Columbine by Dave Cullen

Synopsis
On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave "a lasting impression on the world." Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence, irrevocable branding every subsequent shooting "another columbine."
When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window, the whole world was watching him. Now, in a riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making, comes the story none of us knew. In this revelatory book, Dave Cullen has delivered a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. He lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to the prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.
The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who were secretly stockpiling a basement cache of weapons, recording their raging hatred, and manipulating every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boys' tapes and diaries, he gives the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy.

Review:

A brilliantly written, authoritative book. Cullen researched for 10 years and his work shows passion, insight and diligence.

You will be chilled to the bone as this haunting tale resurfaces on the pages of Cullen's book. It is compelling and disturbing.

You get a look into the minds of two murderer's and an idea of how our minds and the media obscures facts, images and how easily we can be swayed into believing what our eyes show us rather than the facts the lay behind the surface.

Grisly details that easily evoke images in your mind.

There is information on the families and the survivors. Expect to be enthralled.


Grade: A

Seventeen Real Girls, Real-Life Stories: True Crime by Seventeen Magazine

This teeny tiny book has brief stories of true crimes either done to or committed by teens.

I can easily be read in less than an hour. It is like simple cliff-notes.

I was left wanting more, a lot more. I would have preferred a much longer detailed book than this brief synopsis of mayhem.


Grade: C

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler

Synopsis
Fern communicates with her dog, blisters from just moments in the sun, and has correctly predicted the daily weather for more than two years. Even so, she's always seemed to be a normal twelve-year-old girl . . . until one day when Fern closes her eyes in class and opens them seconds later on a sandy beach miles away from school. When Fern disappears again, this time to a place far more dangerous, she begins to realize exactly how different she is.
With the help of her twin brother, Sam, Fern struggles to gain control of her supernatural powers. The arrival of a sinister vampire in town—who seems to have an alarming interest in Fern's powers—causes Fern to question her true identity. Who is she? More importantly, who can she count on? Soon Fern finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old battle—one that could destroy Fern and endanger everyone she loves.

Review:

The Otherworldlies is a fairly unique story, mixed with several mythologies, adding a twist to vampire novels.

While it is a good read, I must admit dear readers that I did check out for moments during the story. It got to be a bit tedious and on occasion boring.

The characters are grounded but don't necessarily draw you in to make that "special" connection.

An overall fair read.


Grade: B-

Vamps by Nancy A. Collins

Synopsis
When the sun goes down, New York's true elite all head to one place: Bathory Academy, where the young ladies of the finest vampire families are trained in shapeshifting and luring their prey.
Bathory's reigning queen, Lilith Todd, is the daughter of a powerful vampire businessman, and she knows exactly what she wants from life. She wants to look beautiful for eternity and party till the sun comes up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Jules. And she doesn't want any New Blood upstarts standing in her way.
Enter Cally Monture, an unexpected threat from a trash zip code. When their first meeting leads to tragic results, Lilith is hungry for revenge.

Review

Vamps is a bad take off, of Blood Bloods and Vampire Academy. The characters are shallow and one-dimensional.

The writing style is slow and while the storyline has the potential to make for a great read the flat characters make reading this one novel less than pleasurable.

I won't be reading the sequel and I recommend taking a pass on this series.

Grade: D

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Before I Die is Downham's first novel. Unfortunately there is nothing out of the ordinary or striking about this particular book. It did not evoke emotion from me, which is surprising since the subject matter deals with death. It is predictable and a bit on the boring side. Don't expect a "wow" factor.

Grade: D+

Synopsis This intensely moving story is now available in paperback.Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, and drugs with excruciating side effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraintsof “normal” life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, are all painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

Lust (Seven Deadly Sins) by Robin Wasserman

Synopsis (From the publisher)

Alpha girl Harper is used to getting what she wants,
and that means Adam,
Beth's all-American boytoy.
Blond, boring Beth, who Kane,
the charming playah, secretly wants too.
Miranda thinks Kane is out of her league,
but she wants him all the same.
And then there's the new girl.
Kaia. Who only wants trouble —
and he's definitely on his way.
Want to know more?
Commit

REVIEW

Lust is the first book in the Seven Deadly Sins Series and you will be entertained.

It is about heartache, love, seduction, and betrayal, making this one hot series. You will be easily sucked in.

This summers guilty pleasure!

Grade: A

Model: A Memoir by Cheryl Diamond

Mediocre at best.

Nothing extraordinary or unknown.

Diamond's memoir seems like a self ego stroke feast rather than story telling.

Her "traumatizing" event isn't quite a the big deal she makes. She could have turned it into a positive rather than running away from it.

Everything is quite vague other than her writing on her "beauty".

I can't recommend this book. It borders on annoying, lame and boring. You will scan pages just to get to the end of the book.

Synopsis (B&N) Every year, hundreds of the most beautiful people in the world come to New York to become models. At age fourteen, Cheryl Diamond was one of them. Living on her own in a run-down apartment, Cheryl spent her days on go-sees, runways, and shoots, surviving hand-to-mouth, while taking in everything she could about the tough and sleazy modeling industry. She watched other girls make mistakes, and swore she wouldn't be a victim...until a career-altering event changed her life and nearly ruined her shot at her dream.

The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh

The unauthorized guide is a bit of a disappointment. Gresh gives a rundown on "typical" vampires and werewolves, which is interesting but doesn't have a whole lot to do with Twilight itself. I would say that the majority of the book is about "other" vamps and ware's.

She also makes mistakes in terms of what actually happened in the twilight series. Her inaccuracies get tiresome and frustrating.

The guide is also full of quizzes that are a waste of time, energy and effort.

I personally would not waste my money on this, wait for the offical guide.


Grade: D (because the info on other vamps and wares is a bit interesting)

Synopsis (B&N)
Everyone's in love with vampires, and if his name happens to be Edward Cullen, then readers of the wildly popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer can't help but be crazy about him. For all those who adore Bella Swan, Edward, and the rest of the Cullen family and can't get enough, this companion guide is a must-read and a terrific gift. The series follows an unlikely couple: Bella, a teenager, and her boyfriend Edward, a vampire that has sworn off human blood. But their love is ill-fated--being a vampire, Edward must keep his passion in check, lest he is driven to suck Bella's blood.
With legends, lore, and myths about everything from vampires to werewolves to immortality, a bio of the author, and a ton of insight into the four-book series, this companion guide will give millions of readers the information that they've been waiting for since book one.

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer

Synopsis (B&N)

Genie's commitment-phobic boyfriend is finally proposing—on national television. To the woman he's been seeing on the side. It's a major wake-up call for a girl who's hit the snooze button on her life a few too many times.With no names mentioned on the broadcast, Genie finds herself flooded with presents and congratulations. It's up to her to explain the mistake, but sometimes waking up is hard to do.When her parents start planning the reception, she can't help enjoying herself. Why call off the so-called engagement just yet? It's fun to play princess. But unless a prince shows up—and soon—this dream could start getting weird.

Review:

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal is sweet but cheesy. A mild mix of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes.

Super easy and fast to read. The main character is beyond likable. You will be entertained and find it nearly impossible to put down this novel. You just have to know what Genie is going to do next! She is outrageous and quirky.

The perfect beach read.

Grade: A

Fabulous Terrible The Adventures of You by Sophie Talbot

The book concept is rather great ( it is done in second hand narration) and takes time to get use to however the storyline reminded me of so many other books out there. Poor girl goes to boarding school on scholarship, odd things happen to her, blah, blah, blah.

The read is very simple but since the story isn't anything special you're left feeling as though somehow you got cheated out of a good read (possibly another book, on your nightstand?).

I don't anticipate reading the next book in the series because I already ready the storyline's in the Private Series by Kate Brian.

Grade: C

Synopsis
Last month you shipped off from Hatterly, your old home town, and changed lives: from foster kid to fulltime student at Trumbull Woodhouse, the most elite all-girls boarding school in the country. Wise move? You hope. Big change? Defnitely.From the minute you arrive on campus, the deans and faculty emphasize how special Trumbull Woodhouse girls are, how lucky you all are to be here. Sulum Puella Est Donum "Every Girl Is Gifted" goes the school motto. Since the frst class graduated in 1882, TW grads have gone on to lead the most distinguished and glamorous lives possible from Wall Street CEOs (14) to Oscar-winning flm stars (3) to Nobel prize winners (1). But a mystery lurks on the grounds of this revered institution. A society sworn to uphold the founder's deepest secrets has become divided. A war for power burbles just under the campus's placid calm. Is the legend true, did Founder Emma Woodhouse see the future and write down her predictions? Or is the rumored Apocryphon just some old book, the musings of a dying woman trying to control her creation from beyond the grave? Who would steal the book? And why?In your frst month at TW, as a mysterious enemy tries to undermine your every efforts to belong, you come to suspect your new alma mater has a past as strange and troubled as you do. Both you and Trumbull Woodhouse are bent on keeping your secrets from the public eye, but as we all know, the public eye is most interested in the girl who's on top.

Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret is entertaining and fast paced. I read it in under just 2.5 hrs.

The characters are vivid and practically jump off the page. You are kept guessing and are on the edge of your seat.

This novel is a fantastic paranormal thriller with a romantic twist. The action never dies down, you will not be disappointed. It is a great start to what I hope will be a fantastic series.


Grade: A

Synopsis

Some secrets shouldn't be kept... Until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades, an okay relationship with her parents, and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when a mysterious boy named Ben starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, she's inexplicably drawn to Ben.and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.