The fortification, a World Heritage Site, is being targeted by illegal digging, which has seen unregulated users of metal detectors cause damage to priceless archaeology.

English Heritage, the National Trust, Northumberland National Park Authority and police are now working together to identify perpetrators, fearing the “heritage crime” could cause untold and irreversible damage to one of Britain’s prime areas of archaeological importance.

The damage is understood to be caused by “nighthawking”; the illegal use of metal detectors by either unwitting amateurs bumbling through digs or unscrupulous thieves.

It is thought that a rise in so-called heritage crime has been fuelled in part by an increase in amateur detectorists, who believe they could find a treasure trove of gold or coins after seeing significant hauls such as the Staffordshire Hoard publicised.

The unregulated digs are now being investigated by experts, who say they cannot tolerate anything that “harms the appreciation of our collective heritage”.

They have already found turf pulled from the ground at Steel Rigg and Peel Crags at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, as would-be treasure hunters rake through the dirt to steal items which could have lain hidden since the Roman era.

Mark Harrison, English Heritage national crime advisor, said such incidents were caused by a “tiny minority” of detectorists, as he implored members of the public to come forward with information.

If the damage was a “genuine error” made by an amateur, he said, it would be “dealt with appropriately”.

"The practice of nighthawking, particularly from such important sites as Hadrian's Wall, is an issue that we take very seriously,” he said.

"We recognise that the majority of the metal detecting community comply with the laws and regulations relating to the discovery and recovery of objects from the land, but just as it is against the law to break into someone's house and steal their possessions, so it is illegal to damage land and steal valuable historical artefacts.

"The objects they are stealing belong to the landowner, in this case the National Trust, and the history they are stealing belongs to all of us."

Eric Wilton, National Trust countryside manager for Hadrian's Wall Country Group, which looks after over six miles and more than 700 archaeological features along the wall, said: "This is extremely damaging and it is a heritage crime.

“It is disappointing at a time when archaeologists and legitimate metal detectorists are working together more closely that this incident has occurred.

“The National Trust wants the public to enjoy its many and varied sites, such as these, but cannot tolerate illegal metal detecting that harms the appreciation of our collective heritage."

"We want people to be aware of what has happened and to contact us if they see anything suspicious."

Chris Jones, historic environment officer for Northumberland National Park, added: "The illegal removal of archaeological material is a serious offence. Such criminality has a damaging effect on people's ability to understand and enjoy the cultural heritage of the national park.”

The sites near to Hadrian’s Wall are legally protected as scheduled ancient monuments, and it is a criminal offence to use a metal detecting equipment without authorisation from English Heritage.

Patricia Birley, director of the Vindolanda Trust, which helps run organised excavations at a Roman fort nearby,said the “destructive activity” only served to “cheat ordinary interested people” by stripping away archaeological value.

Anyone with information is now urged to contact Northumbria Police.

Author: Hannah Furness | Source: Telegraph [February 11, 2015]

For a long time, I avoided the 'lighter', more romantic side of YA. I love Contemporary fiction, it's always been my favorite, but I really felt that these YA books that focused their main conflict on the romance weren't for me. And, for a lot of the time, this is true. But there are certain times, certain moods when that is exactly what I'm craving. Recently, I fed that craving. A lot.

How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison is my least favorite of the three books I'm reviewing today. Although it did enjoy the book, the characters here were less likable to me. This isn't always something that's the end of the world, but the way that the author described them, I knew there was supposed to be something amazing about them, something I just missed. Especially with Jesse. Giovanna breaks up with her super popular boyfriend as a matter of principal — he not only refuses to help her brother, who is also a good friend, in his campaign for student body president, but he teams up with the opposition, and does everything he can to ruin Dante's chances of winning the election. This really upsets Gio, but part-way through the election, she realizes that she wants Jesse back. She's tired of the campaign politics, the tension, and pretending she doesn't want Jesse.

So, Jesse is supposed to be this super great, really nice guy, who isn't shallow, cares about Gio, and stands by his friends. The only problem? I didn't see it. At all, really. He's a little bit annoying, he's completely oblivious about the really crappy way his friends treat his girl friend (because they are only nasty when he isn't around) and he lies to her, throughout the entire book. It's obvious that he's keeping something from her. At one point, he asks her to trust him but it's clear that he doesn't trust her, at least not enough to be open with her in return. And the worst part? At the end, when the big secret comes out, that makes everything all better? Jesse uses it to prove that his buddy really is a great guy, but it actually reaffirms Gio's opinion that Wilson is self-centered and a bit of a jerk. He's just, maybe not quite as awful.

And Gio herself is actually rather annoying. I get that she is only 15 or so, but her inner dialogue took turns being awesomely witty, funny and awesome, and being very annoying, "Oh woe is me" is. I get the teenage thing. Really, I do. But, I didn't like girls who couldn't stop obsessing over 'the boy' in high school, and I don't like reading about them in books either.

I know I'm sounding pretty down on this book, but overall, my feelings are quite positive. If you go into this book expecting it to be a super light, fluffy fun, pretty feel good read, it definitely delivers. There isn't a lot of depth, the characters aren't incredibly developed, but for the most part, it is good fun.

Girl v. Boy by Sandy Rideout and Yvonne Collins is the second book I've read by this duo. And, I have officially decided that I love them! This book is exactly what I was looking for! It's an incredibly good time. I laughed so many times reading this book and the whole time, I just had this incredibly happy, feel good vibe going on, and I know that I was grinning like a fool for a long time after reading this one.

Luisa has always blended in to her school. She has two best friends, and that's it. She shares her exact name with 10 other girls in the school, doesn't participate in any extracurriculars, and doesn't attend any school functions. But this year, things will be different. Pleased with her writing abilities, her English teacher asks her if she wouldn't mind being 1/2 of an anonymous writer. The school is participating in a girls vs. boys fundraiser and both the boys and the girls have a secret representative writing about the events in the school paper. Excited to test her writing skills, Luisa accepts, and her life changes in ways she would never have been able to predict.

I loved the characters in this story. Luisa is just hilariously funny and I loved watching her interact with her peers. She has a solid core and a surprisingly strong character for a story like this. I wasn't completely expecting any of the characters in this story to be as fully developed as they were. Each of the characters has their own personal strengths and weaknesses and each of them works to develop those. It is true that a lot of the secondary characters are a little more standard, a little more stereotypical, but I enjoyed the book so incredibly much that I barely noticed.

These two writers are a phenomenal pair. This is exactly the kind of light-hearted, fun read that just makes you feel good about your day, about people, and about being alive. I've already reread my favorite parts several times, and I can see this book, and this author duo becoming a default read when I need a reading pick me up.

Perfect Chemistry by Simon Elkeles is a little bit heavier than the two previous novels. While it's true that the romance is still a very important part of this story, (still THE most important part of the story) the conflict that the characters face is set on a much grander scale. Brittany is the golden goddess — she comes from money and as far as appearances go, she has the perfect life. She tries very hard to maintain that image, but her home life is far from perfect, and she's starting to crack under the pressure. Alex is involved with a local gang. Inside, he hates the life, but he knows that he has to be involved to offer protection to his family, so on the outside, he appears to everyone to be the tough gang member he needs to be. When pared up as chemistry lab partners, things get... interesting.

I really enjoyed watching Alex and Brittany develop their relationship, and develop as people. Both of these characters could so easily have turned into caricatures. They have all the traits needed to be those empty, stereotypical stock characters. But they aren't. Elkeles somehow manages to take them and mold them into people who have so many dimensions it's a wonder they aren't real. It's not what I was expecting from a book like this, that's for sure! We watch Alex try to come to terms with his gang membership and what it's doing to his life, and watch as the perfect world Brittany has created for herself starts slipping out from under her, we watch as she tries to accept the fact that she doesn't actually have to be perfect, that it's okay to make mistakes. And, we watch as these two very different people come together, fight the odds, and make something important.

The only thing in this book that I wasn't terribly crazy about was the epilogue. It was super cutesy, super fun, and so incredibly cheesy. I don't really feel like it fit with the tone of the book, and I kind of rolled my eyes a bit. But, it's good for some additional happy-feelings, so whatev.

This is a book that really pulls you into the lives of the characters, really makes you interested and hopeful for their future. It is a bit predictable... I called just about all the major drama moments and plot points pretty far in advance, but this type of book doesn't need to really surprise you. We all know where the story ends, it's the getting there that matter. And, even when we know how they get there, it's important that we are along for the ride with them.

Anna O'Shea's life is falling apart. Her husband has just left her most likely due to her multiple miscarriages. Her job as a lawyer is taxing and unsatisfying. And after a trip to Ireland she finds out that her brother Patrick was in a horrible car accident and might not live. To top it all off, her nephew is in jail and it's up to her to go get him out. This is the beginning of Jacqueline Sheehan's Now and Then. After Anna rescues her nephew, Joseph, from jail they both go to her house and fall asleep. Since they are each thinking about going to the hospital to visit Patrick the next day their sleep is a little messed up, and Anna finds Joseph searching through her suitcase.

In a magical moment Joseph and Anna pass through the ocean and in to another world: 1844 Ireland. Unfortunately they are separated, or not so unfortunately for Joseph. Joseph quickly falls in love and becomes a famous wrestler, while Anna can barely walk and is desperate to find her nephew. In the end they are both torn between their desire to stay in the past and return to the present.

This book started out a little slow for me, but once Joseph's story turned into a love story it picked up a little more. The first half of the book was a lot of description about how weird it felt to be in another time period. I felt like this could have been cut down a little as some things were repeated frequently, sometimes within a couple pages of each other. This made me feel like Sheehan didn't trust her reader, which in turn made me less apt to trust her. On the other end of the spectrum, by the end of the book I felt like Sheehan had woven a wonderful puzzle and all the ends were tied together which was really important for this book. It was obvious Sheehan had done some research on 19th century Ireland, I just wish it would have been more apparent at the beginning of the novel.

I also felt like this book was struggling over what kind of book it wanted to be. Joseph is a sixteen-year-old American teenager, so obviously he cusses, but I felt like the somewhat frequent pottymouthing and slang was too stark against Sheehan's mystical voice. I don't have a problem with language, it just felt out of place. At the same time, Joseph's character made the book for me. He was a total outcast and really messed up in modern America, but he finds that in Ireland he is actually cool and really talented. I could related to Joseph because of this and I would always get excited when the chapters about him came up.

This novel earned a C.

This novel counts for the Reading Western Europe Challenge and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog. This book was provided to me by a publicist.

Smiling for the cameras as ever, Stacey showed off the style wearing a bright peach top with a white bow, taupe leggings and red bowed flipflops.
Give us a wave: The Sing If You Can presenter has had her long brunette hair cut into a wavy bob
The former X Factor star, who won last year's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here - is famed for her non-stop talking and exclamations like 'Oh my god!'.
She came third on the X Factor in 2009, won last year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me out Of Here and this year's Celebrity Mum Of the Year and lives in Dagenham, Essex, with her three-year-old son, Zachary.
Stacey currently co-hosts with comedy star Keith Lemon the hysterical Sing If You Can, a guilty Saturday night pleasure on ITV1 for many, but a show that also more importantly raises money for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity.

Longer locks: Stacey, left, on I'm A Celebrity at the end of last year, and right, in 2009 during her time on X Factor
The show sees celebrities attempting to sing songs while all sorts of distractions happen around them - like last week, when football legend Rodney Marsh and singer Ray Quinn attempted to sing Blur's Parklike while surrounded by dogs.
Teenage Cancer Trust aims to ensure that every young person with cancer and their family receive the best possible care so the show is well worth watching and donating - or just donate anyway.
Meanwhile, ditzy Essex star Stacey, who confirmed last month that she is wokring on her debut album, also has a book coming out on 12 May.
Her autobiography, it's called My Story So Far.
Ray Quinn on Sing if you can - 30/04/11 - Parklife

Stacey Solomon Behind the Scenes of the Photoshoot for her autobiography

source :dailymail

VIA Oh my god! Sing If You Can presenter Stacey Solomon gets the chop

Variant by Robison Wells is an interesting book, one that I still haven't decided quite how I feel about yet. It's a strange book made even stranger by the twists at the end, but I'm not totally sure it was... enough to make me reasonably suspend my disbelief and buy into the story. But overall, the reading experience itself was positive. Let me see if I can explain this better...

Variant starts with Benson on his way to a private school. He applied for a scholarship to escape the foster care system he's been (painfully) bounced through for years and he hopes that this is finally going to be a place where he can belong, make friends and not feel like a burden. But when he gets there, the school is seriously wonky and nothing makes sense. Almost immediately, he is wishing he could leave but it's impossible. No one ever gets out. The longer he stays at this school, the more confused he gets and the more he wants to leave. But everyone is telling him that he needs to stop thinking about life outside the school and settle in. But while there are things that are appealing about the school (ahem, Jane) he can't get over his discomfort and he still sits and plots his escape. And then, something happens, he sees something that changes everything and now he knows that he needs to get out of here. And he's going to need help. But the thing is, now that he's seen what he's seen, he doesn't know who to trust. And it's awfully hard to get a group together if you can't trust anyone.

I was really disturbed by almost every character in this book. The kids at the school have split themselves into three gangs. There is much explanation for this in the book, but basically it's a survival and safety thing. Of the three gangs, The Society is the one I found most disturbing. Each kid has a job at the school and The Society is in charge of security contracts. And they like it. In a school where detention means death, these guys gloat and smirk as they dole out punishments. It's a perfect illustration that power corrupts and I found it seriously disturbing. How can any human being gloat while doling out a punishment that to their knowledge equals death. *shudder*

Benson spends the whole book basically marking time while looking for a way out. I could definitely relate to that, because I can't imagine myself being sent to a place like this, that is essentially a prison (with no outside contact at all) and just being content to stay. I do get why most of the kids are relatively content — Trying to escape is punishable by detention, which they are all pretty sure equals death. But I can't imagine living like that.

For most of the book, I was really enjoying myself. I wasn't loving it, but I did really enjoy it and I was super interested in what this big twist that everyone kept talking about was going to be. And then it happened. And I was left feeling a little bit like, WTF?! I will say that I absolutely did not see it coming. And if you claim you did see it coming, then I will either think you are lying to seem cooler than everyone else or you have a seriously twisted thought process... And, while I liked that I didn't see this twist coming, liked that I didn't have most of the story figured out a few steps ahead of the book, I am also not sure I actually liked the twist and I'm left feeling a little bit like, seriously? Seriously?! You went there?! Really? That's what you decided to do?!

So, the jury is still out on this one. I liked the book, the writing was engaging and interesting and kept me guessing, but overall, I'm not sure I loved the story. I will also say that the ending definitely sets up for a sequel and that the sequel could take the story in a lot of different directions, some of which I think I would really like, some that I would not. So I'll definitely be excited to grab the sequel when it comes out (because if it doesn't, that's going to be seriously lame) and I'm really interested to see how this story plays out.

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore is a story that, although not a direct retelling, definitely has a fairy tale-esque feel to it throughout the whole novel. Nimira is our main character. She is young and lovely but a bit of an oddity. Originally from a different country, her skin is dark and dusky where everyone else is pale. She moved to the new country with the intention of making a name and a fortune for herself as a dancer. Years ago, her mother had been a dancer, back when it was considered classy and profitable. But now, as Nimira tries to make a name for herself, it has fallen out of favor with the upper crust and become sort of, well... trashy. Referred to as a Trouser Girl, Nimira lives and travels with her troupe, because it is the only way to survive.

But then, a mysterious sorcerer watches her dance one night, and asks if she will come to live with him, to dance and sing next to his piano playing automaton. Knowing that this is one of the few chances a girl in her circumstances will have to better her situation, she accepts (although not without some trepidation). She travels with the sorcerer, Hollin, to his home and meets the automaton and this is where the story really picks up. This is where the magic happens.

Given the nature of the book, and this style of book in general, you have a pretty strong feeling that all is not as it seems with the automaton, even before you truly meet him. It's definitely not a secret. But watching Nimira discover just what was going on with this automaton was enthralling. She was also incredibly calm and practical about it, much more so that I imagine I would have been, if this mechanical man started trying to talk to me. After devising a method of fairly reliable, albeit slow communication with the automaton, she begins to learn of the dark happenings that trapped him within this mechanical body. What she learns horrifies her and she desperately wants to save him, but she doesn't know how. Erris, the automaton, is adamant that she trust no one other, seeking assistance only from the name Erris was told to trust by someone years ago who is now dead.

Erris was my favorite character in the novel. He was fascinating! And he came alive for me long before I think Nimira understood all there was too him. I loved watching them get to know each other, even with the limitations of his current form.

Hollin was a hard character for me. I could never decide if I liked him or not, but he gave me weird vibes. I spent a large part of the book just waiting for him to show his true creep colors, while also thinking that he was probably a decent guy. I was conflicted about him the whole time. I never really liked him, but by the end of the story, I think I understood him a little better, which is really what ends up being important.

There were a lot of predictable elements to the story. From the beginning, you have a basic idea of where things are going to go, and there are going to be quite a few 'revelations' that shock Nimira that won't surprise you. But, the story is told with such freshness and talent that I found myself not minding at all.

The biggest complaint I had with the story was the ending. I felt that the resolution was too rushed, and far too easy, especially where the main villain of the piece is concerned. I also felt that there were too many unanswered questions, too many details left unexplained. But, there is a sequel planned, so I'm willing to overlook the hanging questions, and hope that the sequel will answer them.

Overall, this is a great read. Dolamore's writing is quite lovely and she is able to create phenomenal characters. Anyone who can make my heart flutter a bit over a collection of metal parts and pieces has my vote. I cannot wait to read the sequel! I'm also incredibly excited for her upcoming novel, Between the Sea and Sky! Be sure to check out the interview and guest post with Jaclyn as further part of Fairy Tale Fortnight!! (pssst. There's a giveaway with that interview!!)

I'll admit right off the bat that I haven't quite finished Angelology yet, but I think this might be a good thing. The ending will be very important to this book as it is supposed to be a thriller of sorts, and it might end up clouding my feelings about the book thus far. And my feelings about this book are a little strange because this is so unlike anything I usually read. Sister Evangeline has found herself amidst an old correspondence between her convent's mother superior and the famous and wealthy Abigail Rockefeller. She isn't the only one trying to understand how the two are related, and in the process she is plunged into a world of secrets that forces her to reevaluate the way she sees the world. Angels do exist, and their descendants are amongst us. They are rich and beautiful, and some of them are well known.

This book has gotten a lot of comparisons to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, which I read several years ago. They are both very exciting books, but Angelology seems to be more well written. That said, Angelology does drag on a bit more because Danielle Trussoni doesn't repeat ideas like Dan Brown does. The book jumps around a lot. We see the story from multiple characters' points of view, we visit their pasts, and we read their journals. Everything moves seamlessly.

Angelology appears to be a very well researched book. I know very little about the Bible or angels, but I put my trust in what she said. There are several "realistic" elements to the book, like diaries, charts, and excerpts from books that actually put you in the adventure. As a lover of nonfiction I always enjoy it when a fiction writer includes these elements to their storytelling. While I said I put my trust in Trussoni I did find that I was wondering about angels as I read through her book. It definitely makes me want to go out and learn more about their history.

I probably haven't been very convincing, so be sure to check out some of the other reviews of this book from TLC Book Tours. I've been purposefully vague throughout this review because it would be so easy for me to ruin this book for you. If you're looking for something to pull you out of your reading slump or are interested in well researched thrillers I suggest you pick this one up. You might be surprised, as I was, by how much you like it. And I get to give two copies of this book away. If you would like to be entered in this giveaway please leave a comment with your email address and the name of one book you recently read that really knocked your socks off. The winners will be chosen randomly. You have until February 4, 2011 at midnight. This giveaway is only open to US/Canada. The winners of this giveaway have been chosen. Thanks to everyone who entered!

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog. I received a review copy of this book as part of TLC Book Tours.

Last Spring my college newspaper, The Daily Iowan, did an article about this blog and me. On Friday I found out they included me in their editorial about University of Iowa sponsored student blogs, pointing to mine as an example of a blog written by a student who wasn't sponsored by the University. Their idea was that this would make me more honest because the University doesn't regulate what I say on here. This is probably true, because I complain about the English department sometimes (although I must admit I mostly just have good things to say about it). In any case, it was nice to be featured again, even though their caption about my blog was currently incorrect as I no longer do children's book Thursday. Although I should! Because I've recently purchased a slew of awesome children's books.

I didn't get much reading done this week because I was up to my ears in catch-up after the long weekend. I had a paper due on Wednesday and a paper due on Friday. While that was stressful, I think it was just the push I needed to get my butt back into school gear. I'm actually enjoying my classes now (even my business class!) and I'm getting into a schedule. This week was also busy because Thursday I went to the first training for the Women's Action and Resource Center. I'm going to volunteer there this year and I'm really excited about it. I'll be chronicling that experience at my other blog, Woops Feminism, for those who are interested.

In other news, the boyfriend and I bought a tandem bike this week. I know this has nothing to do with books but I just had to share it because it's so awesome!

It's a 70's Twinn Schwinn and it's s great to ride. It took some getting used to and it feels really weird to go from a tandem to a regular bike, but I'm so glad we got it because it's a fun way to spend time together. It takes a lot of trust in each other to ride it, especially for him because he is the stoker (which just means he rides on the back) so he has to put all of his trust in me to steer because he can't see. We rode it to a party on Friday night and apparently everyone loves tandem bikes because we got yelled at about every thirty seconds. It was pretty fun. Just want to give a shout out to The Broken Spoke for selling us this awesome bike and helping us out so much!

I was thrilled to find a class that was teaching Wilike Collins' The Woman in White this semester because I had been reading about it forever (at least it seemed that way to me). And the description on the back of the book got me even more excited when it said the novel was "the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism." Great, right? Right?

Well my friends, it was great. Excellent in fact. The narrative structure copies a criminal investigation. The first character we meet is Walter Hartright, a romantic character who has a strange encounter with a creepy woman in white on the road. She seems different, perhaps not quite insane but there is definitely something wrong with her. And why is she dressed all in white? He doesn't know it at the time, but this woman is going to change the general course of things for everyone he meets. He is on his way to new place of work, a drawing master for Laura Fairlie. When he meets Laura Fairlie he is pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful she is, but later finds out that she is already engaged to someone else. Sir Percival Glyde.

We lose Walter fairly quickly and the bulk of the novel is narrated by my favorite character, Marian. Marian has the body of a goddess and the face of mole, but she is extremely intelligent and observant. Her ugliness truly buys her freedom, as no man would want to marry that. She watches Sir Percival Glyde and his friend Count Fosco. She want to trust Percival since he is marrying her half sister, but she just cannot bring herself to do so. She is also pulled in by my other favorite character, Count Fosco, but she realizes Count Fosco tricks people easily and tries not to succumb to his powers. Fosco is a strange man. He is enormously fat, sweet to his wife in public, and is constantly eating sweets. He also knows exactly how to make people listen to him which makes him a humongous threat.

So who is the woman in white? What is the relationship between Count Fosco and Sir Percival Glyde? Why did Sir Percival want to marry Laura? These and many more questions pop up along the way in this book. It truly is a thrilling read. So why a B you might ask. The reason for the B is basically that I thought the ending was too neat and tidy, although I realize this would have been the preferred ending by most people in the book's day. I don't always like perfect endings though, and I wish this one would have ended differently. But it is certainly a must read!

This novel earned a B.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert came in the mail for me one day, completely unexpected. It was signed and shipped from Stephanie herself and I have no idea why. I searched through my emails, couldn't find any mention of the book, but it had been on my watch/tbr pile for a while, and it was signed, so I was happy and added it to the pile, waiting to be read. It waited for a couple of months before I finally picked it up.

I wish I had read it immediately.

This is one of those books that forces a person to redefine and reevaluate the way they view their world. At least, that's what it did to me. I've been waiting a while now to write this review because there is so much to be said about this book, and I don't feel at all qualified to say it.

It's a story about Kara, a teenage girl who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere, doesn't make friends easily and doesn't deal with internal pain very well. When her best (and only friend) moves away, she has no one left but her younger brother Liam who doesn't really trust her, because they used to be close, and then she ditched him for the best friend. But they start to get closer, and then Kara meets Maya. She's confident, vibrant and flamboyant, pretty much everything Kara is not. They bond quickly and Maya takes Kara with her to Scoville Park, where she is introduced to an entirely new world and where she feels, for the first time in forever, that she has friends, that she fits in, and here, she can be cool.

But the crowd that hangs out at Scoville Park is not exactly the crowd that mommies and daddies want their kiddies hanging out with. They drink, smoke, do drugs-some 'basic' high school fair (pot) and some much, much harder (heroin and acid) and get into all kinds of trouble. But Kara, who has been secretly cutting for years to feel in control of her life finally feels like she's found a place to belong.

This leads me to the only thing about this book that I can find fault with. Every single teenage character in this book (and I do mean every single one) that gets more than two sentences of face time spends the entire novel drunk/stoned/high/strung out/tripping/hungover or some combination of them all. I know that there are some teenagers who did go through high school like that. And, it makes sense that if you are living like that, the people you hang out with are likely to be living like that too. I get it. Really, I do. But it is something so completely foreign to me, something that is as completely and totally different from my own high school (and life) experiences as you can possibly get, that I had a hard time with that. It just felt a little over the top, a little extreme.

But then again, this is coming from the girl who has never even tasted alcohol, has never picked up a cigarette, never even been tempted to try drugs. None of these are things that appeal to me. Partly because I'm supremely fond of my brain, and very aware that any and all drug use diminishes brain capacity, and also because I don't like the idea of giving up that much control to a substance. I freely admit, I need more control over my life than that.

So, although I struggled with the level of constant drug abuse, it is also such an integral part of the novel, and given what these characters experienced is so completely different from what I, or anyone I know, went through at that age, it really forced me to reexamine the way I view the world and the people in it. These characters are filled with so much pain. I wasn't always a happy person in high school, in fact the emotion I was most familiar with for most of my growing up years is anger, but I've never met a cast of characters with so much emotional turmoil before and the pain practically bleeds from the pages. But, surprisingly, somehow, there is a lot of love included in that pain. This group of friends — flawed, suffering, somewhat stupid — is there for each other, and you know that at their core, they would go through Hell to protect each other. Which is why it's all the more heartbreaking when things start to break them apart, when they start to splinter.

I read this book through a perpetual ache in my chest, wanting them to find help, wanting them to understand that there is hope in the world, a life better than drinking and drugs can offer you. Every time Kara cut herself because she couldn't handles the pressure, my heart bled along with her arms. I wanted them to want something better for themselves, to understand that each of them deserved better than what they were giving themselves.

My absolute favorite part of this book was the way Stephanie told the story. It begins with the epilogue. Kara has been gone for four years now, having left the area after a night in Scoville with her 'boyfriend' Aidan leaves her almost dead in the park from a heroin overdose. She decides it is finally time to tell her story, and so begins her Ballad. The story is told mostly by Kara, but her narrative is broken up by the Ballads, or stories of the other characters. They take a few pages to express their hurts, their pain, their suffering. They write about the life experiences that made them who they are, that brought them to their present state. And although the story on its own, Kara's story is powerful in and of itself, I believe that the heart of the story would be missing without these added narratives. There is something about hearing about these disappointments straight from the characters who experiences them that gives the story a raw honesty that really reached into me. They each titled their own story, and these short titles really capture the tone of the story, and the characters themselves. And, as if that weren't enough, Stephanie has includes a single lyric with each ballad, each new section, a lyric that captures and hints at the tone each new section, each ballad will take us through. And the lyrics are perfect, almost as if the songs themselves were written for each of these characters.

I can't express enough how much this book moved me. These characters are so incredibly real to me, so rich and raw, their stories so moving, that I don't know how you can read this book and not be touched. I don't know how you can spend time with these people and not be left with an ache in your chest because you know there are people like them in real life, suffering, waiting, heading toward death or a life full of nothing. I ache for them. Still. It's been over a month since I read this book and I still find my heart aching every time I think about this book, every time I glance at my bookshelf and see the spine. This is an important book, and it doesn't get nearly the attention and love that it deserves. People, this book needs to be read. So what are you waiting for? Go do it.

* Just realized that I didn't actually post this at 5:30 like I thought I had... So I'm posting it now. Hours later. My apologies.: P Update: Day 2 — 5:30
Total Books Read: 9
Total Pages Read: 2049 Books Read Since Last Update: 2 Pages Read since last update: 619 Total time read: 16 hours How I'm currently feeling: Good! I'm excited that I've made so much progress, and I'm hoping that I'll get at least one more book read before 8. Shouldn't be too hard! I'm sure I can get it done!:) List of books read- 1 — I Heart You, You Haunt Me — Lisa Schroeder 2 — Fog Magic — Julia L. Sauer (Newbery Honor) 3 — Monster — Walter Dean Meyers (Printz Award, Reread) 4 — The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom 5 — Dobry- Monica Shannon (Newbery Award) 6 — Repossessed — A.M. Jenkins (Printz Honor) 7 — Where the Red Fern Grows — Wilson Rawls (Reread) 8 — After the Kiss — Terra Elan McVoy 9 — Scars — Cheryl Rainfield
So, here is my update post for day two! It is now about 11:30. I went to bed about 4:00 last night and now I'm up and plan to get lots more reading done!

Really fast update before I disappear to read:

I read one more book before falling asleep, which brings my current total to 7 books and 1430 pgs. I finished Where the Red Fern Grows, which has been a very, very favorite since 4th grade and never fails to make me cry. Hard. It had been a long time since my last reread, so I was due.:) I've read the book somewhere over 50 times and it never gets old, never gets dull, and never fails to touch something emotional within me.

I will do a more indepth update later.:) For now, I'll answer the update question and get to reading!

Book I think should be taught in school?

I definitely agree with Enna that The Book Thief is amazing and would go over well in a classroom.

But for this question, I think I'm going to pick Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. It's one of my all time favorite books. I love it so, so much. It's a powerful book about learning who you are, living, moving on, forgiveness, trust, death, life, pain, grief, happiness, etc. etc. etc. There are so many things happening in this book, powerful, wonderful things. It also makes great use of flashbacks and dual story lines. Seriously. I think everyone should read this book.

AND if you start it, you HAVE to finish it. Every single negative review I've read of this book came from people who didn't finish. Of people who have read the whole thing, I have never talked to anyone who didn't end up really liking, if not loving this one. Seriously folks.

This week Becky chose to revisit one of her favorites from Dewey's original topics...

1. In your blog, list any books you’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet. If you’re all caught up on reviews, maybe you could try this with whatever book(s) you hope to finish this week.

2. Ask your readers to ask you questions about any of the books they want. In your comments, not in their blogs. (Most likely, people who will ask you questions will be people who have read one of the books or know something about it because they want to read it.)

3. Later, take whichever questions you like from your comments and use them in a post about each book. Link to each blogger next to that blogger’s question(s).

4. Visit other Weekly Geeks and ask them some questions!

Besides being a lot of fun, this topic is very helpful, particularly if you are behind on reviews and need a kick in the patootie to get started. And it's also a very interactive Weekly Geeks, which is just one of the many things Dewey encouraged. So instead of the typical weekly wrap-up I'm going to continue the fun:

1. If you haven't asked any questions yet, I encourage you to visit a couple of blogs (see the original post for the participants) and ask a question. Trust me, the bloggers will love you forever for providing inspiration for those long neglected reviews! And remember, it's never too late to participate in the topic and write your own post asking for questions.

2. If you've written a post using someone's question, leave a link to your review on this post's Mr. Linky (in the event of MrLinkyfail, just post in the comments). And you can continue to post your links until all your reviews are written.

3. Go visit the blogs who have posted reviews and leave a comment!

Almost every time I hear people start talking about Sarah Dessen, the overall favorite of her books seems to be The Truth About Forever . I think I've only ever talked to one person who picked a different Dessen as a favorite. And, now after reading it, I can definitely see why.

Allison from The Allure of Books and I were talking on Twitter during the 24 hour read-a-thon and she basically threatened violence against me if I didn't make this book an immediate priority. So... I did. (Although, Allison — I'm calling you out. You definitely own me a Melina Marchetta read ASAP, per our arrangement). And, I was not disappointed.

Macy is having a really hard year. Her dad just died (she was there when it happened and feels insanely guilty about it), her mom has become a work-a-holic control freak and her steady, dependable boyfriend is going away for the summer to a brainiac camp for geniuses. Life around her is chaotic, but she refuses to allow herself to feel out of control. She studies regularly and does exactly what is expected of her, and stays 'safe'. She can't allow any cracks in her perfect "I'm fine" facade, or everything will fall apart. But then, after an almost disastrous catering event, she meets a group of all new people who live their lives completely differently. She starts to work for the catering company, intending to only take on the odd job when they need the extra help, but it soon becomes much more than that. Because with this group of people, she is finally starting to open back up, finally starting to feel alive and happy again. She's scared of it at first, doesn't really know how to embrace the feelings, but when she does, man, does she shine.

One of the things Dessen is most known for and talked about are her boys. And oh my goodness... This boy here does not disappoint. Wes is such a deep and interesting character. He has a story, like all interesting characters do, and he's been hurt by life before. His experiences in life really give him a chance to connect to Macy on a level she has never felt before. He gets her. He sees her as she is, and wants to be around her anyway. Because of complications to both of their current relationships (of the "Lets take a break" variety) they aren't necessarily looking for a relationship and are instead content to be near each other and be friends. And I love this! I love that they are comfortable around each other, open and honest. They play a game, something that I would love to try, but would be absolutely scared to death of. It's a truth game, and the only real rule is that you take turns asking questions, and when you are asked, you must answer, or you lose. It allows them to learn so much about each other, things that you don't normally learn for a long time. The amount of trust it takes to play a game like that honestly is astounding to me and, I think, really helps to demonstrate the level of emotion between these two.

Although I genuinely loved the development of their relationship, their resolution is the only complaint I have with this story. Dessen spent the entire book building up a relationship based on friendship, attraction, and mutual respect between these two. There was so much going on for the whole story and it just made me anxious to see how their story was going to resolve itself. And then it did... And that was it. She spends 367 pages building us up, waiting for something to happen and then she uses 3 pages to make it so. And then tacks a 4 page epilogue on after that. Wait, what?! All that build up for 3 pages?! Sigh... It felt a lot rushed and a lot underdeveloped. The book is already pushing 400 pages. I doubt anyone is going to care if you add a few more... Anyway...

Each member of the supporting cast is equally fleshed out. There are no stock characters here, no half-drawn cardboard cut outs. Every single person you meet on these pages is complex, unique, and wholly real. This book is full of people I wish I could get to know in real life. They are just so much fun, so honestly real and so... so full!

This is a book full of life and hope, and the knowledge that there will be a tomorrow beyond the pain, and that things can be alright again. It's a book I highly recommend. If you only ever read one Dessen book, it should probably be this one.

I am going to admit it... Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez is a book I read because I loved the cover. The summary makes it seem like a romance that just happens to be set during a major violin competition. So I was expecting something fairly fluffy and feel good romancy.

Umm. No. Not at all. There is so much more to the story than that. SO very much more. Carmen is an intensely passionate and complex character. She's an amazingly talented violinist, but she's also a teenager, a person, even though she's never really been given the chance to be normal. She's preparing for a huge violin competition, THE big violin competition and she's the favorite to win. But there is one other person who might be able to take the prize from her, a boy from England named Jeremy and Carmen becomes almost obsessed with discovering who he is so that she can determine whether or not she needs to be nervous. And what happens when they begin to get to know each other completely changes Carmen. And not in that annoying — OMG I like, have my first, like, crush, on like, this boy, like you know, he's like, well, like hot and stuff? — way but in a way that makes her question why she's really doing what she's doing and how far is too far in pursuit of dreams.

This book was so much more than I expected it to be and I absolutely loved it. From the teaser at the beginning where Carmen is contemplating dropping her Stradivarius violin off the balcony (!!!! NOOOO!!!) to the very end when the story comes to its ambiguous resolution, I was completely and totally involved in this story and I felt the story, nearly as strongly as if I were living it.

Almost every part of this story was perfectly blended. The side characters and their stories were fully developed and contained just enough detail that I really felt like I knew them as well. I find that I am lacking sufficient eloquence to do this story justice, but believe me, it is worthy of every bit of praise it has received. One of the most complex relationships in this story is that of Carmen and her mother. I am going to be intentionally vague here, because there is much to this story that you must learn on your own, but it is one of the most toxic relationships I have ever seen. On the surface, all seems fine. They have moments were they are just quiet together, being a mother and daughter and basking in the fact that they have a strong bond. And initially, I actually cheered that a parent in a YA novel was a good influence, active and involved in her child's life. But then things start happening that make you wonder at what is going on beneath the surface and I ended the book with absolute disgust and disdain for that mother and not a small amount of hatred.

My first inclining that all was not as well as it seemed was when young 11 or 12 year old Carmen has her first bout of crippling stage fright and, rather than work through it with her, her mother immediately signs her up for anti-anxiety beta blockers, because there's no way she can cope on her own and her career can't take another performance like that one. What type of mother does that?! Has such little faith in the abilities of their child and makes that painfully clear to them?! Carmen develops a psychological dependency on these beta blockers and her mother encourages this, telling her she is no good without them and that if she needs more, to just take more and all things will be fine. And this ends up being a large part of Carmen's struggles later in the novel.

I do wish that more time had been given to Carmen's struggle with addiction, because it is a dangerous and powerful thing. It seemed too easy for Carmen to overcome her dependency, especially given how strongly her mother pushed her to get back on them and that confused me some. I wish it had played a stronger role in the novel but as it stands, it was a stepping stone of sorts to the larger issue at play, which is her relationship with her mother/agent and where that all went wrong.

For most of the novel, Carmen is torn between wanting to be with Jeremy and not feeling like she is able to trust him (there's that mom again). And my heart hurt for her. It's impossibly hard to feel like the person that you are falling for is out to sabotage you. But really, Jeremy was a great person. He's confused as well, trying to reconcile each of the parts of himself into one person and figure out what is truly important in life. Watching the two of them start to learn together was wonderful and challenging and just made my heart happy.

The climax of the novel, which includes Carmen contemplating the destruction of an irreplaceable violin made me so emotional I had a hard time even reading. I was such a mixture of fury, disbelief, pain and fear. Carmen is not in a good place at that point, and I don't blame her. It was devastating to read but so well written.

Martinez really understands how to write a book, how to fully engage the reader and how to make one care completely for the characters within. I am going to be avidly watching Martinez for whatever she comes out with next. There is no way I can use one review to adequately describe every part of this novel that was great, to talk about each of the things that I loved, that really worked for this book. So just take my word for it (and the word of lots and lots of others who have also loved this one) and go read it. This is one time when even that stunning cover isn't enough for the brilliance of the story within. So seriously guys. Read this book.

Today's interview is with a writing duo. Yvonne and Sandy have written quite a few books together and while I've only read two of them so far, they have both been lots of fun to read, and exactly what I was looking for at the time. Lots of fun, a little bit of fluff and just overall enjoyable.

What is it like writing as a team? How do you get past disagreements on pieces of the story?

We've been writing as a team for over a decade, and it’s still fun. The toughest part is picking one of many ideas floating like balloons over our heads, and focusing on just one.

Over the span of 10 books, we’ve had to develop a three-stage technique to shoot down each other’s ideas in a way that isn’t hurtful:
1. Listen to the entire idea, nodding and smiling;
2. Offer lukewarm praise; and
3. Present new idea so obviously superior that the first one is instantly forgotten.

Seriously, though, you can’t get too attached to your ideas when you’re a team. You have to trust than another, better one will come along, because it always does.

How did the two of you meet? How did you decide to become writing partners?

We met as teens working in a public library. We were friends for years—and even roommates after college—and the idea of writing together never occurred to us. But one day, Yvonne went looking for a non-fiction book for her nieces to answer their questions about relationships with boys, friends and family. She couldn't find a book with the right, light-hearted tone, so she suggested we write one. That led to Totally Me: The Teenage Girl’s Survival Guide. It was a natural fit, since we've spent our entire friendship talking about relationships with boys, friends and family.

Have either of you written alone? Or written with a different partner?

We've only collaborated with each other. In some cases one of us has written “more” of a particular book than the other person, depending on our schedules. But we developed our voice together, so I doubt anyone could tell who wrote what. In fact, sometimes we compliment each other on our own lines, forgetting we wrote them!

What are the differences to writing alone vs as a team and what are some advantages/disadvantages to both styles.

A huge advantage to collaborating is simply the “we're in it together” feeling. It’s nice to share the highs and lows of publishing, and the weight of deadlines. The only disadvantage—other than the loss of full creative control!—is that you have two schedules to coordinate. We have other jobs and commitments and they don’t always sync up as we’d like.

Why Contemporary?

We started out that way and just kept going. Spending time with our teen friends keeps us grounded in the present and we’re intrigued by the challenges they face.

But to be honest, we have always wanted to give paranormal a try and soon... we will! Expect something a little different from Collins-Rideout in a few months.

I've heard talk that *Love, Inc.* is actually a series. Is there any truth to that rumor? If so, is there any information you can share with us?

Yes! We just released the sequel to Love, Inc. It’s called Trade Secrets, and it will soon be available across all electronic platforms. You can already find it on Amazon

Here’s a short overview:

Kali Esposito and her best friends Syd and Zahra revive Love, Inc. to help the lovelorn break-up, make-up or take-up with someone new. A die-hard romantic, Kali can turn the most socially-challenged clients into confident charmers and the “Kali Method” takes Love, Inc. to new heights. But when a competitor corrupts her method to turn regular guys into players, Kali must reclaim Love, Inc.’s trade secrets before every girl in Austin gets her heart broken.

Speaking of sequels/series, are they harder to write than the first book? Do you *like* them or do you prefer writing a standalone story?

The challenge with sequels is trying to recap the first book for new readers without boring returning readers, who already know the back story. But on the whole, sequels are easier to write in that you’ve already developed the key characters, and their world. Our favorite book of all is the third book in the Vivien Leigh Reid series: Diva in Control. By that point, we’d hit our stride and could just enjoy getting poor Leigh into trouble. We’d still love to do a sequel to The Black Sheep. Judy is our most obnoxious villain ever—she deserves another outing.

What made you decide to self-publish Trade Secrets? Will you continue to self-publish all your future books? Will Trade Secrets also be released in a hard copy edition (I'd love to have a hardcover to match Love, Inc!)

It all started when Sandy bought a Kobo for her mom for Christmas... and kept it for herself. If a hard-core book lover like Sandy can fall for an e-reader, it can happen to anyone.

So we started researching e-publishing, and it just seemed to suit our needs. First, you can get books out faster. We have always wanted to write more than one book a year, and also, different types of books. Now, with e-publishing, it’s a lot easier to follow your heart—as long as you hire experts to rein you in! We’re pretty excited by this new opportunity and expect to e-pub our next few books. But we've been around the book biz long enough to know that you have to stay flexible.

If there’s enough interest in paper copies of Trade Secrets, we’ll look into making that option available.

Is there anything you can share with us about your current work in progress or upcoming stories?

We’re working on a bunch of projects right now, including a paranormal novel, and possibly, if people enjoy Trade Secrets, more from our Love, Inc. trio. It seems like their story wouldn't complete without another cycle of revenge hits, led by Sydney Stark.

We love hearing from readers, so please join us on twitter @collins_rideout or visit our websites: collinsrideout.com and loveincbook.com

Thank you both, so very much! I loved hearing from you and I'm definitely excited to read Trade Secrets! Hopefully, I will have a review up soon! I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but I do have some copies to giveaway!! Yvonne and Sandy have generously offered copies of three of their novels as giveaway prizes! Enter below! The hard copies are US/CND only but the ecopies are International!
*edit — I can't believe I forgot the Rafflecopter widget! SO sorry! I will still allow those who entered through the comments to maintain that as their entry, because this is my error, but anyone entering now needs to use the widget!*

Paradise by Jill Alexander is a book I'm really torn on. I've had a hard time deciding how I felt about this book overall because I felt so different when I finished from when I started. I asked on Twitter if my review could just be — "I loved this book. Until the end. When I didn't... " — I know it's not really enough to be a review on it's own, but it actually sums up how I felt about this book quite nicely. So, I'm saying it.

This is a book about so many things — music, passion, first love, parents, family, life, trust, pain, hope, etc. But at it's core, it's the story of a young girl, filled with more than she knows what to do with, trying to figure out who she is, and where she belongs.

I think the strongest part of this book is the characterization. Alexander has created such a strong and unique cast of characters and each character has their own very distinct voice. I was amazed at how much Alexander was able to convey about each character with so little. Cal is the perfect example of this. The only time we hear his thoughts is through the lyrics he writes in his song journal and yet those few lyrics tell us so much about him and how he feels and how he views life. It's amazing. But, all of the characters are full and whole and so well developed. I could go on and on and each has something unique to bring to the story that no one else would be able to offer.

I also loved Paisley's character. She's fierce and strong and a little unsure of herself at times. Gabriela is a completely new experience for Paisley. He comes from Paradise, Texas, so that's what she starts calling him and it seems to fit him really well. He's good looking, confident (or cocky, depending on the day and who you ask) and he's into her. Like, really into her. But Paisley has an interesting mom. One who has drilled and drilled and drilled it into her that she is not to get pregnant and stuck in their small town. So, Paisley has worn an abstinence ring for years and because she is so focused on her music, boys have never really been a priority before, so it isn't a big deal to her. But Paradise makes her starting thinking about things and makes her wonder how she really feels about it.

I loved this part of Paisley's character. I know that teens have sex. Really, I do. I promise. I know that it happens. But I also know that it doesn't happen as often as media makes us think it does. There are teens out there who have never had sex and don't feel ready for it as teenagers, and that's okay! So, Paisley is working out for herself whether or not she is ready to make that choice. And she thinks about it. A lot. Which I thought was incredible. It's a huge choice and it is one that, once made, you cannot take back. I loved the line where Paisley and Paradise are making out and Paradise tries to go farther than she is ready for. She backs away and he tells her that she doesn't have to be afraid to say yes to him. She replies with something along the lines of, I know. I'm not afraid to say yes, but I'm also not afraid to say no. I think more teens need to realize this. Especially if they are feeling under pressure to make a choice they aren't sure they are ready for. Be sure. And if you are not, there is nothing wrong with saying no.

I also thought it was very interesting to watch Paisley's interaction with her mother and the ways that Paisley and Lacey (her older sister) both handled their mother's controlling nature. She's so worried that they are going to end up like her — stuck in a tiny town because they got pregnant in high school (even though she is still married to their dad and he is awesome!) so she takes the extreme on everything. Boys are terrible and forbidden, as is anything she doesn't believe will help them leave the town. So Paisley hides the fact that she's in a band, hides a huge part of her true self from her mother and you definitely feel the strain of that begin to weigh in throughout the book.

It's such a strong book. It's a realistic story full of believable characters, people that I would love to know in real life. This book is an example of Contemporary YA at it's finest and a great example of why I love Contemporary. Why it's always my favorite genre. Or, at least it was... Until that ending...

I don't want to say to much about the ending of this book, because not only has every review I've read for this book talked about the ending, but also because it is something that really should be experienced for yourself and I really don't want to spoil it for anyone. I knew when I started the book that the ending was going to be shocking and huge, but I didn't know anything more than that. To be honest, it gave me serious anxiety when I reached the part of the book where I knew the shocking moment was close. I stalled myself at those last chapters for a long time because I was afraid to see what happened.

And the thing is, I didn't like it. It was shocking, it was a big thing, but I felt like it was there just to be shocking. Not because it really added to the story, not because it was necessarily the best place for the story to go, but because it made for some awesome drama. Maybe that's not really fair of me to say, or to assume. But it's how I felt reading it, and what you take away as the reader is ultimately what the story becomes. To me, the ending is one of the absolute most important parts of a book. An ending can turn a really great book into something terrible (I'm looking at you, Julie of the Wolves) or it can take a book I'm fairly lukewarm about and make it into something really special (mad props to The Bronze Bow). Unfortunately, this book was more of the former. While the ending didn't completely ruin the book for me, it definitely changed (and lowered) my overall feelings for the book.

Even though the ending was a disappointment, this is still a book that I would recommend to people, and I'd actually even recommend it strongly to most people. Alexander is a great writer. She writes strong characters and I'm amazed by how much she's able to convey with this story. I just wish that it had remained that way through to the end.

*Disclaimer — I received an ARC from the author through the Teen Book Scene for a fair and unbiased review.

Today, as a guest, I have Kate from Literary Explorations. She was awesome enough to agree to writing a post when school wasn't quite so busy for her, and she read a book I also loved! See what she thinks!!

Rating: ★★★★★ Review: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala was the first audiobook I'd picked up in years, and I'm so glad that I gave it a fair chance. Jenna Lamia's narration was flawless and in my mind she perfectly captured Rand's voice. Since I downloaded this to my iPod I was able to take it anywhere and found myself listening to it whenever I had a spare moment.

Rand was a great character and she definitely grew-up throughout the novel. Her pregnancy was scary and I couldn't believe how heartless her friends and family were. I also wanted to punch Kamran in the face many times because he was such a jerk to Rand. Her so-called friends weren't any better, especially Delaney who spread rumors about her, which idiot Kamran believed to be true. My favorite character was Shelly, for awesome reasons that I can't go into without spoiling the book, but just trust me, she is amazing.
Tell Me a Secret totally changed my mind about audiobooks and now I listen to them all the time. This was a wonderful contemporary read that drew me in and left me in tears once it was all over. I will now listen to anything that Jenna Lamia narrates and cannot wait to read Holly's second book, Don't Breathe a Word, that is due out in January.
Check out these fantastic reviews:

Ashley @ Basically Amazing Books
April @ Good Books and Good Wine

Entrust repair to professionals!

VIA «Home builder in Sydney»

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly is another book I had been meaning to read for a while that became a prod from Allison to read now. And I am so glad that she pushed it so hard because OhMyGosh! This book is amazing and if you haven't read it yet you are so missing out and you need to go buy a copy right now because it shouldn't have to wait any longer and OhMyGoodness it's just so good! *deepbreath*

Drea is different. She has ADHD and a touch of Asperger's (on the Autism spectrum). But she's not that different. She processes the world differently from most people and a lot of social cues completely escape her, so it makes it harder to trust people and feel comfortable acting naturally around them. So up until now, she hasn't really had any friends. But her mom drags her to live with her grandmother (Drea is very opposed to this) but it is here that Drea meets both Naomi and Justin, people who will become very important to Drea.

Because Drea is our main character, we get to know what she is thinking and how she interprets things and it was fascinating. She's very high functioning and her diagnosis is actually for a 'touch of Asperger's'. So mostly, for Drea it translates into not understanding why people do a lot of what they do and being completely blunt. She has pretty much zero tact. She doesn't process it or understand it the way most people do. It was so refreshing to read a character who was blunt, but not cruel. Drea has a hard life. She's just this side of 'normal', so it's extra frustrating for her and those around her. It would be so hard to be put into situations again and again when you don't understand the nuances.

But the book isn't really about Drea and her Asperger's/ADHD. It's a huge part of it, obviously, because it's a huge part of Drea, but it's about so much more than that. It's about learning to love and let people in (because normal or not, pretty much all teenagers have a hard time with that) and it's about acceptance and growing up and finding yourself. And Tara Kelly has mastered that. In Drea, she has created a character that everyone can connect to and love and understand, because everyone has felt like they don't belong or don't fit in at some point. It's a part of growing up and I loved watching Drea learn that she really does have a place.

The other characters in the novel and painfully complex as well. Naomi becomes Drea's first and best friend. She shows up when they are moving in and starts chatting with Drea and decides right then that she likes her and she just befriends her, no questions asked. She wasn't my favorite person. She's troubled and she's also a perfect example of why I have never had even a tiny bit of interest in drugs. And, she gets Drea into bad situations too. But no on is perfect and she does some amazing things for Drea. So while I didn't really like her, I loved her.

Justin is another awesome character and he's just a solidly good guy. He's the type of guy that is awesome, but could still be a real person. He's there for Drea and he doesn't really let her hide behind her diagnosis. He pulls her out of herself, makes her recognize that there is more to life and more to her than he thought.

There are also some journal entries included in the book, as yet another way to learn more about Drea and I loved that they were included. The last journal entry is by far my favorite and it was just... just... just so much amazing. And the music. Guys, it's another book that has a lot of music references and it was brilliant. I just loved everything about this book. Seriously. Oh, and also, how can you not just love a cover that shows a girl celebrating the rain. Love. And I feel like that girl is Drea.

This is a book that I will read and reread. I reread parts while writing this review and I just fell in love with the characters over again. This book just leaves you with this feeling of fullness, of rightness and truth. It's a beautifully written story and one of those books that makes you think, makes you feel.

Ten years ago, Margaret Quinn lost her only daughter, Erica. Erica ran away with her high school boyfriend, set on joining the Angels of Destruction, a radical student group. She hasn't heard from or spoken to Erica in all this time.

One night, Margaret is startled when a nine year old orphan shows up on her doorstep one cold winter night. Mrs. Quinn takes in the child, and comes up with a plan to pass her off as Norah Quinn, her granddaughter and the daughter of her long-missing Erica.

Mrs. Quinn introduces Nora to Sean Fallon, a lonely neighborhood boy, and requests that he escort Nora to and from school each day. The community seems to accept the story of Nora's past, until she starts proclaiming she is an angel. The school and the community are in an uproar after Nora puts the lives of several children at risk in order to prove that she has divine powers. Who is this little girl, and where has she come from? And who is this mysterious man that seems to lurk in her shadow?

The secondary storyline revolves around Erica. Donohue uses flashbacks to inform the reader of her terrifying trek to what she believes is her salvation, but in actuality it almost brings upon her destruction.

ANGELS OF DESTRUCTION is a powerful and unforgettable tale about love, trust, and heartbreak. I find Donohue's writing to be mesmerizing, and his character development is astounding. I listened to the audio version of this book and it felt as thought the characters and the writing was so detailed that it felt as though the characters and storyline were developing around me. Highly recommended! One of my favorite books so far for 2009!