Mockingjay

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins
Published by Scholastic Press on August 24, 2010
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 390
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-stars

My name is Katniss Everdeen.Why am I not dead?I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

In case you haven’t read my reviews on the other books in this series you can read them here and here. It should be known that of all the books in the series I liked this one the least. I won’t give away spoilers, but at one point I was so upset at Suzanne Collins, that I threw the book across the room. I felt horrible for Katniss in the end because even though she was a Hunger Games victor she was not able to live the life she truly wanted in the end. Also, I definitely thought that the ending could have been better. I would recommend the series because it is an interesting read and I will probably see the next movie when it comes out.

See you in my next review!

Love, Lust and Pixie Dust

11 / 1 / 1211 / 5 / 19

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

Love, Lust and Pixie Dust by Luann McLane
Published by Signet Book on October 1, 2006
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-half-stars

Three new entrancing, erotic stories are a little bit country--and a little bit out of this world!

Lately I’ve been in a weird funk where I feel the need to downsize and clean up things. As part of that I started a project where I’m reading all the books I’ve kept on the sidelines for a year and giving them the life they deserve. I’m not usually one of those people who buys books just for show and never cracks their spine and gives them love and affection, but lately my life in the past year has been an endless spiral of books that have been bought and have had no love.

Here’s one book in particular. WARNING: This novel was found in the adult section and not for children!
I recently finished Luann McLane’s book Love, Lust, and Pixie Dust which is one book that is a combination of three short stories dealing in love. The stories are tied together because they are all about a group of friends and siblings that meet and fall in love in Nashville, Tennessee. The first story is about a fortune teller that accidentally meets a country cowboy songster and how they are brought together by fate. The second story is about a psychic that changes the mind and falls for a skeptic. The third story is about a skeptic personal trainer that falls for a rising country star.

If you aren’t faint of heart and are a sucker for novels about love you are sure to love these books. Be sure that you head to your latest book seller and pick up this book and I will see you in my next review!

Beneath the Glitter

10 / 29 / 1211 / 5 / 19

Beneath the Glitter (Sophie and Ava London, #1) by Elle Fowler, Blair Fowler
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on September 4, 2012
Pages: 288
Goodreads
three-half-stars

From internet stars Elle and Blair Fowler comes a scintillating new novel that takes readers Beneath the Glitter of the glitzy L.A. social scene.

Welcome to a place where dreams are made. And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.

After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite. Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor. But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal. Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

I recently finished reading Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler. I admit that after starting my current job 5 years ago I managed to get sucked into the world of Youtube Beauty Gurus. After watching what seemed like hundreds of videos from different girls I finally broke down and made my own channel and the rest of this is for another time. One of the first people I was sucked into was Blair Fowler and I have kept watching her over the years and when she announced that she and her sister Elle were writing a book I wanted to read it and see if it was worth the hype.

I’ll fore warn you that this review won’t be pretty and I’ll admit to being a harsh critic. While I recommend this book as fluff reading much like Lauren Conrad’s L.A. Candy novel series I really would not recommend them as authors. The book is trivial and much too predictable. I can almost read the writing on the wall as to what will happen next, although I’ll get the next books just to be sure I’m right. The story lacks real adventure and enthusiasm and I’m sad to say the least is yet what could be a teen trash novel comparable to the likes of Twilight but far less influential on society.

The book is the first in what appears to be a short series a novels about the London Sisters. Ava & Sophia London after making their fame on Youtube decide to pack up their bags from their small town and move to the big city of Los Angeles and try their luck there. While in Los Angeles they find that the life of fabulous parties, paparazzi, and hot guys come with a price, but the London sisters need to discover if the price of their sisterhood and friendship is worth the fame and fortune under the bright lights of the big city.

The Boy next door

10 / 9 / 1211 / 13 / 19

The Boy Next Door (Boy, #1) by Meg Cabot
Published by Avon on October 25, 2005
Pages: 379
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-stars

Gossip columnist and single New York City girl Mel lives in the most exciting place in the world, yet she's bored with her lovelife. But things get interesting fast when the old lady next door is nearly murdered.Mel starts paying closer attention to her neighbors—what exactly is going on with the cute boy next door?Has Mel found the love of her life—or a killer?

I recently finished reading The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot. Over the years I have probably read a ton of Meg Cabot books and yet nearly every time I go into a bookstore I resist picking up a book from her because of the way I think people will judge me for reading her books. Granted she writes for both young adults and adults it is probably I just need to suck up and get over.

The book is an amazing read that keeps you turning pages. When I first saw the format of the book I was a little worried because it was written in all emails from the characters to one another, but after reading it I found that it was effectively used and was a refreshing change of pace. The use of email also shows you the power email an email can have and how just like in letters punctation and grammar are also important.

Tales from the Yoga Studio

10 / 2 / 1211 / 13 / 19

Tales from the Yoga Studio by Rain Mitchell
Published by Plume Books on December 28, 2010
Pages: 279
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-half-stars

A sparkling new series introducing five unforgettable women who flock to yoga at turning points in their lives and find the gift of lasting friendship.

The yoga studio is where daily cares are set aside, mats are unfurled, and physical exertion leads to well-being, renewal, and friendship. An aggressively expanding chain of Los Angeles yoga "experience centers," has Lee and her extraordinary teaching abilities in its sights. They woo her with a lucrative contract, a trademarked name for her classes, and a place for her handsome musician husband. But accepting the contract means abandoning the students at the homey studio Lee runs in L.A.'s Silver Lake district- and leaving behind four women whose friendships are suddenly more important to her than retirement benefits and a salary increase.

Tales from the Yoga Studio is an insider's look at the current obsession with yoga, told with enough humor, wit, and warmth to charm and delight readers, whether or not they've ever done a Downward Dog.

I recently finished Tales from the Yoga Studio by Rain Mitchell. This is her first novel and it is the first book in the series. While admittedly I bought this book because the cover art looked intriguing and it seemed to have an interesting summary . This was another one of the books I bought a while ago and had stashed away waiting for the right moment to read. I had started this book a few times and it took me longer to read than I had actually wanted to which is slightly embarrassing because this book isn’t very long at all. The book follows the lives of 5 women just as they are meeting in a yoga studio in SilverLake California. The women are all different one is the yoga studio owner, one is the studio’s resident masseuse, one is a screenwriter, one is a dancer, and the last one is an actress.

I loved this book and highly recommend it and definitely can’t wait to see what the author does with the rest of the series. I read that the second novel in the series is out and that’s another book that I will have to put on my wish list for the next time I hit up the bookstore. I would definitely say that this is a chick lit novel, but at least give it a chance.

In other news I’ve recently discovered Good Reads. Would you want me to post what I’m currently reading in their widget and want me to add my thoughts there too? Let me know your thoughts and if you use Good Reads too!