A Salute

Ever since we were small evil ones, our mothers have been there for us.
Reading to us.
Buying us books.
Supporting our blogging endeavors.

Among other things. But, you know.

So, we salute thee, O Mothers!
A very Happy Day to you.

With admiration, sincerity, and love,

Confessions of a Serial Kisser by Wendelin Van Draanen

Evangeline Bianca Logan decides to clean the house. She washes the kitchen. She cleans the bathrooms. She tidies the bedrooms. And she finds--under her mother’s bed--the romance novel that will turn her into a serial kisser. Entitled The Crimson Kiss, the book inspires Evangeline to give herself a makeover, change her outlook, and go on a mission to find her own perfect, crimson, Grayson-and-Delilah kiss.

As Evangeline sets off on her mighty quest, she encounters a series of obstacles. Namely, bad kissers. Robbie Marshall attacks. That guy at the coffee shop was a bulldozer. Stu Dillard wants a rating of all things (hoping to out-man Robbie at something). And let's not even talk about Blake Jennings.

But bad kissers aren't her only problem. For one thing, her jerk of a two-timing father won't stop calling. For another, people have started magic-marker-ing her phone number onto urinals. Her grades have started slipping. And, to top it all off, a mistaken kiss leads Evangeline's best friend Adrienne to call their friendship quits.

I must admit, I was worried.
You see, I grew up reading (and adoring) Van Draanen’s Sammy Keyes series (about a snaky and intelligent girl-detective with an affinity for high-tops [a breath of fresh, hilarious, and thankfully Nancy Drew-free air]), which seemed a far, far cry from this pink-covered, lipstick-print-ed, so-very-scarily-titled book. But I just couldn’t resist. And guess what?…I loved it. It made me laugh out loud. It made me cry. It referenced The Princess Bride. And Evangeline was nice and real, just the way I like my characters.

All in all, Confessions of a Serial Kisser is a great book. Perhaps not the deepest piece of literature I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't mindless drivel, either. I still like the Sammy Keyes books better, though (Even though they are middle-grade).

Four out of Five daggers


Relieved...

Airhead by Meg Cabot

One day, Em Watts is just Em Watts, a teenage tomboy with a love for video games and no love whatsoever for the Walking Dead, her name for the popular people at her school. The next day she is Nikki Howard, teenage supermodel. And there's nothing she can do about it.
Nope, there's no Freaky-Friday-esque spirit transfer. But seeing as Meg Cabot seems to want to keep most of the details under wraps, I won't give away the plot of Airhead any more than I already have. Let's just say that it's pretty darn cool. (Besides, if you really want to know, I'm sure you can find it online.)
Airhead is a thoroughly enjoyable book, not just because it's about a gamer geek trapped in the body of a supermodel, but because (despite what all the chick-lit-haters might say) Meg Cabot is quite a good writer. The heroine is likable, the supporting characters are amusing and believable, and the plot is clever and fun, though it occasionally dragged.
Airhead is the first in a trilogy, and it reads like it-- it seems more like the beginning of a story than a complete story in and of itself. This may bother some people, as it made the plot a bit slow at times. This format also means that readers (if they enjoyed the book) will be clamoring to read the second, because the end of Airhead seems more like (at risk of sounding clichéd) a beginning.
Airhead comes out on May 13.

All in all, I would say that Airhead makes a great light read. I give it four daggers out of five.



Glad that she is still residing in her own body, but also kind of wishing that she weren't because then she could have an adventure, and also writing very long sign-offs, and also, yours,

How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle

How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle is a fun, exciting spin on the classic road trip story.
Vicks, Jesse, and Mel are three very different friends. Well, not exactly-- Vicks and Jesse are friends, and Mel is the rich girl with no friends who works at the Waffle House with them. Nevertheless, they all climb into Jesse's car (her mother's car actually) on a Friday night for a weekend road trip to Miami. Along the way, they encounter a giant stuffed alligator, a pirate hotel, one very hot guy, and a new understanding of both each other and themselves.
I loved How to be Bad. The styles of the three writers were very different, but they meshed well with one another, as well as with the characters that each author wrote. (Though I won't tell you who wrote who-- it's at the back of the book for you to find out, after you've read it.)
How to be Bad is a great story of road-tripping, heartbreak, very strange tourist destinations, and, most of all, friendship.

I give this 1 fabulous book, with 3 fabulous authors, 4 fabulous daggers. (Aren't I clever?)



Bad (on account of the fact that I've just learned how!), wanting to go on a road trip, and yours,

The Squad: Perfect Cover and The Squad: Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Squad: Perfect Cover and The Squad: Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes are the first two books in a series.
Toby Klein was just your average high school hacker-loner-who-is-also-a-black-belt-in-karate, until she is recruited to join her school's varsity cheerleading squad-- something she would never do in a million years. Until she finds out that the squad is actually a cover for a team of highly trained government agents. Suddenly, Toby goes from being the aforementioned loner-hacker who occasionally beats up football players to being one of the most popular girls in school. She is quickly pulled into a web of intrigue, danger, and body glitter. Lots of body glitter.
Okay, so, yes, I do realize that this book is about cheerleader secret agents. But that fact notwithstanding, these are fun, enjoyable books. It helps that the main character is very anti-cheerleader, despite the fact that she is one. Also on the plus side, the main character is actually smart, something I would never have guessed by looking at the covers of the books. (I mean, cheerleader silouhettes? Really?) To be honest, I picked up the first one because I thought it would be amusing (unintentionally). I was suprised to find thatI actually enjoyed it (and then read the second one, of course). These are great light reads-- they're clever, there's action, and there's, um, pep rallies. Yeah. And best of all? They're actually written well. (And they're paperbacks, so they're cheap.) So if you've boon looking for something fun to read that you don't have to think about too hard, I've found it for you. You can thank me later.

I give these books 3.5 daggers each.

Cheerleading (or not), secret-agenting, and yours,

Did we fool you? (April Fool's Post)

Because there seems to be some confusion: THIS IS NOT A REAL REVIEW. We put this post and the one below it up as an April Fool's joke, along with a very pink temporary redesign of the blog. We do not write like this, think like this, or enjoy books like this. Thank you.
GOSSIP GIRL by Cecily von Ziegsar
Serena van der Woodsen & Blair Waldorf wer princesses of Manhattan's Upper East Side elite. they wer rich, beatiful, n wanted. they partied hard (aided by their parents endless supply of booze) & shopt harder. basicly, they had it all. but dont let looks fool u. theres trubble in paridise.

even tho Serena and blair wer best frnds it was alwys obviuss that serena wuz tha taller, thiner, blonder, kewler 1. she wuz in charge. so wen Serena leavs 4 bording scool blair feels both abandoned & liberated. her best frend has left her, but she is now officially it.

1 day, just be4 Blair & her posse strt senior yr @ constance billard scool 4 grls, serena coms back, scandal and intrigue following her. but sumthin isnt rite. tha welcome she expected just isnt ther. blair greets her coldly. wat happened? did she find out that serena slpt w/nate (blair's now-bf)? whatevr happened, serena is now snubbed by her 4mr frnds, stil societies It Girl, stil adored by boyz n girlz (espeshully tha boyz), but now she stays home on fri nights, cuz she's got nobody to party w/.

all this & more is reported by Gossip Girl, the misteryus blogstress that dishes on all the sex, secrets, and scandal of tha upper east sde.

gsp grl is such a gr8 buk! the guys r hawtt &the parties r kewl. but its not just that. tha relayshunships are rl dep, to. Cecily von Ziegsar is such a gud riter! shes so gud @ showing the vulnerubble side of thos grls we luv 2 h8 & h8 2 luv.

gossip grrl is lyk ttly fabu. so much of it made me lol, & sum of it evn made me cri (i mean, its not her fawlt 4 bing so hawt, rite? its not fare that blairs so men 2 her) i wish i cud b prt of tha world! dont you cuz it wud kewl to be, lyk skinny, desired, & pwerfull, & party all tha time rite? omg i cant w8 to red tha nxt 11 GG buks!!! also, chk out tha sho cuz its my fav, basicly tha bst ting evar!!!

6/5 daisies! its just that gud!!!!

u kno u <3>

omg i <3>

my fave char iz probly nate cuz hes HAWT or serena cuz shes HAWT. omg theyre all so kewl & diffrnt tho its hard to choose lol!!

6/5 daisys too!! jus like avery lol!!1

<3,>

Another Fool

Lauren Myracle is a genius 4 writing TTYL. Maddie, Angela, and Zoe r my heroez!!! They r sooo strong and tuff! First Angela thinkz shez found Mr. Ryt but he turnz in2 Mr. Yea Ryt. Ther iz also Zoe and her Englush teacher, whoz 24. They start going 2 church 2gether and totally start crushing on each other. Then, wen I thot nuthing mor cud happen, Maddie getz "betrayed" by her frend Jana.

Por Jana, she wuz soo misunderstood by Zoe and Angela. All she did wuz take picz of Maddie wen she wuz totally wasted @ a party and sent them out 2 ppl. It'z pretty obvious tho that she wuz jus trying 2 get opinionz 2 help her frend. Who wudn't do that 4 sum1 they cared about?

Rob, Angela's first dude, sounded sooooooo cute <3>

zomg!! Did I mention the wey the bookz r written??! I didn't O.O!??! How cud I not hav?! It'z writen lyk it'z a IM. How totally awesum iz that!?!?!?!? Ryt after I finished it, I wanted so bad 2 go out and get the nex book. I can't w8 2 start reading the second 1. I'm so glad it'z out so I don't hav 2 w8 4 it.

This book totally deservz all 6 of the 5 daisies I'm giving it. I totally <3>

Luving this wunderful book and totally urs,

Twyla Lee