously dig herself into a deeper hole, which completely frustrated me. Despite this, however, I still enjoyed the novel and wanted a sequel. This says a lot considering I am horrible when it comes to finishing series.

Fans of Mean Girls should be sure to look into Little Black Lies.

Related Links
Amazon
Powell’s
Tish Cohen’s site

These are the December releases I am looking forward to. Each cover is linked to the book’s amazon page.

What releases are you looking forward to?

High senior Jane Turner works as a barista at a local Wired Joe’s along with her best friend Em. By recording the drink a person orders in her notebook, Jane learns that a person’s favorite drink reflects his or her personality. Soon, she realizes that this can be used to successfully match make people. When Jane’s boss learns of her skills, he does what any competitive boss would do: he markets them. However, Jane’s matchmaking skills soon bring trouble to her personal life…

The Espressologist is not novel that sets out to be an extravagant piece of literature. Instead, it sets out to be a fun, light-hearted book that will warm a reader’s heart, and the novel did just that. Sometimes, I read a novel and wish the novel had more substance. With a poorer writer, the same could have easily happened with The Espressologist. However, Springer wrote the novel with the perfect amount of fluff. Kind of like when baristas find the perfect amount of whipped cream to put on a drink. (Okay, I’ll stop with the coffee analogies.)

With this novel, Kristina Springer takes a clever idea and uses it as the basis for an adorable novel, perfect for lazy days. As I read this book, all I wanted to was curl up in a blanket and drink a cup of coffee. A book has never made me crave coffee as much as this one. The aroma of coffee seemed to waft from the its pages. While most of the characters were predictable, they were also likeable. Some of my favorite characters of The Espressologist were the minor characters who were regulars at Wired Joe’s. The minor characters gave the store and novel an authentic feel. This authenticity will help readers want more of Wired Joe’s and the story.

Overall, The Espressologist is a cute novel, perfect for anyone looking for a light-hearted read.

Related Links
The Espressologist Web Page
Kristina Springer’s Site
Amazon
Powell’s

Every Thursday, I will post a video (or more) that is somehow connected to a book I’ve read. I’ve also included a Mr. Linky widget at the bottom for anyone that’s interested in posting videos of their own.

In celebration for Thanksgiving, this week’s book is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. For the video, I have a part of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Bet you didn’t see that one coming. Enjoy!

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! Make sure you eat plenty of food.

First of all, I totally should have posted this up sooner, but life can get in the way sometimes. Anyway, L.K. Madigan is the author of Flash Burnout, which you should read if you have not already. My review can be found here.

1) Where did you get the idea behind Flash Burnout?

Blake was a minor character in a novel I wrote before FB. I eventually abandoned that book, but I liked Blake’s class clown personality. I thought he might have interesting things to say in a future book … but I didn’t have a plot for him. Then a friend who is a medical examiner (who, sadly, sees a lot of meth cases) asked if I’d ever considered writing about the meth epidemic. Ideas began to careen around inside my cranium. First I thought Blake’s girlfriend might be the one to have an addicted parent; then I realized it had to be his girl FRIEND. Instant conflict!

2) Do you have an interest in photography? If so, how far back does your interest go?

I can remember begging to use my dad’s old 35mm Zeiss Ikon camera when I was in probably the fifth grade. Back then you had to wait till your photos were developed to see if they turned out! I took a lot of blurry photos as I was growing up.  So I’ve always had an interest, but my skill level is just average. I’m better with words than images.

3) Are there any characters in the book based on people you know in real life?

Yes and no.

I think writers can’t help but infuse their characters with traits of people they know … sometimes even people they’ve seen only once across a room! There’s probably a little bit of me in almost every character in the book, too.

I know teenage boys, photographers, the grown child of addict parents, a hospital chaplain, a medical examiner … but none of those people are actual characters in my novel.

4) If you could only use one word to describe Flash Burnout, what would you pick and why?

Heart.

Blake really struggles to be the best Friend and Boyfriend he can. That takes heart.

5) What research did you do for the novel?

I visited a medical examiner’s office.

I read photography books, and took tons of photos. I learned to use Photoshop, and had my manuscript read by a professional photographer to check for glaring errors.

I read newspaper articles and did online research about the effects of methamphetamine use on the body and brain.

6) As a teen, what novels did you like?

Wow – I read anything I could get my hands on. I especially loved “problem” novels, THE BELL JAR, Judy Blume, ghost stories, Stephen King, and Tom Robbins.

7) What is your favorite thing about being a YA author?

My world has expanded – no, exploded (in a good way) – since I sold my book. I’ve met so many other writers, readers, booksellers, and bloggers in the online community, and even BETTER, I’ve met some of them in person. I’m so happy to be an author in the age of the Internet. It seems like it would have been a lonely job even a decade ago.

8 ) Are you in the process of writing any novels? If so, what can you tell us?

I have a second novel coming out in 2010 – it’s pretty much the polar opposite of FLASH BURNOUT. It’s a fantasy about a girl surfer who finds a mermaid. No, really: it is.

9) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Since I’m answering these questions during Banned Books Week, remember to support your local libraries and fight to keep ALL books on the shelves. Other people’s parents should not dictate what YOU (or your child) can read.

Special thanks to Lisa for answering my questions! If you would like more information about Flash Burnout or the author, then go to L.K. Madigan’s site or blog.

These are the November releases I am looking forward to. Each book cover is linked to the novel’s amazon page.

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In My Mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Little Black Lies – Tish Cohen

Sara Black is tiptoeing across a fraying tightrope.

As the new eleventh grader at Anton High–the most elite public school in the country–she sticks out like an old VW bus in a parking lot full of shiny BMWs. But being the new kid also brings a certain advantageous anonymity.

In Anton High’s world of privilege, intelligence, and wealth, Sara can escape her family’s tarnished past and become whomever she wants.

And what’s the harm in telling a few little black lies when it can lead to popularity? That is, until another it girl at Anton becomes jealous of Sara’s social climbing.

With her balance evaporating, one small push could bring Sara crashing down.

The Espressologist – Kristina Springer

What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?