The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: YA
Rating: 5/5
Source: Publisher

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.


THE DUFF was a book that I had been putting off for a really long time. Every time I would walk by it at the bookstore, I wouldn't pick it up and end up buying other books. When the book arrived in my mailbox, I thought I'd give it a try. And I LOVED it!! This book was amazing. The writing style was perfect. I mean, the language used was a little too much, but my mind was only focused on how amazing this book was.

Once I began reading, I couldn't stop. When I had homework to do, I would finish it up early just to go and read THE DUFF. Now I have to talk baout Wesley. Wesley was a total womanizer, but as Bianca's relationship with him evolved, I felt sympathy for him. He wasn't the person everyone thought he was. He just acted like that because he probably didn't want to feel left out. He probably wouldn't though since he was hot, but it all goes back to what the word Duff actually means - Designated Ugly Fat Friend.

Everyone feels like the Duff at times. You could feel like the Duff of your school. Even though it hurt Bianca, and it would hurt me as well if I was called something like that, she stood up for herself. She didn't let the word get to her too much. And because Bianca was able to tell Wesley to stop when he began with calling her the Duff, she changed him so he no longer would be known as the womanizer of the school, but a very cute boy who didn't sleep with everything that moved.

Overall, THE DUFF was a funny and simply great book. I can't wait to read more of Kody Keplinger's work.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

I hope everyone's memorial day is great! I'm not putting up a post today, but will be back with one tomorrow!

Holly Schindler Interview

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
As soon as I could read. I’m really serious—I was writing stories on my own by the time I was in the first grade. In the same way that some kids are just natural athletes, or natural pianists or natural speakers, I was just kind of a natural writer. It always FIT, in a way nothing else ever did.

2. How did the idea of A BLUE SO DARK come to you?
As A BLUE SO DARK opens, we find fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

…There wasn’t really an ah-ha! moment with this one. I just remember it coming to me in pieces, over the course of a couple of weeks. And I remember being in the YA non-fiction section of my library, reading everything I could on schizophrenia (I wanted to find out how schizophrenia had already been presented factually to a teenage audience). Once I had the idea in my head, I sat down to write.

The first draft of this book wrote extremely quickly—in about two months! I just really went for it, not censoring much of anything I put down. (I even took my glasses off to write the first draft—if I couldn’t SEE what I’d just written, I couldn’t second-guess it!) The book had to be revised globally about four times over the next couple of years (and the final draft was about 20,000 words longer than the first). But I think my no-holds-barred, uncensored first draft is responsible for Aura’s brutally honest voice.

3. Many authors have different publishing experiences. How was yours? Hard? Easy?

Hard, hard, hard. Concrete hard. I got my master’s in 2001. And because writing had always been this all-encompassing thing for me, my family let me stay at home and devote full-time effort to getting a writing career off the ground.

I figured that it’d take a year, year and a half to write a novel, and I’d sell it, and I’d be off and running. After all, I’d excelled in all things involving creative writing all through school. I was bound to be a writer. Right?

But the first deal didn’t come easy. I lost count of how many manuscripts I wrote and submitted over the course of seven and a half years. I inked the deal for A BLUE SO DARK in early 2009…

Hard as it was, and as many tears as were shed, I wouldn’t trade those years in the trenches for ANYTHING. No degree can teach you the same thing as years of struggle and hard work…

4. If you hadn’t become a writer, what would you have become?

Probably a literature professor. When I started college, the plan was to get a PhD in lit. After I got my master’s, though, I had to step away from school. All I wanted to do was WRITE. But the PhD’s definitely on the bucket list…

5. Will there be more books after A BLUE SO DARK? What should we expect?

PLAYING HURT is set to be released March 1, 2011! PLAYING HURT centers on two former athletes: Chelsea Keyes, a basketball star whose promising career has been catastrophically snipped short by a horrific accident on the court, and Clint Morgan, an ex-hockey player who gave up his much-loved sport following his own game-related tragedy.

Chelsea meets Clint (who’s working as a resort fishing guide) soon after arriving with her family for a summer vacation in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Sparks fly, igniting the pages, even though Chelsea has a boyfriend back home in Missouri…and even though Clint has sworn never to put himself in the position to be hurt emotionally again.

Their unlikely romance has the potential to heal their heartache and force Chelsea and Clint to realize just how timidly they’ve been living…but by playing hurt—entering into a romance with already-broken hearts—are they just setting themselves up for the kind of injury from which they could never recover?

…I also REALLY love working in different genres and styles. As soon as I finish a book in one style, I need to work in something else…which is what’s so fantastic about YA! It incorporates SOOO many different genres!

6. Can you relate to any of your characters that your have written? Are they based on real people?

The voice of Aura is really closest to the voice that just rattles around in my own head. But my characters are never based on real people. They’re always complete fiction.

A lot of my readers seem to WANT the characters in A BLUE SO DARK to be real people…I’ve often been asked if I grew up with a schizophrenic mother! (I didn’t—but Mom and I both laugh about the question…she was a psych major in college!)

Really, though, my characters don’t live anywhere but in my mind…And I can’t wait to introduce the world to my next cast of characters, which I’ll be able to do next March, when PLAYING HURT is released!

…I’d also like to invite everyone over to my blog (hollyschindler.blogspot.com) to check out the official cover art of PLAYING HURT…I’ll be posting updates on PLAYING HURT as the novel nears publication, AND I’ve started a FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE at my blog—you send the prompts, I write the fiction. The writer of the best prompt gets a prize in time for the holidays!

Thanks so much for the wonderful interview Holly!

Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Publisher

After discovering that someone saw what looked like Dan's emergency EpiPen in A-lister Plum's designer handbag, Scarlett and her tough American sidekick, Taylor, sneak into a posh London nightclub, where Plum has a private table. Scarlett is stunned to discover a piece of evidence that might implicate another girl in Plum's exclusive circle, Lucy Raleigh. Which means Scarlett must cast a wider net in order to catch the right suspect.

Back at school, groundskeeper Jase is hoping to take Scarlett's mind off her troubles with some heart-stopping kisses. Scarlett can't help but feel guilty for indulging in romantic rendezvous when she should be hunting down Dan's killer. However, once Scarlett finds out how Lucy is connected to Dan, she knows she must drop everything and travel to the McAndrew estate in Scotland to hunt for more clues. But when she arrives, Scarlett becomes the target of a dangerous hunt herself.

When I read the first book in the Scarlett Wakefield series, KISS ME, KILL ME, I fell in love with it and I was dying to get my hands and begin reading the second book. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was a full blown roller coaster.

But I do have to give you a warning: Do NOT read this book f you have not read the first one. You will be very confused. The book picks off right where KISS ME, KILL ME left off, and there is a little recap, but not enough for you to skip the book. Here Scarlett is going after to find out why Dan died. She does travel to Scotland to Dan's family and that whole journey is amazing. I'm not going to say much about it since I don't want to give away anything from this book, but there are twists and turns and never did I want to put this book down. I cannot wait to read the third book in the series, KISS IN THE DARK.

The cover of this book was much better than the first one. I wasn't too big of a fan of the first one, but this one seemed much different. By judging just by the cover, you probably won't think this book is a mystery since there is nothing dark in the cover. Actually, when I saw it first, I thought it was going to be a chick lit book.

Overall, this book was amazing and I will be reading every book in the series.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic
Age Group: YA
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Bought

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.


Shiver immediatly caught my attention with it's cover. I love Shiver's cover. It's so beautiful and I remember that when I bought this book, it was summer and just looking at that cover made it feel as though it was winter and I actually hoped it was winter because what would be better than reading this book during winter. 

The story was fantastic itself. There was never a dull moment in the book or a moment where I wanted to stop. I didn't want to stop reading. I wanted Grace and Sam's story to continue forever, but as we all know, all good things must come to and end. But don't be disappointed there yet. The story continues with Linger and later on with Forever.

Overall, if you love werewolves and the unltimate love story, this book's for you.

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Age Group: Middle Grade
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?
If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?
Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.
Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?
Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?
This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…


I thought this book was the most cutest book I had ever read. It took me back in time to when I was young like Jade. The feelings Jade has in the book are very much what a young girl like her would have. Many pre-teens fall in love with a guy, but not all of them find out they are mermaids. Now that made the book even better.

Jade lives with her dad since her mom had died and it's sort of hard for her to talk to her dad about everything. I don't blame her. There are some things that you just have to talk to your mom because you feel more comfortable that way, and here is poor Jade with only her dad around. Her dad does understand her "issues" and he tries to help out, but it's funny because Jade is so embarrassed by it. Also, when Jade finds out she's a mermaid, she also finds out a little secret her mom had as well....

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and look foreward to reading more of Helene's books because she is just a fun author!

Kirsten Miller's Story

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the kind of kid who falls prey to bullies. Got a clear picture in your head? The person you just saw is a stereotype. She’s the person none of us ever wants to be. A victim. A weakling. A pariah.
There’s a reason this stereotype persists. Adults who were bullied as kids don’t like to relive the experience. We keep our stories to ourselves. If more of us chose to share, you’d see that anyone can end up suffering at the hands of a bully. There’s absolutely no shame in it. Being bullied doesn’t mean you’re weak, repulsive, or deficient in any way. It only means you’ve been unlucky.

I wish I had reached these conclusions earlier in my life. For a long time, I bought into the stereotype. That’s probably why I’ve never told my own story. I didn’t want anyone to think I used to be that kid. But then I realized no one ever is. That kid simply doesn’t exist.   

I think it’s safe to say that I have never been anyone’s idea of a “victim.” I’ve always been tough, smart (or so I’d like to think), and outspoken. I’m not the sort who backs down from a fight. In fact, I tend to enjoy them. Yet I spent most of the ninth grade being tormented, chased, humiliated, and physically threatened. I didn’t have one bully. I had dozens. There was no point in fighting. I had no hope of winning.

How did it start? You might be surprised. The summer before my freshman year, I met a boy who’d soon be senior at my high school. I don’t think it’s possible to exaggerate how good looking he was. (And still is, I’m told.) It wasn’t long before I was suffering from my first serious crush. A few people who knew us both told me that he liked me, too. I never acted on those reports.
I was arrogant back then—some might even say conceited. But I was also a fairly decent human being who was painfully shy, terribly naive, and incredibly young. (A year younger than my fellow freshmen.) By the time school kicked off in August, I had exchanged no more than a few flirty words with the object of my crush. At no point did anyone mention that the boy had a girlfriend who was away for the summer.
The day the girlfriend returned, I found myself on the top of her hit list. Kristy was a dainty, pretty sophomore with a very popular older brother. Oh yeah—and she had gorgeous hair. That’s all I can say for certain, because I don’t recall actually speaking to her. Still, she hated me with the sort of passion that’s usually reserved for mass-murderers and trophy-wives.

When I first heard someone whisper the nickname Kristy had given me, I had no clue what it meant. To this day, I can’t recall the incident that inspired it. Apparently some upperclassman had once teased me about being a freshman. I jokingly responded that I planned to be “Super Freshman.” That was it. That was how it started.

 It must have been fun to make me suffer, because at least a third of the school decided to join in. Some of the kids really relished the opportunity to be cruel. Most of them probably thought that making my life miserable would be the perfect way to win favor with Kristy and her big brother. Soon the “Super Freshman” whispers became snickers. The snickers became shouts. An astounding variety of objects were hurled at me. The contents of my locker were repeatedly vandalized. Midway through the school year, I was actively avoiding several athletically-inclined girls who were quite keen on kicking my butt.

Believe it or not, living inconstant fear of physical violence wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was discovering that Kristy had a spy in my camp. My very best friend had seen a chance to be the popular kids’ favorite freshman—and she’d happily sold me out. She was the one who had given my tormentors the combination to my locker. (Other delightful things they left inside!) She was the one who’d fueled the fires by whispering lies in Kristy’s ear. (“Repeating” things I’d never said.) She was the one who made Kristy think I was still drooling over her boyfriend. (I thought he was cute, but I was disgusted that he’d never once bothered to defend me.)

By the last month of school, most of my friends had turned against me. Only two had displayed unwavering loyalty.(And I will be eternally grateful to them.) My teachers must have known what was happening, but not a single adult ever attempted to intervene. My grades plummeted. My attendance record was shockingly bad. I was sinking deeper and deeper into depression.
I have no idea how long the torture might have continued if I hadn’t been caught skipping school. I was sentenced to detention—and given a desk next to Kristy’s brother. In one of the strangest turns of fate that I’ve ever experienced, he and I became friendly. Suddenly, it was all over. There were no more whispers or threats. In fact, byte beginning of my sophomore year, most people seemed to have forgotten that the episode had ever taken place. But I will always remember because the experience changed me—and altered the course of my life.

 When I was in high school, I would have argued to the death that nothing good could possibly come from the suffering I’d endured. And if you’re currently being bullied, I don’t expect you to believe that life can get better. I know exactly how much it must suck right now. But you will survive. Then one day, you will step out of the fire with the knowledge that you can endure almost anything. You will be more cautious, but less fearful. Less trusting, but more loyal. You’ll have an inner strength and powers of observation that most people will never possess. And you’ll have enough fodder for at least six young adult novels. (Take my word for it!)