Remember me??

Yeah, I didn't think so....

I'M SORRY!! I still haven't been reading much, but I have lots of books to review! If all goes well (my mommy's being a stickler and making me finish my book reports first. Blech. Reviews are SO much more fun than reports. Just sayin')

But... first draft's almost done.. so there's a good chance!

I also wanna throw it out there that I'm mad I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year. >.<

Well, that's all for now, folks. But, keep for eyes peeled for reviews...

Giant by Edna Ferber
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
The Secret by Beverly Lewis
Play on Album by Carrie Underwood

and much, much more!!!

Birthday Books

So, I turned sixteen a little over a month ago (!!) and apparently, people know me too well... I gots lots of book!

Artemis Fowl
Catching Fire (!!!!)
Julie & Julia
The Time Travelor's Wife
The Vampire Diaries

and I got over $80 worth of Borders Giftcard (Who can say HEAVEN!) with which I bought...

I'd Tell you that i Love you, but then I'd have to kill you
Don't Judge a Girl by her cover
The Lucky One
Message in a Bottle
Dragon's Breath
Dragon Princess

Ummmm... Hi

OK, so, like, I'm a horrible blogger :( And that fact makes me sad :( I've been SO busy with school and life in general. I'm so sorry!

Authors: I WILL review your books! Please give me some time, and I will email you the review(s) of your book/s

Coming Soon!

Movie Review: Ever After

Name: Ever After

Director: Andy Tennant

Starring: Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston

Rated: PG

For: brief language and mild thematic elements.

Brief summary: Ever After tells the story of the "Real" Cinderella, Danielle De Barbarac, played by Drew Barrymore. Danielle, like Cinderella, has the wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. Unlike other adaptions of the fairytale, instead of waiting for her prince, Cinderella, or Danielle, in this case, rescues herself. Instead of having a fairy godmother, Danielle has Leonardo DiVinci to help her out. Danielle overcomes her hardships, escapes from her evil family, marries her prince, and gets the famous happy ending.

Age level: Ten and up

Cautions: Kissing and some violence and immodesty.

If you like this movie, you might also like . . . A Cinderella Story

Personal Opinion: As a lover of fairy tales and re-tellings of fairy tales, I obviously love this movie. It's fun, action filled, dramatic, romantic, and everything else you can think of. You have to love Danielle more than Cinderella: she is the ultimate poster girl for "Girl Power!" The casting was great, especially with Drew Barrymore as the heroine. I love Drew Barrymore and she DOMINATED this movie.

Overall rating: 9/10

Random tidbit: I'm boring and don't have any. *le sigh*

Book Review: The Faerie Path by Frewin Jones

Name: The Faerie Path

Author: Frewin Jones


Brief summary: Anita is a normal teenager living in London with her parents. She has a boyfriend, who, on her birthday, takes her out on a boat to give her a gift. When they are hit by another boat, a whirlwind of events start to take place. Anita finds herself in the hospital and gets a strange book from an address she does not recognize. One night in the hospital, she has a dream that she is flying above London. She ends up stepping into the faerie world and finds out she is the long lost daughter of Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the Fairies.

Grade/Age level: 12 and up

Cautions: None

If you like this book, you will also like… How to Ditch Your Fairy

Personal Opinion: Very fun read! I'm into fairies and fantasy, so this was a great book for me to read. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine

Name: Fairy Dust and the Quest For the Egg

Author: Gail Carson Levine


Brief summary: The Neverland Fairies are created by a baby's first ever laugh. Prilla is the newest fairy to come on the island, except when she gets there, she, unlike every other fairy, doesn't know her talent. Join Prilla as she discovers many of the wonders of Neverland, including a dragon, mermaids, pirates, and Mother Dove, the mother of the whole island.

Grade/Age level: 5 and up

Cautions: None

If you like this book, you will also like… peter Pan!

Personal Opinion: Very fun, cute read. I love Gail Carson Levine, so that's why I read this. And I'm a Tinkerbell buff.

Rating: 7/10

Book Review: At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

Name: At First Sight

Author: Nicholas Sparks


Brief summary: This is the sequel to "True Believer". Jeremy and Lexie are unexpectedly expecting their first child together and planning their wedding. When Jeremy gets a strange email from a stranger making him question whether or not he is the father of Lexie's baby, he begins that Lexie is having an affair with a friend from her childhood. Will they be able to get married and live happily ever after, or will Lexie's prince charming be someone else besides Jeremy?

Ages: 15 and up

Cautions: Dealing with death, the idea of an affair, a shotgun wedding, and a pregnancy before marriage.

If you like this book, you will also like… Well, you of course have to read True Believer first!

Personal Opinion: Oh, my goodness. Wow. Nicholas Sparks definately delivered in this wonderful sequel. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, making me thirst for more. The ending was wonderful, so sad and horrible, yet so great.

Rating: 9/10

Book Review: I'd Tell You I'd Love You, But Then I'd have to kill you.

Name: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.

Author: Ally Carter


Brief summary: Cammie is a normal teenaged girl, or is she? She goes to Gallagher's Academy For Girls, a school for prestigious girls to go to. Or is there more to both Cammie and Gallagher Academy then meets the eye? Cammie is really a spy, not a smart rich girl, and Gallagher is actually a school for girl spies to go and learn how to spy. When Cammie meets a guy and falls for him, she wants to become normal. But, how can the daughter of a world famous spy, who is on the path to becoming a spy herself, be normal?

Grade/Age level: 12 and up

Cautions: None

If you like this book, you will also like… I'm not sure, this is a very unique book.

Personal Opinion: What a fun book! This is such a great book and a very quick read. I love this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series and more books by Ally Carter.

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Name: True Believer

Author: Nicholas Sparks


Brief summary: Jeremy Marsh is a journalist. He doesn't believe in crazy supernatural stuff, like ghosts, or psychics. After unveiling the truth about a world renowned psychic, he gets a mysterious letter asking him to come investigate a haunted cemetery down in a small town in South Carolina. While there, he meets and falls in love with Lexie, a girl who brings out the best in him. He also meets and makes friends with a variety of different characters.

Grade/Age level: 14 and up

Cautions: There is a brief brief brief mention of unwed pregnancy, and the author mentions that a couple had sex.

If you like this book, you will also like… Even Now by Karen Kingsbury

Personal Opinion: Um, wow. Wow wow wow. This, without question, is the best Nicholas Sparks novel I have read. This had humor, romance, mystery, everything! This was definately the funniest book... who knew that Nicholas Sparks could write romance? Not me, that's for sure.

Rating: 10/10

Coming soon on Reviews by Me!

Giveaway!

Ok, to make up for the fact I'm a horrible blogger, I'm hosting a giveaway!!!! The prize is... *drumroll* a bookmark and bracelet made by yours truly!!

Yay!

To enter, comment on this post.

For extra entries.

+1 Become a follower
+2 Already be a follower
+3 Post about this contest on your sidebar!
+4 Blog about this contest on your blog as a post!

Contest starts... now.... and ends on September 12th!!!

Please leave your email address in a comment!

Book Review: Even Now by Karen Kingsbury

Name: Even Now

Author: Karen Kingsbury


Brief summary: Shane and Lauren are two teenagers head over heels in love with each other. When Lauren unexpectedly becomes pregnant, they know they want to get married. Their parents, however, have different plans. Shane's father is a successful business man, and all his parents can think about is how Shane's life will be ruined if he and Lauren keep the baby, and worse get married so young. So, Lauren and Shane's parents decide to keep them away from each other. Years later, their daughter, Emily, decides to find and get her parents back together. Will Shane and Lauren get their happy ending or will they find happiness from other people or things?

Grade/Age level: 14 and up

Cautions: Teenage pregnancy, they may briefly mention abortion, they talk about life in Afganistan and war and stuff like that.

If you like this book, you will also like… True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Personal Opinion: Absolutely amazing. I can't wait to read more of Karen Kingsbury's books. I love her writing style.

Rating: 10/10

Name: My Sister's Keeper

Author: Jodi Piccoult


Brief summary: Anna is tired. Tired of living for her sister. She was concieved as a perfect genetic match for her sister, who has been sick with Leukemia since a very young age. Anna makes a choice that will tear her family apart, more than it already is. She decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

Grade/Age level: 14 and up, maybe older, maybe a little younger. My sister was thirteen when she read it, but she's a very mature thirteen year old.

Cautions: You should have caution to the whole book. This book, as wonderful as it is, is very disturbing.

If you like this book, you will also like… I've found that Jodi Piccoult is very much the female version of Nicholas Sparks, so anything by Nicholas Sparks. I highly recommend a Bend in the Road or a Walk to Remember.

Personal Opinion: This book is one of the saddest, but one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Anna's personality is great, she reminds me so much of my younger sister. :D

Rating: 10/10

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince

Name: Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince

Director: David Yates

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson

Rated: PG

For: scary images, some violence, language, and mild sensuality

Brief summary: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their sixth year of school. Over the summer, the trio saw Harry's enemy, Draco Malfoy, at a sketchy store. Harry is convinced that Draco is a Death Eater, a follower of the evil wizard, Voldemort. Ron and Hermione, however, are convinced that Harry is biased and overreacting. Also during the summer, Albus Dumbledore, Harry's mentor and the headmaster of Hogwarts, takes him to convince an old teacher, Horace Slughorn, to come back to Hogwarts to teach. During the year, Harry goes to regular meetings held by Dumbledore, to help Harry understand what Voldemort was like before he went bad. This movie was filled with action, humor and, believe it or not, a great deal of APPROPRIATE romance.

Age level: Eight and up

Cautions: A girl kisses a boy passionately, A boy makes a sexual face to a girl, A boy and girl kiss, there is some violence and blood.

If you like this movie, you might also like . . . Any of the other Harry Potter movies.

Personal Opinion: I have to admit, after the disappointment I experienced after "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", I was expecting "Halfblood Prince" to have the same outcome on me. However, as soon as the movie had started, I was happily proven wrong. The movie not only had supberb filming, directing, acting, and cinematography, it also stayed much more true to the books than any of the other movies, except maybe for the first or second movies. The one thing I was disappointed in was that they cut out one of my favorite parts in all the books. "Roonil Wazlib". Not that it was at all important in the book, it was just funny. There were somethings that happened in the movie that made me raise my eyebrow (I won't say what, just in case you haven't seen the movie yet and plan on seeing it), just some stuff that was random and didn't happen in the book. And, ummm, is MAYBE NEEDED in the next movie?? I dunno. *shrug*

Overall rating: 9/10

Random tidbit: Rupert Grint was my first celebrity crush. I am now in love with him again. *giggle*.

Name: The Host


Author: Stephenie Meyer


Brief summary: The Host takes place in an alternate universe, a world where alien souls have taken over the earth, and each soul lives in a human body, their host. Melanie, a human, has just been taken over by an alien, Wanderer. Although they are not supposed to, Melanie still lives in her head, tormenting Wanderer. Wander falls in love with Melanie's love, Jared, and goes on a quest to find him and the rest of the humans that live undetected.

Grade/Age level: 15 and up

Cautions: This is a horrifying world. Just the idea of it gives one nightmares. There's some kissing, violence, gore, blood, etc.

If you like this book, you will also like… I have never read a book like The Host before...

Personal Opinion: Um. This is a hard book to decide whether I like or not. It was WAY sci-fi, like I didn't realize it was gonna be THIS Sci-Fi when I bought the book. Towards the end, I realized I kinda liked it, it was romantic. So, yeah.

Rating: 4/10

Movie Review: Up

Name: Up

Director: Pete Docter & Bob Petersen

Starring: John Ratzenberger & Christopher Plummer

Rated: PG

For: Some Peril

Brief summary: Carl is about to fulfill his and his late wife, Ellie's, life-long dream. Going to "Paradise Falls" and forgetting everything. When Carl gets violent with a construction worker, he is forced to move into a convalescent home. However, before the bus can pick him up, Carl makes his grand escape by tying thousands of balloons onto the top of his house. When he's in the air, he finds out that he is not the only one making the voyage. Russell, an eight year old "wilderness scout" had climbed onto his front porch and is now making the journey with him. On their way to Paradise Falls, Russell & Carl encounter many things, including Carl's childhood hero, a giant bird, talking dogs, and much more. This movie is sweet, appropriate, and perfect for the whole family.

Age level: All ages

Cautions: A woman has a miscarriage, a man hits another man, making him bleed. A man is ordered to go to a convalescent home. A boy mentions having a stepmother and says that his relationship with his dad isn't so great. There're some scary parts. Some fighting….

If you like this movie, you might also like . . . The Incredibles!

Personal Opinion: Okay, I was expecting this movie to be "Okay". Just in the first five minutes, I was drawn in and I KNEW I was going to love it. Weird, huh? Dug, the talking dog, WAS HACKING HILARIOUS! Most of the jokes he made kids wouldn't get (they weren't inappropriate, just for an older age group. You either have to OWN a dog or know someone who owns a dog to really get it.). Also, at the end of the movie, there's a great scene including sacrifice which I TOTALLY loved. But, younger kids wouldn't really get it. It was a totally sweet, funny, all around good movie. I really liked it and can't wait to drag my family to it. ;) MUAHAHAHA!

Overall rating: 10/10

Random tidbit: John Ratzenberger has been in every Pixar movie. And he's from the town my dad grew up in! Which is technically right next door to MY town! And my daddy saw him on the train, and he's been to the diner we usually go to… What I'm trying to say is… He's a cool dude.