Matched by Ally Condie

I just finished reading this great new book. I love when an author creates a whole new world because it's a great escape. It's set in a future world where there is no disease, everything is perfect and is in it's place. But, the catch is you can't make any choices; not what you eat, what to read, who you marry, the Society even picks the day you die. Cassia has always trusted the Society to make her choices for her. So, on the night of her Matching ceremony, she is pleasantly surprised to see her best friend Xander's face show up on the screen. He is the one that the Society has chosen to marry her and have children with. But, in one quick moment her whole world as she knows it totally changes when she sees another familiar face flash on the screen for a split second.  Is Xander her perfect match or is this other boy?

I absolutely loved this book! Ky (the other boy haha) and Cassia are now two of my favorite characters ever. I was so sad when I finished the book. Now I have to wait another year for the next book in the series!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Let me just tell you how much I LOVE Pretty Little Liars! The books and TV show are my guilty pleasure. I never thought I would like the series, but when I found out that a TV show was coming out based on the books I had to read them. I bought the first three of the series and had to rush through the first one so I could start watching the TV show. Even though the show and the books have their differences, both are amazing! I love the mystery and the glimpse into the high class lives of the girls. Old best friends forced to join together to solve a mystery of their "dead" friend Alison. . As much as Alison tortures the girls, I wound up loving her character. Not that I condone anything that she does, it's just she is the ultimated bad girl with style. I also love all the other girls, Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily. I love how Spencer is smart but also not perfect and I love how the Hanna in the TV series is a little bit stronger and less dependent on others. Emily is the sweetest but Aria has the best style. I loved the ending because I had no idea what was going to happen until the very end. Usually I can always predicted what happens, so it's always fun when there is a surprise ending.

Pretty Little Liars Series
1.) Pretty Little Liars
2.) Flawless
3.) Perfect

4.) Unbeliable
5.) Wicked
6.) Killer
7.) Heartless
8.) Wanted

I can't wait until I get my copy of The Lying Game. I know it's not the same series but I can't wait to read a new Sara Shepard book!

Attention authors!

If anyone would like me to review their books, I would love to! Doesn't matter if your new or experienced. Just leave me a comment and I would love to see if we can work something out. I'm new at this so bare with me. haha I also want to become a published writer someday so,  I know how much feedback and reviews can help.

I've been in the process of writing a book since freshmen year of college and I have made a promise to myself that I will finish it by the end of 2011! Wish me luck!

Love, Pinkpam

You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz

Have you ever had a secret love? Someone you spent all your time with and cared for, but no one could know about it? Brian and Annaleah had something special, she just knew it. They only needed each other and it didn't matter what Annaleah's friends said about Brian or their secret relationship. She loved Brian, but then Brian dies suddenly. Annaleah finds herself not able to grieve like everyone else. She is lost and comes to find that she hardly knew who Brian was.

I found myself so emotionally attached to this book. I cried when Annaleah cried and I hurt when Annaleah hurt. The novel is written in verse and I found some of the writing so beautiful and raw.

"A lot of the time you made me crazy,
I was always wondering
where you were,
what you were doing,
why you weren't calling,
what you were thinking,
if you felt the same way I did.
I wanted to be close to you,
spend more time with you,
for you to share things with me,
but you never did.
But I guess I didn't
tell you everything either." pg 120

I picked up this book at random and I'm so glad I did. It tells a story, but also gives advice. You can't let a relationship define who you are, only YOU can define who you are. In life we have to keep on moving or we don't get anywhere.

I think that a lot of people can relate to this story, so if you can pick this book up!

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O'Hagan

As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, I read all the books I can about her. This was the first "fiction" book I've read about her, but it was based on true facts about her life. I always knew that Marilyn was a big animal lover but I never knew that she had a maltese named Mafia, Maf for short. Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn the puppy maltese in 1960, right after she lost her dog in her divorce to Arthur Miller.

The story is told by Mafia himself. He explains his short time with Marilyn before her devastating passing in 1962.  As you read the story you really feel like your there with Maf and Marilyn at her New York apartment or out at a celebrity party with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. I feel like the author really got Marilyn's personality right. She was a very tortured soul, but she was also very kind and amazingly talented.

Here are some other books I have read about Marilyn:
* My Story by Marilyn Monroe
* The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli
* Marilyn Monroe (Icons of Our Time Series) by Marie Clayton
* Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? : Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style by Pamela Keogh
* The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie by Tony Curtis, Mark A. Vieira
* Marilyn: August 1953: The Lost LOOK Photos by John Vachon (Photographer), Brian Wallis (Editor)
* Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, Satnley Buchthal (Editor), Bernard Comment (Editor), Joyce Carol Oates (Introduction)

The Sequel was better?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner was a book I read over a year ago. I remember it was confusing to understand at first but I get angry at myself if I don't finish a book, even ones that I don't like that much. But, it's not like I didn't like The Maze Runner, it just was hard to understand in the beginning. But after the hazy confusion passed it was a pretty good ride. I love when an author creates a whole new world. A boy named Thomas wakes up in a lift and the only thing he can remember is his first name. He enters a world that other boys sent there before him call the Glade. Every morning walls that surround the Glade open up and at night they close. Every 30 days a new boy comes through the lift, but the day after Thomas shows up a surprise comes out of the lift, a girl! The first girl ever to come to the Glade shakes up everything with the message that she brings.

At the end of the book it was pretty evident that there was going to be a second, so of course I had to see what happened to the gang in The Scorch Trials. We learn more about the mysterious WICKED, the group who sent the teens into the Maze. I don't want to give away the plot but I just wanted to say that The Scorch Trials was even more intense then The Maze Runner! The story line seems to make more sense but there are still so many questions that are left unanswered, so of course there is a third book, which is called The Death Cure and it is scheduled to come out around October of next year. Can't wait!
Also, this is coming from James Dashner's blog, http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com/, if you live in the following cities/states: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington D.C and San Francisco, and are planning to see the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you might be viewing a book trailer for The Maze Runner trilogy before the movie. You also might receive a DVD that has a longer book trailer and other promotional materials for his books.
It just so happens that I'm planning to go to see Harry Potter this week, so, hopefully I'll get a copy of the DVD!

Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?

Are you a regal political princess or a sexy starlet? If you always wanted to know then I suggest you take the quiz in Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn?: Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style by Pamela Keogh.
Let me just start off by saying that I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan so of course I wanted to be a Marilyn! haha But, I didn't cheat on the quiz and I actually got half Jackie and half Marilyn! I thought that was kind of cool.
This was a quick fun read. Pamela tries to help women find their personal identity through explaining the personal identity's of two of the most well known women of all time. I liked reading all the love and dating tips. Some were really funny. But, what I liked the most was reading the personal facts about Marilyn and Jackie. Did you know that Marilyn had a 23 inch waist?! But since she had a bigger bottom she had to get her pants made so they fit her tiny waist. She had the perfect hourglass figure.
I'm going to try to get to a signing of this book in two weeks, I think it'll be a fun time getting to see some other Marilyn fans.

I Might Have A Slight Obsession

When I was on my break last night at the library I noticed that we had gotten a bunch of new books in and I had to stop myself from taking all of them. New books have a strange effect on me. It's like when a shopaholic goes into their favorite store. Books give me kind of a rush. That might sound kind of sad to some people but it's better then being addicted to other things.
So when I gathered up my pile of books that I was interested in I had about 8. I didn't want to be greedy so I only took out 4. So, now I have a total of 9 books in my room to be read. I think I need some book shelves? I'll put it on my Christmas list.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

I love when you find a random book that you didn't know about or plan on reading, and when you do read it, you fall in love.
Drea is sixteen and is not your average girl. She loves making and producing music and she also has a "touch" of Asperger's. She moves around a lot because of her mom and when they move in with Drea's mom in a small town, she thought her life could not get any worse, until she meets a crazy purple haired girl named Naomi and a hard to figure out boy named Justin. They all have a common love for music and form a band and a close friendship fast. Because of Drea's Asperger's, she always has problems opening up to people, so when Justin shows an interest in her she doesn't know what to think or how to act. Will Justin accept who she is? Do you want to know? Well then read the book! I loved it!

Everyone who thinks that they are different or is afraid to open up and be who they really are should read this book!

I love the smell of a new book!

I just got the new book in the Morganville Vampire series, Ghost Town by Rachel Caine. I absolutely love this series! I love all the characters, even some of the crazy, bad ones. The relationship between Shane and Claire makes me kind of jealous sometimes, haha. They have that perfect relationship that people only dream about, but they are still human and make mistakes. I think I love this series not only for the story but the characters are so likable and "real" in a way. You almost think that they really exist and that there is a Morganville that's just crawling with vampires.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle lives in a world that is not his own; the small town of Gentry. But, see, Mackie isn't one of us, he comes from a world of tunnels, black waters and living dead girls. He is what the people of Gentry call a "Replacement." He was left in a human crib sixteen years ago. He has never fit in and is now because of his allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, is slowly dying.
I first saw the cover of The Replacement on a website a few months before it was released and I knew I just HAD to read it. The cover is just unbelievably badass. The cover designer, Natalie Sousa did an amazing job.
Even though I thought that it was a good book, I was kind of let down in certain parts. I think that the book should have explained the "Replacement world" a little bit more. The little of their world that was showed sounded like a scene out of a Tim Burton movie and the underworld "Replacement" characters were spooky, yet likable.

I actually think that it would be an amazing movie that Tim Burton should maybe consider filming?

About My Blog

This is the first blog I have ever started. I want it to become a place where people can visit and and enjoy reading about the books I review. I have worked at my public library for 8 years. I absolutely live to read so this is mainly going to be a book blog. It might take me a while to get use to this, but I can guarantee I will make this an amazing site! I can't wait to start this new online journey!

Love,
PinkPam

First Book Review! If I Stay by Gayle Forman

There are books that stay trapped inside your memory and heart for a long time, maybe forever. I read If I Stay about over a year ago and I still think about how much I enjoyed reading it. I picked up the book without really knowing what the book was about. I'm the kind of person who judges a book by it's cover. Yeah, I know you're not suppose to do that, it's a bad habit that I must break soon. The cover was so simple, a almost bare tree branch with one red flower against a robin blue sky. I had no idea the journey I would be taking as soon as I started reading. The story follows the life of seventeen year old Mia. She has a loving mother and father and a younger brother, who like her, share a love of music, even though they all like different genres. Mia is a talented cellist who has a passion for classical music and the rest of her family love good old rock and roll. Mia also has a adoring boyfriend who is an up incoming rock star.
So, it seems that Mia has it all, but it will all change one day on a family road trip that takes a disastrous turn. Now Mia is stuck and must make the most important decision of her life.
I never want to give away any big details and especially not the ending. So, to find out the decision that Mia makes, check out the book, and believe me it is totally worth it!
It's the book that has it all, love, family, music, and the choices that we make in life!