Waiting on Wednesday

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Release Date: July 12, 2010
Pages: 192
Age Level: YA

Synopsis
Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school.

Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school.

But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books.

So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off.

But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really enjoyed Lauren's book Crazy Beautiful (Review here.) so I can't wait to get my hands on this one. It sounds so great and original, plus it has an awesome cover.

Review: Crazy Beautiful

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pub. Date: September 29, 2009
Pages: 193
Age Level: 15+

Synopsis
In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

Review
Crazy Beautiful was an ingenious, modern day retelling of my absolute favorite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. It was witty and filled with both lighter and deeper moments creating a totally mesmerizing prose that I'll never forget.

Lucius was cold, slightly arrogant about his intelligence, full of dry humor and also loads of guilt. I was surprised that he took full blame for what happened instead of trying to put it off on someone else. I loved watching him change throughout the book as he grew to be a more caring character and when he started opening himself up to others, it felt as though he was opening himself up to me as well. I absolutely loved him and have never come across a more dynamic character than Lucius.

Then there is Aurora, who is so nice but not in the, "So sweet I think I might get a cavity." sense. She was just a truly great person and a completely lovable heroine. She was genuine and real, with nothing coming off as phony or fake.

Crazy Beautiful was so unique, with such a beautifully crafted and carried out premise. It was fast paced but also well paced as I believed most everything to have occurred in a reasonable amount of time. I found it to be surprisingly funny at times, especially Lucius, though not a blatant funny hahaha. It was a more subtle and sharper brand of humor, which I personally love.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted's writing style was very impressive, keeping me engaged in the story fully and completely. I thought the alternating perspectives are part of what really made this book so wonderful and I confess I was surprised by how authentic and believably male Lucius' voice was.

The ending was a bit abrupt and I wish this book could have been longer, but overall, I was pretty satisfied with how it drew to a close.

All in all, Crazy Beautiful was an imaginative and enticing, though maybe too short, story that I'd recommend to anyone. One benefit to its short length is that it will just make it even easier for me to find time to re-read it in the future. :D

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: B+
Plot: B+
Ending: B-
Enjoyment/Likability: A
Recommendable: A-
Cover: A+

Overall: A-

Review: Candor

Candor (ARC) by Pam Bachorz
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub. Date: September 22, 2009
Pages: 256
Age Level: YA

Synopsis
Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

Review
Candor is a unique and powerful story about a society built on brainwashing and of a teenaged boy determined to fight the system.

Oscar and Nia were both very likable and well developed characters. Oscar though mostly selfish to start with, changed gradually with the help of Nia and proved in the end just how selfless he could be. The fact that his father was the one who was doing the brainwashing just made things even more intense. Nia was a snarky, sassy, "Don't dare try and tell me what to do." kinda gal that was really fun to read.

The writing and plot kept my completely tuned into the story, anxiously awaiting the final result. With such an engaging and unique premise, I couldn't help but be drawn in. Something I noticed in particular about the writing was how descriptive Pam Bachorz was in her writing. It was particularly comical to hear Sherman descibed.

As for the ending, well I have extreme mixed feelings on it. Part of me loved it for being so shocking and sad, I cried like a baby and was heart broken. Then part of me hated it for making the rest of the book seem almost pointless. If there was going to be a second book then I'd have loved the ending but I'm pretty sure this is a stand alone title.

All in all, Candor was an exciting and refreshing change of pace. I would definitely recommend it and I do plan to re-read it, despite the ending.

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B
Plot: B+
Ending: C+
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B
Cover: B

Overall: B

Happy New Year and My New Year Resolutions!

Happy New Year 2010 everybody! Hope you all had a great night, got to party, stole a kiss at midnight, etc!

Now for my New Year Resolutions. Yes, that's right, I'm going to share some, keyword there being 'some', of them with you.

Bloggish/Bookish Resolutions

1. Read 75 books this year. (May not seem like a lot to ya'll but this is going to be a busy year for me.)

2. Reach 800 Followers (Aiming kinda high, yeah I know.)

3. Meet an author in person. (Gotta feeling this one will be close to impossible.)

4. Complete atleast four 2010 reading challenges.

5. Meet one of my fellow book bloggers.

6. Become more consistent in my blog posts.

7. Comment on bloggers' posts more.

8. Review books in a much more timely manner.

Non-Bloggish/Bookish Resolutions

1. Find the perfect balance between blogging, reading, writing, and working.

2. Sell atleast 25 works of art. (Feel free to help me out on this one. :P)

3. Get through writing one of my books.

4. Get a driver's license. (Don't even have a learners yet and I'm 17. Oh how sad tis my life.)

5. Attend the summer Duke Tip writing program.

6. Get a job.

7. Eat and drink healthier (Less soda and no gluten products for you missy.)

8. Start going for walks. (Once it is warmer of course.)