Avalon High Previews

I'll be honest, I haven't been interested in a new Disney Channel movie since I was a pre-teen. When I saw the preview for the adaptation of Meg Cabot's book, I actually thought to myself, "I'm going to watch that". Watch the preview below, and tune in this friday, November 12!

In My Mailbox (November 7)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. All of the synopses you see below were found on Goodreads. Here are the books I got this week...

When Erin Channing's favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of five cryptic instructions. Grant, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived "outside the box." But now Erin's two best friends, Samantha and Lindsay, are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to Erin's future--and perhaps their own.

Part of Around the World ARC Tours









What did you get this week?

Mini-Reviews: The Reckoning, Generation Dead, You Wish, Maybe This Time

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

What a great end to the Darkest Powers series! It was full of action, and suspense, and delved deeper into each of their powers. I personally enjoyed seeing more of what it meant to be a werewolf. It certainly wasn't pretty, but I think it helped Chloe understand Derek a bit more. Plus, dare I say it, Tori actually seemed to mature a little. Unfortunately, the ending didn't really give me the closure I wanted. So, I'm hoping that Armstrong might give the characters a cameo in her newest series. I have to say, this is probably one of the most consistent series of books that I've read. I enjoyed each book equally, and the second book didn't feel like filler.

Rating: B

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

You know how people went to see District 9 expecting a scary sci-fi film, and instead watched a film that was more of a subtle comment on society and human nature? Well, that's exactly what happened to me with this book. Scary, brain-eating zombies? Not here, my friend. After kids die, they come back to life...they aren't exactly the same as when they were alive, but it's clear that they aren't the mindless creatures seen in horror films. Quite honestly, it was more a book about intolerance, and the fear of things people don't understand. Still, I didn't love this book. It may have been my lack of connection to the main character, or problems with the writing itself. There was something that just didn't flow, and that is keeping me from giving it a higher rating.

Rating: C

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

This book was so cute, and fluffy! Much like Kayla, I can't even remember the birthday wishes that I've made over the year. If they started coming true, however, I'd probably have a bit of a meltdown. While I sympathized with Kayla, I always thought that she definitely could have turned things around for herself. Instead of complaining about her workaholic mother, or secretly pining for her best friend's boyfriend, she could have actually tried communicating with them. I suppose that was just a sign of Kayla's immaturity at the start of the book.

There's something about Hubbard's writing that I love, though. She's becoming one of my go-to authors when I need a good laugh, and both of her books have done that. Her upcoming book looks a bit darker, and I'm excited for that, too. I'm just too impatient to wait until July.

Rating: C+

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

This wasn't your typical Crusie book. It still contained some romance, and her unique brand of humor, but there was a paranormal aspect to it. My ghost-loving self rejoiced! It's also the first book in quite some time that Crusie has written solo. I've enjoyed the books that she's co-written, but my favorite books written by her have been done solo.

Andie was sarcastic, stubborn, and fun. She was a great character, and I found it easy to like her. Her interactions with Alice brought a lot of laughs, and I enjoyed watching the kids open up to her. There were some serious moments, too. Possession, hauntings, death, and all this is happening in a house where kids live.

Rating: B

Waiting on Wednesday (November 3)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Trapped by Michael Northrop

The Breakfast Club meets The Blizzard of the Century: A young adult suspense novel from PW Flying Start author Michael Northrop.

Scotty and his friends Pete and Tommy are among the last kids waiting to get picked up at their high school. The snow has been coming down for hours, and it's starting to look like no one is coming for them. As the snow piles higher, their teacher Mr. Gossell leaves them behind to seek help--and disappears into the drifts outside. Now the seven remaining students are on their own, with no food and no electricity, facing a night of sleeping on classroom floors. Will their friendships survive the night . . . and will THEY?

Published by Scholastic
Release Date: January 1, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (November 2)

What is Teaser Tuesday?

It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:
Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers.

Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too mo ...more
"My mom's a mad scientist. It's a lot like being a regular scientist, except without worrying about legal or moral limitations, and it's a common profession for the scientifically inclined supervillain."

-The Rise of Renegade X, Page 5, by Chelsea Campbell

I'm only 60 pages in, but I'm loving this one so far!