Monday, December 27, 2010

Archive: Reposted Reviews 5

Title: Project Paris
Author: Lisa Barham
Copyright date: July 2007
Publisher: Simon Pulse
How many pages: 224 pgs
How long it took me to read: About 3 hours.. It's got really big text and pictures in some of the margins.. (I feel like I cheated hah)
Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: Reading the first book.

This book was purchased at: Barnes and Noble
This book is: silly, short, but unsatisfying
Other books by these authors: A Girl Like Moi: The Fashion Forward Files of Imogene
Favorite characters: Imogene, I guess
When and Where the story takes place: Paris (obviously)
Plot in a nutshell: Imogene goes to Paris to get stories on the Couture Week for the magazine she's interning for. Couture Week gets cancelled, and she finds something brand new to scoop!
Main characters: Imogene and Evie
What I liked best: I can't really pinpoint something, unfortunately.
What I liked least: I really wasn't a fan of the book.. I don't like that I feel like I cheated by reading this, and that I could have been using the time reading this by reading something with more substance.

Overall rating: C. This book was rather flat, incredibly predictable, and kind of confusing. I'd forgotten a lot about what Imogene had gone through in the first book, and Imogene wasn't going to refresh my memory. She spent a lot of time telling the reader she'd 'get to this part' in a minute, and never did. It was like talking to a 14 year old. Not enough description, plot, or substance. I merely read it to see if I was right about all my conclusions. And I was.

Title: Jinx
Author: Meg Cabot
Copyright date: July 2007
Publisher: Harper Teen
How many pages: 262 pgs
How long it took me to read: about 2 breaks at work, and 2 hours at home (so... 3 hours total? Works into about 2 days spread out)
Category: Fiction
I learned about this book from: being a rabid meg cabot fan

This book was purchased at: Barnes and Noble's website
This book is: a cute little supernatural bit of fluff
Other books by these authors: Princess Diaries series, All American Girl Series, Mediator series, 1800WhereRU series, Queen of Babble Series, Pants on Fire, Avalon High.. etc.. etc...
Favorite characters: Jinx (Jean) of course!
When and Where the story takes place: New York
Plot in a nutshell: Jean (Jinx) moves in with her aunt and uncle's family in New York to get away from something that happened back home in her conservative Iowa home. Things go wrong.
Main characters: Jean/Jinx, Tory, Zach
What I liked best: I liked how randomly it reminded me of the Craft (in a good way)
What I liked least: I've read so many of Meg Cabot's books that it felt a little... predictable. I hate saying that. But I knew what was going to happen.. for the most part. There were a couple of surprises.

Overall rating: This was a good book. I didn't waste my time on it, but it was kind of predictable.. Rated on the scale of how I rate Meg's books, it's better than Pants on Fire, How to Be Popular and All American Girl... but not better than the rest I've read from her (Oh my god she needs to publish the next Queen of Babble before I fall over).

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Archive: Reposted Reviews 4

Title: As Seen on TV
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Copyright date: 2003
Publisher: Red Dress Ink
How many pages: 384 pgs
How long it took me to read: About 2 days, reading it on my break at work and then all in one night
Category: fiction
I learned about this book from: doing an author search

This book was purchased at: paperbackswap.com
This book is: A fluffy read
Other books by this author: Milkrun, Fishbowl, Monkey Business..
Favorite characters: the main character, obviously. Sunny.
When and Where the story takes place: Florida and New York City (mostly)
Plot in a nutshell: Sunny needs a job, and her father's girlfriend mentions going on a reality show!
Main characters: Sunny, and the other contestants a little bit...
What I liked best: Sunny was.. well.. honest. She was a great character to follow, and didn't seem too flighty.
What I liked least: Her boyfriend bothered me. He acted like all the things she did for him weren't good enough. I hate the unsupportive boyfriend characters....

Overall rating: It was a really fun read! Give it a 7.



Title: Forever Princess (Princess Diaries 10)
Author: Meg Cabot
Copyright date: 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
How many pages: 400 pgs
How long it took me to read: About 4 hours. I didn't want to have to stop reading it.
Category: fiction
I learned about this book from: being a rabid Meg Cabot Fan

This book was purchased at: BN.com
This book is: a great way to close The Princess Diaries
Other books by this author: Princess Diaries 1-9, Heather Wells Mystery Series, Queen of Babble series, 1800WhereRU sereies, Mediator series, etc etc..
Favorite characters: Mia! Of course!
When and Where the story takes place: Mia's surroundings, school/home/wherever, NYC
Plot in a nutshell: Mia's a senior in high school, and graduating. And writing. And accepted to every college she applied to (but was it because she's a princess?) And denied from publishing her book! (Because she's using a fake name?)
Main characters: Mia, JP, Michael, Lily..
What I liked best: Meg didn't skimp on this book. She didn't seem to write it to try to please the fans (as some authors do) and cop out. Mia did what she was supposed to do, she had her own mind. She wasn't out of character in the least.
What I liked least: I just wish I could have figured out Mia's revelation at the end myself. I felt naive! I was like 'OF COURSE!'.

Overall rating: 10. Of course. I loved this book..



Title: Fishbowl
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Copyright date: 2002
Publisher: Red Dress Ink
How many pages: 360 pgs
How long it took me to read: About 2 days. I just spent most of the day reading it in between being sick..
Category: fiction
I learned about this book from: author search

This book was purchased at: paperbackswap, but the person that swapped with me got it from goodwill (and I don't know why but that bothers me..)
This book is: Actually realistic in a way
Other books by this author: See above regarding As Seen on TV
Favorite characters: I didn't really have a favorite.
When and Where the story takes place: Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto.. I forget which primarily hah.
Plot in a nutshell: Allie, Jodine and Emma are roommates. And their kitchen burned down. Now they need money. (That sounds like a bad porn haha)
Main characters: Allie, Jodine, Emma
What I liked best: None of the characters were.. perfect. I personally didn't side with any of them. I kind of found Jodine to be obnoxious, Allie kind of annoyingly naive, and Emma to be a bitch. But honestly? I wouldn't have liked the book half as much if the author tried to make them likable.
What I liked least: A couple of the little subplots were a little too annoying. Jodine and her non boyfriend Manny were too rushed.

Overall rating: I'll give it a 6. I liked it, but I'm not sure I'd read it again.