Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 480
Synopsis:

All sixteen-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum effort. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s going to die.

Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there’s a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of Gonzo, a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf, and a yard gnome who just might be the Viking god Balder, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America…into the heart of what matters most.

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The second book I've read of Libba Bray's, and again I fell in love! This was a hilarious and sad story that makes you think about life and how quickly it can be taken away from you.

Cameron was one of the best MCs I've met. He was honest and didn't care what people thought of him. He was just so real and he didn't pretend he was something he wasn't. I think that Libba did a great job of writing Cam so that later on you felt happy for him, or you mourned with him, or you laughed with him. The same goes for Gonzo and Balder. I didn't think that we saw a ton of Dulcie. She popped up here and there and Cam's relationship with her grew, but I thought it all came on so fast. I wasn't as hooked onto Dulcie as I was with the other characters.

Libba described every scene perfectly! Cam, Gonzo, and Balder's adventures were so vivid and I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to see how everything turned out. I was flipping pages so fast that once in awhile I had to look back and see what exactly had happened. She did an amazing job of knitting every experience together so that no detail was unimportant.

Overall, this was freakin' hilarious! I laughed so much and I was sad and I was rooting everyone on. Libba is seriously one of my all-time favorite authors. I can't wait to read her Gemma Doyle series. I recommend that you READ THIS BOOK! Like, don't wait. This is a perfect summer read that will have you doubling-over with laughter and realizing that you should live life to its all-time fullest. One of the best books I've ever read. 'Nuff said.

The Cover: The cow, the feather, the yard gnome.... It just brings back so many memories.

Cover Reveals: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Two days ago, I saw the cover of Cynthia Hand's second book, Hallowed, on the blog The Book Bubble. Many thanks to Athena!

Look at how pretty it is:

I love how it looks really close to the first book, Unearthly. I loved the lettering and the girl on the cover of that book and I love the same with this one. It's so pretty! I hope its as shiny as the previous novel!

P.S. I have not read Unearthly, but its on my list.

On to the next book....

I loved Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall. Her writing was fantastic and her characters had depth. I bought Delirium, Lauren's next book, and I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yesterday on her blog, Lauren revealed the newest cover of the second book in the Delirium Trilogy, Pandemonium. Check it out:

You've all probably seen the original blue cover for Delirium, and are wondering what happened with the girl and the cut out letters and all of that. Earlier in the year, Lauren revealed the new cover to Delirium that looks like this:

Even though the original cover was spectacular, I think Delirium's new cover and Pandemonium's cover is beautiful. Can't wait to read more from Lauren!

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

Genre: romance
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 280
Synopsis:

June and Wes do not “meet cute.” They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates destined to be together forever.

This is not that kind of love story.

Instead, June and Wes hang around in each other’s orbits…until eventually they collide. And even after that happens, they’re still not sure where it will go. Especially when June starts to pity-date one of Wes’s friends, and Wes makes some choices that he immediately regrets.

This is a love story for people not particularly biased toward romance. But it is romantic, in the way that the truth can be romantic and uncertainty can be the biggest certainty of all.

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I was a bit unsure when I was handed this book and told that it was cute and funny and worth the read. And through the first couple of chapters, that uncertainty followed me. But as June and Wes continue to talk and meet, I felt that the story was picking up and soon I couldn't put the book down!

True to the summary, this is not the average book love story. It's an average, everyday love story--sort of--with two people who see each other, notice one another, and eventually talk. June travels a lot because of her dad's job and Wes just ended his long-time relationship with his girlfriend, Izzy. They both weren't looking for a romance. I thought Pete did a wonderful job of having them come together, then go apart, somewhat teasing the reader. He was also great in writing June and Wes's relationship. They obviously loved each other, but they had their fights and they had their moments of well, what now?

Overall, I thought this was a well-written romance, with just enough stuff to make it interesting and to keep me engaged, but also the average fights and times when they didn't quite know where the relationship was going. I also thought that Pete did a great job of showing us who Wes and June were without adding too many details, along with the side characters. This is a great, under-the-radar summer read and a wonderful romance.

The Cover: Its exactly how Wes and June's relationship goes throughout the seasons. I liked it the moment I was given the book.

Release: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.



Admittedly, I have not read any of Maggie's books. You can scream now. Or comment scream. And tell me I'm crazy.

I read the first couple of chapters in her novel Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, but I had to stop because I had other, more important things to read. I picked up Shiver, and I was going to read it, but again life took over and I had no time. I WILL READ THEM!!! I WILL!!!

Anyway, for those of you who have read Forever and think it's bleeping awesome, comment below and I'll be sure to get right onto reading it...eventually.

Daily Dose (27): DOCTOR WHO EDITION!

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share wonderful pictures that we've found on the Wonderful World Wide Web (WWWW for short).

Has anyone seen Doctor Who, the British sci-fi series chronicling a time traveling doctors journeys through space and time (with his faithful sidekicks)? I just finished the first season and it was so funny and action packed and wonderful. I highly suggest you watch it. Anyway, this Daily Dose (the first in two weeks. So sorry! If you've been waiting for for Daily Doses and have been disappointed, I'm terribly sorry! Please excuse its absence!) is all dedicated to Doctor Who! Enjoy!

Blog Changes (Part 3)

This is the end of the changes, don't worry! Excuse the sudden change from orange to blue to neutral. It's been quite a shock for me, but I think I've gotten it right this time. I love the books running along the side. Hope I didn't shock you too much. Comment on your opinions, if you want.

Keep on reading, Paige

White Cat (Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black

Genre: fantasy
Series and Book #: Curse Workers Series #1
Pages: 310
Synopsis:

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail—he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and him memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon to conmen.

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I loved Holly Black's Spiderwick Chronicles, and I was really excited when I heard she was making a series about conmen. I love the complexity behind a con (I know I'm weird) and I enjoyed this book and the cons and whatnot involved.

I was a little disappointed with the mystery behind the white cat in this novel. It became really obvious to me in the beginning what was going on, and I was frustrated that it took Cassel so long to figure it out. I didn't like Holly's characterization. I didn't care for Cassel, and the other side characters were more 2D. I was upset that I didn't know the characters well enough throughout the book.

I loved the curse workers and conmen world that Holly built. It's our regular world, with the same history and everything, except that it all involves curse workers. I thought it was really interesting that she didn't make an entirely new world. It was unique from other novels because of this.

Overall, I was disappointed that this novel wasn't as great as I'd hoped it would be. It was still pretty awesome (I love the conmen and curse workers) but I thought it could use more characterization. The world was fun to live it, and the cons were so great. I can't wait to see what happens to Cassel in friends in Red Glove!

The Cover: I think it speaks the novel perfectly. Unlike the original cover, I think this speaks to boys as well. It's not a girly novel and I think that the cover says that.