2014 has already come and gone and I have yet to share with you my favorite reads of the year. For those who don’t follow me on social media, the answer as to why is simple: I was dying of the plague. Okay, not really. I REALLY had the flu. And not just one. I had TWO different strands. So for my Christmas vacation, I spent 16 days in bed. Sleeping. Barely moving. Barely reading—which is the real tragedy. But now that we have enjoyed a full two weeks of 2015, let me share with you my favorite reads of 2014. First, I met my Goodreads goal of 115 books. As a matter of fact, I didn’t meet it—I spanked it. By year’s end I read 144 books (mostly YA and mysteries). I really like rounded up numbers, so I am bummed I didn’t reach 145, but hey, since I spanked my original goal, I will take it. Of those 144 boys, below I am sharing with you 15 of my favorite tween/YA reads in no particular order. Enjoy! ‘The Impossible Knife of Memory’ – Laurie Halse Anderson I did...
Good morning readers! I hope all is well in your worlds. Spotlight on... is a celebration of books that are no longer new to the bookshelves but deserve a continued interest in reading them because they are worth it. A book will be featured each weekend, so check back to see what will be next.
Next weekend is the Decatur Book Festival, and since I am planning to hear and meet Meg Cabot, I thought she was the perfect choice for this morning. I am pleased to bring two Cabot reads back into the spotlight, All-American Girl and its sequel Ready or Not.
Next weekend is the Decatur Book Festival, and since I am planning to hear and meet Meg Cabot, I thought she was the perfect choice for this morning. I am pleased to bring two Cabot reads back into the spotlight, All-American Girl and its sequel Ready or Not.
I read both of these novels via audio a couple of years ago, and they were fabulous! Seriously fabulous. So fabulous that they are two of my "go to" novels for reluctant female teen readers.
Since I listened to these novels before my blog, they have not been reviewed on here; however, I have reviewed books on Shelfari for a long while now, so I will share my Shelfari review for each novel.
All-American Girl:
I just adore Samantha's character in this book. She is witty and a true 15-year-old. Her rationale for so many things made me laugh, because, well, I was 15 once and remember how dumb I was.
The basic plot is simple - Sam's parents send her to art lessons, which she hates, so she skips. Little did she know that the day she skipped would be the same day she would keep a would-be assassin from killing the U.S. President. Oh, yeah, and she thinks she is in love with her sister's boyfriend.
I listened to this book on CD. Ariadne Myers was the reader and she was phenomenal. Even my husband loved listening to the book. We drove around an extra two miles because he wanted to hear how the story would end. (This is a true story about my hubby, and he's not ashamed to admit it. It was that good.)
Ready or Not:
A cute follow-up to All-American Girl where the reader is taken into Sam's world one year after she thwarted an assassination attempt on the U.S. President.
This time, instead of thinking she is in love with Jack, she is fighting through feelings of whether or not she should have sex with her boyfriend of over a year. I found parts of this book a little "yeah right," but still enjoyed it immensely. I felt Cabot really addressed the question of whether Sam and her boyfriend were ready or not to move their relationship onto a higher level. She took the leap with care and understanding.
I highly recommend this to anyone who has read the first book or to anyone who enjoys YA lit.
With a combination of hilarity, realism, and lovable characters, All-American Girl and Ready or Not deserve another moment in the spotlight.
Have you read and/or reviewed either of these novels? Leave a link to your review and share your thoughts below.
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