This Just In - Week of November 2nd

I know it's a day late, but never late then never right?



I'm going to start off with a book I found was really interesting. It's an autobiography of Ricky Martin. I'm not into reading autobiograpghies but I thought this was interesting since he just went public about his sexuality.

I didn't like Portia de Rossi's book about her struggle with anerxia. I mean yes, it is a sad story but I feel like the whole anerxia phase in books needs to end like the vampire one. But I put this on here not to bash it but I know some people like to read these kind of things so if you do, I hope you enjoy.

If your into Nora Roberts, her 4th book for the Bride Quartet came out. I haven't really looked into these books but they look good. Maybe if someone gives us a good review about the books, we'll read them ;]

Well thats all the good books I spotted this week! Sorry if I missed any. Leave a comment if there are any other good books that came out today we didn't spot ;]


Until next time guys...keep reading.

Golden Firebird, Squared

Howdy readers! It’s Amber with another great book review.

First off, I just want to explain how hard it is for me to reread books. I just am the type of person who even if I loveeeee a book, I wont reread it. It’s like listening to a song that used to hold a lot of meaning to you but now doesnt.

"The funny thing about stop signs is that they're also start signs."

Title: Key to the Golden Firebird

Author: Maureen Johnson

Pages: 297



I first read “The Key to the Golden Firebird” when I was probably in 8th grade. I was shocked at how touching and how realistic the story is told. All three of the main characters are relatable, which in a book like this needs to happen.

Okay summary time!

The story is about 3 girls who lose their father to a sudden heart attack. The father dies in his golden firebird, a car the girls and their mother will not touch for the fact this was his final resting place. For the middle child May, it focuses on how she wants to learn to drive and the only person who can teach her is her annoying childhood friend Pete.
For the older sister Brooks, she is just trying to discover who she is now that shes not the star softball player in her father life. She starts drinking and starts dating a guy who really isnt that good for her. She also quits softball.

For the younger sister Palmer, she is still trying to come with grips of what is happening. She suffers from panic attacks which she is not medically treated for and fills her time with softball and watching tv. She also starts snooping around her mothers room at night.
The girls then decide to do something really risky one night that brings them all together.

Pretty much its your typical feel good book which in all honesty is well written. I thought it was such a great changed from most of the typical teen feel good books are told from. You grow an attachment to these girls. I was so happy again to reread the book and feel that magic again. It’s a story that you never forget and makes you realize exactly what you have. It also makes you realize how you need to cherish them. I think this book is a must read. Maureen Johnson is a great author. I give it 5 out of 5 stars because she has a real winner here and should have been on the new york times best seller list when it came out. It may be old but that doesnt mean you cant enjoy it ;]

Until next time folks, keep reading…

The Girl With/Who, Squared

'Ello peoples, Ashley here. Time for my first official post! :)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I'm sure many of you out there have heard of this book, considering it's a best-selling series by author Stieg Larsson and is now a hit movie (which I HIGHLY suggest). But, as we've promised, here's my review:

For those who are suspense junkies, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is your book. But, a word of warning: it's a slow starter. So, if you have the patience to deal with the information you receive in the beginning, then you will be in for a treat once the kicker comes into play (you'll see). Mikael Blomkist, the prominent character throughout the trilogy, has been sued for libel. But instead of fighting back, takes his punishment sitting. As he mopes through his time before jail, a strange character named Henrik Vanger comes to him with an even stranger proposition: solve a 4-decade old mystery that has been put to rest. After he regrettably accepts, he'll soon realize that he's in for one hell of a roller coaster ride. With the help of his soon-to-be close friend Lisbeth Salander, another prominent character in the trilogy, he'll solve a crime that was given up on far too soon, but not without a fight for his life. Once that's squared away, he solves his own issues at home and becomes the widely accredited journalist he should've been in the first place.

The next book in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire starts off the same way as its predecessor. And by the same way, I mean you need the same kind of patience in order to make it through. But once you get through the hard part, it's smooth sailing. Word of advice: DO NOT skip ahead, you'll only be lost and then become frustrated. The beginning is very, very important to the rest of the book. Anyway, we meet our heroine from the last book, Lisbeth Salander, in a pickle that she may not be able to pull herself out of. Mikael Blomkist, reveling in his success from the Wennerstrom scandal, plans to drop another bomb, this time on the sex trafficking rings around Sweden. The eve of the story's release, however, brings tragedy to the Millennium team. The story's author, and his girlfriend, are murdered in cold blood in their apartment. The last person there? Salander. But, ladies and gentlemen, if you think that this is the end of our heroine, you are sadly mistaken. The book follows the police's goose chase to find Salander, with no real luck...until the end. Yep, here comes the inevitable cliffhanger. Can't take the suspense any longer? Imagine being me.

The third and final book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest(I love the names..haha) picks up right where the second leaves off. Since I haven't finished the book yet, I'm at page 442 of 563, I'm not going to do a full-fledge book review. Instead, I'll just tell you that while it isn't a slow starter this time, it does die down as soon as you really start to get into what's going on. Yes, just like the two before, DO NOT skip ahead. Instead, read how awfully corrupt the Swedish government is. :) Once you get past that chunk, buckle your seatbelt. Things will get thrown at you, just like in the others, that you NEVER thought you would read.

Until then, kids...read on<3

Crank/Glass/Fallout, Squared

Hi guys! It’s Amber with our first book review. I thought it would be fitting to do a 3 part series Ashley and I both enjoy for my first review. This series takes a look at a daughters drug addiction through the eyes of that child. By that sentence most of you probably already know what books I’m talking about. If you were thinking Ellen Hopkin’s Crank/Glass/Fallout series, you would be correct.

"Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great. At least for a little while."

Pages: 537


To be honest, Crank wasn’t the first book I read from the author. Her book Burned was the first I picked up, which I will review at a different time. When I first got into Crank I was surprised how fast I swallowed it up, I was able to finish it in a day. The book was so well written that I actually felt as if I was on meth myself. Before I get into any details about the book, let me hit you with some facts about the book. The books are based off Ellen’s actually daughter even though names have been changed and some of the things “Kristina/Bree” go through are fiction only, it hits close to home that this isn’t just another “Don’t do drugs” book. Ellen only wrote the book, expecting Crank to be the only book of the series and wanted to understand why her daughter got into the drug. I give Crank 5 stars out of 5 for many reasons. Not just because of the touching story that links to the book but for the emotional connection you make with this girl you just spent a whole journy with. By the end of the book, your not hating Kristina, you just want to see her get better. It’s an emotional roller coaster worth reading. I actually think freshman in highschool should be required to read this book.

"Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got a hold of you, this monster will never let you go."



Glass is the second book in this touching series, expanding Kristina’s journy. The last time we saw Kristina she was trying to stay off the monster because she had a baby and all that drama. As expected Kristina does get back into meth but this time it’s crystal meth. It still holds that emotional connection of the first one. It took me longer than a day to read but that may have been because of how busy I was at the time. Ellen leaves you wanting more in both books but as Glass comes to a close, your almost aching for another hit…i mean book. I also give this book a 5 out of 5 since most sequals are worse than the first one and make you want to run away from the series. Ellen has a way of continuing the story without it getting boring.

"Hunter. Autumn. Summer. Different homes. Different guardians. Different last names. Different lives. But there is one person who binds them together. Kristina."


My favorite of the series has to be Fallout. Told from the point of view of 3 of Kristina’s children and how they will be affected by Kristina’s drug use in the future. All the tales about the children are told in such a way it made the hair on my arms stand up and I got chills down my back. Needless to say, I finished the book in one. The final book of the series leaves you with just as many loose ends as it answers questions. As in true Ellen fashion leaving you wanting more but sadly this is it. I’m giving this 5 out of 5 stars mainly because Ellen hit every nail on the head with this book. All the emotions of the kids jump off the pages and makes it feel like you are actually apart of their lives. Also because she ended a series in such a good way. It wasn’t rushed, left you with the right amount of answers and question and let your last hit of Kristina be a perfect one.

I’m expecting another great book from Ellen in August of 2011…