There's No Place Like Home (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #6) by Jen Calonita

There's No Place Like Home (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #6) by Jen Calonita

March 1, 2011; Poppy

Summary

After her brilliant run on Broadway and surviving the harsh concrete jungle of New York City, seventeen-year-old Hollywood "It Girl" Kaitlin Burke is back in L.A. starting a sitcom with her former-nemesis-now-BFF, Sky. The show is a huge success! In fact, maybe a little too huge, Kaitlin realizes, after a bad run-in with aggressive paparazzi puts her boyfriend Austin in danger. She wishes, once again, that she could have a normal life.

But what Kaitlin doesn't realize is that her Hollywood life has had a positive influence on just about everyone she loves, and it takes a minor car accident and a nasty concussion to truly grasp how lucky she is. In Jen Calonita's sixth and final Secrets of My Hollywood Life novel, Kaitlin learns at last about the price of fame, the unending upside of friendship, and that there really is no place like home-even if it's Tinseltown. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Depending on how careful you are about spoilers, I do give a barebones synopsis of the entire book. But with this type of novel, you know how it's going to end. It's only the journey that matters. So I don't think the spoilers are objectionable.

The final installment of Secrets of My Hollywood Life, one of my favorite light, chick lit series. I'm sad to see the books come to an end, although I'm excited to see what Jen Calonita has in store for us next.

That being said, There's No Place Like Home was not my favorite book in the series. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't what I wanted out of the final book either.

The book starts out like all the others. Kaitlin has tons of things on her plate. Her pushy mom only makes things worse, encouraging Kaitlin to do too much and making her seem like she's attention-hungry. Kaitlin's friends (which now includes her former rival Sky) want her to put her foot down and set some limits. But Kaitlin can't say no. Especially not to her mom.

Enter Stage Right...a head-on collision and an It's A Wonderful Life alternate universe. Kaitlin is now from a poor family, in a fancy school, and hated by everyone except her star-crazy friend Liz.

I admire Jen for doing something different with this book - for taking chances. It would be easy to coast along with what you already knew was successful. And there was nothing wrong with the alternate universe. In fact it was a great plot device. It showed Kaitlin what was wrong with her life and what was right with it. It convinced her to grow a backbone and start standing up for what she wants. But...I just didn't enjoy it. I love reading about Kaitlin's crazy family and star-studded life. Even though there are still celeb moments in Kaitlin's alternate life, it wasn't the same. Thankfully, the alternate universe doesn't last forever and I was very happy with the ending.

There's No Place Like Home was an enjoyable read even though it wasn't what I wanted. I love Kaitlin for all her foibles and cowardliness. I love that she is a normal girl in a crazy world. I love that she is endlessly loyal to her friends and somehow knows to do the right thing even if she stumbles a bit on the way. While this was probably my least favorite book in the series, I still think everyone who enjoys these books should read the last one and would still recommend people to pick up all six books.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

The Green Eyed Monster: Blogging and Jealousy

The Green Eyed Monster: Blogging and Jealousy

The blogging community is a wonderful thing. Who wouldn't love having a group of people as obsessed as you are about books and wanting nothing more than to chat about them? But what about when your best bloggy friend gets that ARC you've been dying to read? Or when someone comes up with an incredible feature or meme that gets them loads of visitors and accolades? You're happy for them, of course, but is delight your only emotion? Do you ever feel a twinge of envy, a pinprick of jealousy?

I freely admit to being jealous of my fellow bloggers. Jealousy is not a positive emotion, but it is a natural one. I'm going to posit that every one of you book bloggers have been jealous about something blog or book related at some point. I think it's impossible not to be if you're really invested in blogging and reading, as most of us are.

If you don't think that you've ever been jealous, I'd guess you are (a) a saint; (b) delusional; or (c) lying. I'm not delusional, I'm not lying (at the moment), and I am definitely not a saint.

The Benefits of Jealousy

Despite being petty, I don't think jealousy is inherently bad. It depends on how you react to it.

Bad: Leaving nasty comments on someone's blog in a fit of jealous rage. Allowing envy to stop you from blogging.

Good: Using jealousy to inspire. If you don't want more, you're not going to work for more. Transform your envy into energy. Figure out what bugs you and fix it.

(thanks to Black Nailed Reviews and About To Read for helping me with this point)

Here are a few things that bring out my inner green-eyed monsters...and I'm guessing I'm not alone...and a few ideas of how to move past jealousy.

1) ARCs: This is one of the most obvious ones. Am I the only person whose stomach twists and eyes burn when I see a dozen bloggers get a review copy of a book I want during the weekly IMM posts? In my more immature moments, I'll grumble that a person has less followers than I do and still got a review copy. It's not like I don't have enough books to read. Every week, I'm overflowing with new books that I picked up at the library or the bookstore. But the idea of ARCs is so alluring! The ironic thing is that I love In My Mailbox. With the exception of Follow Friday, it is my favorite meme. I love seeing what books people got and am honestly happy for them.

Here's the thing about ARCs...Consider it a twist on the Field of Dreams saying: "If you don't ask, they won't come." And I don't ask, hardly at all. Partly because of my perceived notions that my blog isn't big enough yet or simply because I'm too lazy to type up e-mails to publishers. People do get unsolicited review copies. But unless you're a mega-blogger who has been doing this for years, unsolicited copies are probably few and far between.

If you're jealous about not getting ARCs, do something about it! E-mail publishers to introduce yourself and ask for a review copy. Go to conferences like BEA or ALA and get your name out. Work on growing your blog, so you'll be more likely to garner attention. And if you still don't receive ARCS...oh well...at least you did what you could.

*Numbers 2 and 3 are similar, but distinct enough that I'm giving them separate categories

2) I'm Not The Story Siren: Kristi is one of my favorite bloggers. She's nice, funny, smart, and obviously well-read. It's hard to argue that she is the queen of YA book blogging. Oh how I wish I was her! I wish I had started blogging three and a half years ago, that I had thought up In My Mailbox and the Debut Author Challenge, that I had established relationships with authors and publishers, that I had loads of followers and made even a little money off blogging, and all the other things that makes Kristi fantastic.

Yeah, that one's kinda petty. But instead of envying Kristi, I try to use her as inspiration. She reminds me that the longer you blog, the more respected you're likely to be. Same with the value of making contacts with authors and publishers. And of course, having consistently good content.

*On another note...I really wish I could be 11 in 2011 and be as fabulous as Melina at Reading Vacation. I wish I'd read as much and written as well as she does when I was her age. That's not jealousy...that's admiration.

3) Blank's Blog is Better Than Mine: Ah yes...let's bring up my inherent insecurities. I read a lot of blogs. Some are better than others. Many, I think, are better than mine. I love reading the posts, but I often chide myself for not being as good as the respective blogger. For example, I love the thorough and well-written reviews at Supernatural Snark and the hilarious Cover Critiques. I love Small Review's ingenious Review Comparison and her Blogging Tips and Tricks. I think the frequency and consistency of Books With Bite's reviews are highly admirable. Why can't I be that good?

Let's take a step back here...If you ever think like me, do two things. First, think of the positives about your blog. I've been blogging for over a year, have a respectable number of followers, and make a lot of efforts to reach out to the blogging community. I write consistently and my reviews are reasonably well-written (if perhaps a tad bit wordy - as this parenthetical is). Ah, I'm feeling a little better now. Once you've picked yourself out of the mud, use the blogs you admire to better your blog. If you want to improve your writing, check out some books on writing and style. Or read other people's reviews to find a style you want to emulate (not copy!). If you want better features, look around the blogging community. What element of books or blogging is missing? What things are you passionate about? Think outside the box for a bit and come up with something that others haven't yet done.

4) Book Blogger Appreciation Week: This is actually what inspired this post and it is the hardest, most shameful part of this post for me to write. Book Blogger Appreciation Week is one of the most enjoyable blogging events of the year. It's one time where we can all sit back and celebrate the joy of blogging. Where we can step away from the detailed reviews and enjoy our community.

But...there's the awards. Do you sit in school/work awards ceremonies with anticipation? Hoping that when they announce the Best Math Student award or the Top Sales award, your name will be called, even though you suck at math or completely missed the quarterly sales goals? I do. I want to be the one running up to the stage in my fancy ball gown, tears running down my cheeks, and joking about how heavy the Oscar statue is. And while I know it is petty and childish, the fact that I didn't make the awards list dampens my Book Blogger Appreciation Week spirit. I hate that it does. I don't honestly think I deserve any of the awards. Well, maybe I do a little bit, but I am completely honest when I say that the blogs nominated are as good as and likely better than mine (especially the ones I nominated).

My best advice about dealing with not being nominated? Grow up and get over it. I'm being particularly harsh about this one, because it's the advice I most need to hear right now. Look at the blogs that were nominated. What can you learn from them? Maybe even approach them and ask them for advice to improve your blog. But if you've done all you can do, don't worry about it too much. A celebration of the excellence of someone else's blog doesn't mean that yours is bad. Be grateful for the opportunity to blog. Don't let your hurt feelings keep you from participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I was stupid enough to make that mistake last year and want to be a big girl this year. I may not be able to participate as much as I'd like because I'll have just moved to California, but I definitely want to participate in some fashion.

5) Blank's Blog Has More Followers/More Comments Than Mine: Do you feel like you spend loads of time on your blog, but no one's reading it? Does it seem like everyone in the blogging community has their established group of friends and you can't break in? It's hard to start blogging when there are so many other blogs that have been doing this for years. And it's also hard to watch other blogs grow and grow while yours stays stagnate. We all know that the number of followers does not inherently correlate to the quality of the blog or even the loyalty of those followers. Still, you're a lot more likely to have 1000 loyal readers and frequent commenters, if you have 1000 followers than if you have 100. And while the numbers game isn't that important, it's a lot more fun to blog if you are part of the community rather than knocking at the door trying to get in. Besides, who doesn't love seeing those little numbers climb in the GFC widget?

I've written quite a bit about how to gain followers. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my advice of How To Gain Followers. Like most things, there's a strategy to gaining followers. How? The answers never vary that much. (1) Good, consistent content: Duh. Have decently written reviews. I've written a post on How to Write a Review. It's pretty flexible. As long as you put some effort into it, I'm sure it'll be good. And make sure you post relatively frequently. At least a few times a week. (2) Network: Regardless of the quality of your reviews, if no one knows about your blog, no one is going to read it. Participate in the weekly blog hops: Friday Follow and Crazy for Books’ Hops and in In My Mailbox. And perhaps another popular meme. Connect with bloggers through Twitter. Participate in author blog tours through Teen Book Scene. (3) Time: Few blogs gain followers rapidly. Getting and keeping followers is a lot of work. It took me about a year to hit 1000 followers, and I devoted hours every weekend to networking. If you want a large blog, prepare to spend lots of time. I average 15 to 20 hours per week on blogging. Granted, that's because I think it's fun and don't have anything better to do. But you're not going to have a big blog without a lot of work.

As for comments...If you give, ye shall receive. The blogs who get the most comments are the ones who comment on other blogs the most. The number of comments is not inherently tied to the number of followers. Some blogs with only a few hundred followers get tons of comments, because those bloggers are so dedicated to commenting on other blogs. In contrast, some of the blogs with 2000+ followers don't get that many comments, because the blogger doesn't comment often. We all have limited time and commenting on other people's blogs is really hard. I know I don't do it nearly enough, but if you want lots of comments on your blog, make commenting on other blogs a priority. And, surprise, surprise, I also have a post about How to Comment. The comments to the post are a lot more interesting than what I wrote, so be sure to read them.

There you have the basic elements of my form of blogger jealousy. And now that you've seen a bit of my not-so-great side, it's your turn.

Have you been a jealous blogger? What have you done about it?

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

2010; Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary

Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

Please Ignore Vera Dietz is one of those book where after the first few pages you understand why it appeals to awards committees. There's no set formula for award-winning books or even a way to describe why I knew this particular one would garner high praise. You just know it when you see it.

You have to work a little bit to warm up to Please Ignore Vera Dietz. The plot is slow. It's actually rather unimportant. The characters that set this book apart.

The main narrator is Vera. It's rare to see a YA protagonist so richly drawn. Horribly damaged. Mourning the recent death of her best friend. Grieving over her mother's abandonment and notorious past. Dealing with her now-sober, self-help, high-energy dad's eccentricities and expectations. She just doesn't care about anything anymore. And yet she does. She cares and feels everything. She wants to escape her past, but she also wants to just slide. I loved the contrasts. I loved that Vera made mistakes in this book. She was doing some really stupid things, yet I completely understood her mindset. It seemed just like how a real teenager in her situation would act.

Vera's dead friend Charlie is another key character. We hear stories from his perspective and also from Vera's. Vera is the only person (other than those involved) who knows how he died and spends the book deciding whether she has the courage to come out of the woodwork with her secret.

While the Vera/Charlie plot seems like the focal point of the book, I thought the best and ultimately most important part was Vera's relationship with her dad. The book is also told from his perspective. He's desperately trying to control everything - his life, Vera's life, the world in general. He's a good man who desperately wants to keep Vera from making his mistakes. I loved seeing their relationship change during this book. His flow-charts were a highlight.

My favorite character was the pagoda. That's right. One of the narrators of this story is a giant pagoda that's been in the middle of town for 100 years. It was unintentionally (well, probably intentionally) hilarious. And also an important symbol - that life goes on, people change, but humanity is always the same.

I appreciated Please Ignore Vera Dietz for its literary value. It was perhaps more thought-provoking and touching than fun, but there is definitely room in my repertoire for books that require some effort.

Rating: 4 / 5

Manga Mondays (66): Sand Chronicles vol. 5 - Hinaki Asihara

Sand Chronicles vol. 5 - Hinaki Asihara

Summary

Twelve-year-old Ann and her divorced mother move from big city Tokyo to her mother's rural hometown. How will Ann survive her exile from civilization? Then, when her mother commits suicide, Ann has to grow up fast. As the years pass, Ann learns to trust and depend on her new friends--Daigo and aristocratic siblings Fuji and Shika. But when Ann moves back to Tokyo to be with her father, will she be able to maintain a long-distance relationship with Daigo? And do Fuji and Shika harbor romantic feelings of their own that might rip their childhood friendships apart...?

Shika will stop at nothing to steal Daigo from Ann. And the competition ramps up when an attractive girl resurfaces from their past. Meanwhile, Fuji patiently waits to win Ann from Daigo. But who do Ann and Daigo want to be with...? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

Another heavy volume. Although all these volumes are heavy. There are few moments of humor. The volume starts after Daigo told Ann he needed a break, some time to think. He obviously needed quite a bit of time, because he never called her like he promised. Ann and Daigo are trying to forget their pain in the heat and relaxation of summer, but it's not working too well. Ann can't stand the wait any longer, so she flies to Shimane to meet Daigo. There's a beautiful page spread when they meet at the airport; they're holding onto each other like it's the end of the world, like nothing exists other than them.

That one embrace is about as close as Daigo and Ann get in this volume. Ann is increasingly haunted by herself. She's terrified that she is the proverbial albatross around Daigo's neck. That her darkness and sadness will only bring him down. And honestly...she's right. Ann is miserable and she depends upon Daigo far too much to mask her sadness. In the end, it's Ann who decides to formally break up with Daigo. Not because she doesn't like him, but because she loves him so much that she doesn't want to hurt him any longer.

Meanwhile, Shika and Fuji are doing their best to get at Daigo and Ann respectively. Prior to their break-up, Shika tries to convince Ann that she's going to kill herself in order to terrify Ann. It works quite well. The only one who gets hurt in the process is Ann. Unfortunately for Shika, Daigo sees right through her and is pretty disgusted. Fuji on the other hand appears to be more persuasive in his attempts to get Ann to give him a try. At least that's what it looks like at the end of the volume.

I love the feel of normal Japanese life that we experience in this series. While the plot is overdone, the characters are normal teenagers. It's interesting to see what they typically do during the summer. Or how hard they have to study to get into a university. I feel like I learn something with every volume.

In My Mailbox (49)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

I'm Alison (on the off chance you couldn't guess that from the name of my blog). I review Young Adult novels with a few Middle Grade books and a weekly manga feature.

*Sadly my haul is very small this week. I'm moving to California on Wednesday so I can't get books from my Minnesota library anymore :-( I picked up a few things off hold this week that I knew I could finish in time for us to leave. I'll miss my libraries here!

Library Stash

Sirensong by Jenna Black

*Third book in the Glimmerglass series. Just finished it. Pretty good. Sad that the series is over.

CD Stash

A Balloon Called Moaning by Joy Formidable

Feature & Follow Friday #61

Welcome to Feature & Follow Friday (err Thursday) on Parajunkee.com

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

*Thanks so much to Rachel for allowing me to be part of the Follow Friday fun. Parajunkee is one of the best blogs out there and FF is a highlight of the blogging community. The FF has been one of my favorite parts of my week for over a year and I'm so excited to help my fellow book bloggers get to know each other better.

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger.

If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the link here for Follow Friday Feature or go to Parajunkee and click the drop down link above FEATURES > Feature & Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!

It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

Our Feature - Once Upon A Prologue

I started reading at an early age (I totally took a book to kindergarten and read it to the class for show-and-tell) and from there, my love of reading was born and nurtured through the years. I love discovering new authors (but have a soft spot for faves Jodi Picoult, Lauren Oliver, Patrick Rothfuss, Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Fallon, and others) and making book-ish friends. I started my blog, Once Upon a Prologue in 2011 to reach out to other bloggers, and to become a part of a reading-related community!

When I'm not reading, I am most likely writing. I somehow manage to juggle way too many original characters, but I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. I also will proudly admit to being a shopaholic (especially scarves!), and I spend all the time with my friends that I can. I adore good movies, hot tea, and marathoning various TV shows. I'm a softie for cute animals and even though it drives me crazy sometimes, I really do love my job.

Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? And, why?

Well, for the most part, no. Books are what they are. However, I often wish books that I love lasted longer. Harry Potter, in particular. I wish there was another book detailing their post-Voldemort life.

For a long time, I was upset by the ending of Breaking Dawn. There are a lot of parts of the book that I disliked. But over time, I accepted the book for what it was and came to like it from beginning to end (well, mostly).

I often wish that historical fiction books ended differently. At least where characters I grow to love end up dying. For example, I was so sad when the Romanov princesses died in The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller. Obviously, it had to be that way. I wish reality was different more than fiction being different.

Now for the Follow Fun!

<center><a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/search/label/FF" target="_blank" ><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4710921228_e3140444bf_o.png" /></a></center>

RULES To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - We Fancy Books & The Little Book Blog
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday! Follow it up with your twitter address if you want to get that one out!

*********

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

October 13, 2009; Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary

Sophie Fitzosborne lives in a crumbling castle in the tiny island kingdom of Montmaray with her eccentric and impoverished royal family. When she receives a journal for her sixteenth birthday, Sophie decides to chronicle day-to-day life on the island. But this is 1936, and the news that trickles in from the mainland reveals a world on the brink of war. The politics of Europe seem far away from their remote island—until two German officers land a boat on Montmaray. And then suddenly politics become very personal indeed.

A Brief History of Montmaray is a heart-stopping tale of loyalty, love, and loss, and of fighting to hold on to home when the world is exploding all around you. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review


A Brief History of Montmaray is a book that manages to be both simple and complex at the same time. It is the story of a girl living a mundane life in a poor, isolated island with her family and a few friends. But it is also a story filled with vibrant personalities, from Sophie's intellectual cousin Veronica to her tomboy little sister Henry. It is the story of a pivotal time in history, at the eve of World War II where the Nazis are already starting to make their mark.

Many people who review this book compare it to I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. I hate to repeat a tired theme, but it really did remind me a lot of I Capture The Castle. The feel of the books is the same. Unfortunately, I liked I Capture the Castle, but did not love it. I feel very much the same about A Brief History of Montmaray.

Let's start with what I loved. The characters. Without a doubt. Michelle Cooper created a group of quirky, charismatic characters who make you laugh more often than not. Sophie is a nice, fairly plain girl who is surrounded by extreme personalities. Henry has to prove to everyone she is all boy. Veronica has to constantly be intellectual. Rebecca has to be constantly unpleasant and worship mad King John. The list goes on. While the characters are eccentric, they are also well developed. By the end of the book, they are more than their quirks.

I also loved the idea of the book. Montmaray is a fictional island off the coast of England that has its own monarchy (I didn't realize it was fictional at first and had to Wikipedia it to find out). Sophie is part of the royal family, but other than her bloodline, she is as poor as a churchmouse. The book is very atmospheric. You feel the cold gloom of Montmaray, but also the beauty of the small, closeknit island. You'll wish to see the FitzOsborne castle even if it is one storm away from crumbling to the ground.

Now onto what I didn't like. It was dull. The plot didn't really get going until two thirds through the book. Then it moved fairly quickly and definitely held my attention. But until that point not much happened. By itself, that isn't a bad thing. The book is more character driven than plot driven and I definitely had a good feel for the characters. But there's a happy balance that one should reach between following along with the characters' relatively boring lives and an actual plot. This missed that balance.

Overall, A Brief History of Montmaray is a beautiful book with characters you'll quickly love. It is frustratingly slow at times, but still worth reading.

Rating: 3 / 5