Review: Avalon High by Meg Cabot

What's not to love about Meg Cabot.  Yes, she's one of my favorite authors for the range of books she writes and for the total entertainment factor I get out of her stories.  My students are always shocked to hear I read for pleasure (why is that?) and especially young adult fiction, so I guess I need to step up the books I take to class to share with them!  Maybe I can now take in my most recent read, Avalon High.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "To newcomer Ellie, Avalon High seems like a typical American high school, complete with jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and even the obligatory senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy. But it doesn't take Ellie long to suspect that something weird is going on beneath the glossy surface of this tranquil hall of learning. As she pieces together the meaning of this unfolding drama, she begins to recognize some haunting Arthurian echoes, causing her to worry that she has become just a pawn in mythic history."

Review:  It's so easy to love the tone and style of Meg Cabot's writing.  Her stand alone books, like Avalon High, are every bit as accessible and fun to read as her longer-running series.  In this case, the main character Ellie really carries the story and helps you access what's going on.  In fact, you grow to like her pretty early on in the story and want to find out what will happen to her and the other classmates.

One thing that I think is kind of interesting with this story is the intermingling of King Arthur and Camelot into this tale.  Although there are moments where this back story is explained, I wondered if the real tie in mattered much to those who are unfamiliar?  For me, it was really fun to tie it back to the original tale.  Also, Cabot uses a reference to "The Lady of Shallot" throughout the entire book.  Whether you love the poem by itself or remember it being quoted by Anne of Anne of Green Gables, it is an amazing poem that is filled with that heroic love of days gone by.  All of these references make it a bit more fun to consider if you're a knowledgeable reader.  Do you have to get all of that?  Well, you can still enjoy this fun story, but it makes it a lot better when you get all the references.

One thing that I did notice though, that beyond the literary and historical references this story felt like it was meant for a younger audience than some of her teen novels.  I enjoyed the story, but mainly kept moving along because of my own background with the references.  This wasn't my own personal favorite out of her books, but I think it has a nice main character, a fun twist on the normal teen drama, and a little romance to round it out.  This was definitely a fun story that is different from some of what you might have read before, with plenty of Cabot's delightful style.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on a library copy of the book.

Review: Party Princess & Sweet Sixteen Princess by Meg Cabot

After a nice fall break, I somehow managed to drag home a nice flu bug that reared its ugly head the Sunday before heading back to school. By Sunday night I pretty much knew I was a goner, and have been home today and will be taking tomorrow off as well. Between sleeping, I've still been grading essays, but hate that reading any little thing gives me a headache. Regardless of my whining (and yes, I'm whining), I wanted to get my next reviews up. I decided to do another double feature from the Princess Diaries series, since Sweet Sixteen Princess was actually a short installment and easy to review alongside of Party Princess.

Synopsis: In Party Princess Mia is still reeling from the grown up world her boyfriend has moved into, being a college man now. After having the s-e-x conversation in the previous novel, Mia now feels unsophisticated next to her boyfriend, and believes that all college girls must be way more exciting and "free spirited" than poor Mia. Although Mia, as student body president, is struggling to raise funds for her high school (thanks to using them up on different pet projects), Mia is equally as concerned with a party her boyfriend has invited her to. Mia is sure that she will look silly next to his college friends, and agonizes over just how to look cool to him. Needless to say, in classic Mia-style, she does all the things that she thinks will make her look cool and ends up embarrassing everyone at the party, including her boyfriend. Will he forgive her and still like his high school girlfriend...as uncool as she has behaved?

As a quick follow-up to Party Princess we get Sweet Sixteen Princess. All Mia wants is a quiet night alone with her boyfriend, but if we've come to know and expect anything of Mia's life, it's that Grandmere just won't stand for her granddaughter to have something small and quiet for her 16th birthday!

Review: I have to say that I feel like these two books are setting up the obvious distance that comes between people of different age groups. When one person grows, and the other is left behind, it often causes conflict. This seems to be well represented in these books, and although Mia is growing up, it's obvious that her boyfriend is experiencing things as a college student that a sophomore in high school just can't understand yet.

I actually felt SO embarrassed for poor Mia in Party Princess when she humiliated herself at the party. It's not as if we haven't all made fools of ourselves in front of a group of people, but as an outside observer in this installment, I felt especially embarrassed for Mia and her obvious insecurity. Both books were cute books, and had funny little moments that struck me. The issues Mia faces do seem to get a bit more complex the older she gets (i.e. sex, drinking, divorce, etc.), and it feels natural to the story. These are simply a fun, quick read as an adult, and I can imagine that my teen students would really relate to Mia and her honesty in every situation!

Now, relating to Mia...can you remember a time that you really humiliated yourself at a party? To be honest, any humiliating moment I ever remember involved some stupid sport that we were all supposed to have fun playing together. Listen, I'm a HUGE college basketball fan, and I've enjoyed a few team sports I've played, but in general...NO WAY! Why did my most pitiful playing always take place in front of someone I was dating or liked at the time? Sigh. Give me something intellectually driven like a board or card game, and I'm top of my game. Put me in a sporting event, and I might as well have my hands tied behind my back and a mask over my eyes! Oh yes, but I showed them how much "fun" I was, right? Right.

For more information on either book, see: The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess (Princess Diaries, Vol. 7) or Sweet Sixteen Princess (Princess Diaries, Vol. 7 1/2).

***Books reviewed were checked out from the local public library.

This review is also part of Book Review Wednesdays. Check out Cym Lowell's book blog for more information!

Review: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Last night, I took my lovely book on a nice walk with me. I know I've mentioned that I've recently rediscovered the fine art (or should it be considered a sport?) of reading while I walk. (And I don't mean on a gym machine...I mean outside.) Anyway, minus a soccer ball mishap that had me chasing down a ball for a little girl, and a pesky double stroller that a mom decided needed to be parked in the middle of the walking trail, I had little to no trouble trotting right along with book in hand. I have to say, it really kept my attention too, so the time flew right on by!

Synopsis: Picking up where Airhead left off, Em is still trying to sport the life of a super-teen-model, even though she never wanted to be super pretty or popular. Modeling in crazy photo shoots in the Caribbean, wearing clothes with designer labels, and dealing with brothers she didn't know she had...duh, because she's not who everyone thinks she is...only begin the drama that ensues in Book 2 of the Airhead series. Not only must Em keep the secret of how she became Nikki (to protect her family from being sued for millions they don't have), but must also deal with a mad-crush she has on her friend Christopher, who now thinks she's selfish, super-model Nikki.

Review: Does the synopsis sound a bit like a teen soap opera? Well, it is...kind of. I now get book one in the series, as it set up everything that then happens in book two. You get a sense of what is to come in Airhead, but it's not until Being Nikki that you really see just how complicated Em's life has become. I would think it would seem pretty fantastic to wake up and be super sexy, but I suppose it wouldn't be if at the cost of your very identity. In book two, I enjoyed the way her friendship with Christopher (he thinking she's Nikki) developed, and even though I kind of know where it's all headed, I liked the mystery and drama built into the story. There is way more drama surrounding Stark Enterprises, for whom she works, so you feel like there is always more we are going to learn. Also, we get the sense that Em is a good person, and it makes her actions (as Nikki) seem believable.

All in all, I liked book two the best so far. I'm glad that I read them back to back, as I'm sure that had I read Airhead alone, I would have thought, "Wait...what?" You really don't get to the heart of the drama until book two, so it definitely makes for a much more entertaining read overall. Once again, regardless of genre or subject, Meg Cabot manages to entertain me though, and I really do just love her writing voice.

Being Nikki comes out on May 5th, so once again, thanks to Meg Cabot for sending me an advanced copy of her book!

Sunday Salon #2 & a Couple of Book Awards!

Today I got an early wake up call by unexpected noise...you know the kind I'm talking about...a world that doesn't understand that you get up before 6 am EVERY morning throughout the week, a world that doesn't know that you stayed up late Friday night to cram for a test that you should have been studying for months ago, and a world that doesn't know that a little extraneous light and a bird chirp could wake you up (my dad used to tell my mom that she could hear a mouse fart, and it would wake her up, so maybe it's genetic???). WHY can't I be one of those deep sleeper types? Anyway, due to my early wake-up call, I climbed in the tub with a couple of good books and read for an hour. I'm still in the process of finishing Meg Cabot's new release coming out in like nine days, Being Nikki. I'm also staring at my TBR pile (not counting the ones sitting over on the bookshelves, nor those in my nightstand/bookshelf) and having a mild anxiety attack. I leave in one month for Hawaii, so I think I'm going to be returning a lot of things to the library, unread (gasp). Hopefully, I'll be finishing up Being Nikki, and then be able to post my review! I'm also hoping to read Going Home by Harriet Evans, since I fell in love with her book, A Hopeless Romantic (which I've blogged about). Love her stuff!

Also, this last week I was given three blogger awards! It was so sweet of a couple of my blogging friends to nominate me, so THANK YOU so much. :) I love the new people I've been able to meet in the book blogging world, and I love their book suggestions and reviews. So nice!

First off, thanks to Jessica Marie over at Books Love Jessica Marie for awarding me the Friendly Blogger Award. Jessica was one of a handful of people I started following as a part of the "community." She reads a lot and has become very active in the blogging community, so thanks for your award Jessica!

You are normally supposed to pass these awards on to 10-15 other bloggers, but I really don't know that many bloggers that haven't already received this award! (Sigh...I'm still circulating to get to know you all!) However, I do have a good friend who has been blogging about books, teaching, and more recently...preparing for baby #1! She is a good friend of mine (who should be having a baby as we speak), a great teacher, and a great creative writer.

• I'm going to pass it along to Sarah, over at My Husband Calls Me Cutie. Congrats Sarah, and good luck on the baby!

The second award came from wonderful Teddyree over in Australia at The Eclectic Reader. LOVE Australia and hope to go back soon! I actually met Teddyree during the 24 Hour Dewey Read-A-Thon, when I dropped in to cheer her on. Thanks Teddyree! :) Anyway, she was so nice and awarded me the Let's Be Friends Award:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers

• I'm going to pass this award on to J. C. Montgomery, over at The Biblio Brat, who I actually discovered more through Twitter. She has great taste in books, and I love to see what she has to say! I look forward to hearing more from her!

The last award I've been given is the Lemonade Award, for blogs with great attitude or gratitude, by Alaine, over at Queen of Happy Endings (how can you not like a title like that). I also met Alaine during the Read-A-Thon, and I not only loved her choice of reading material, but loved that she was reading with other people and commented on their "chatty" sides. :) It was really fun to read her posts! Thanks Alaine!

• I'm going to pass this award on to Deborah, over at Books, Movies, and Chinese Food. I also met Deborah during the Read-A-Thon and really enjoyed her bright, cheery blog and different types of reviews.

Thanks again!

Review: Airhead by Meg Cabot & Library Loot

Newsflash: Only 27 more AP essays to grade!!! :)

Late last night, after grading for many hours, I put everything away and read myself into a nice slumber. I had taken a nice walk during our beautiful, Sunday afternoon sunshine, and actually read while I walked, so it didn't take me long to wrap this one up once I sat down and really got lost in it. Yes, I've been on a bit of a Meg Cabot kick lately, and having received the ARC for Being Nikki, I now had the push to read the first book in that series, Airhead.

Summary: If you've ever considered what it would be like to actually BE a supermodel, or at least gorgeous and sexy, then Airhead gives you the opportunity to put it into action. In this new novel by Meg Cabot, Em Watts goes from being the smart-girl-who-hates-flaky-pretty girls, to being forced into the life of famous teen model, Nikki. This transformation isn't an easy one, in fact, how she becomes Nikki is quite startling, but Em really and truly becomes Nikki, with her perfect body, hair, teeth, and skin. Em goes from a school schedule full of AP classes, to a schedule full of modeling and grooming appointments. Not only must Em become someone she would normally scoff at, but she must do so in a way that convinces everyone that she really has become the famous super model. So now what does she do about her semi-nerdy friend who sits around playing video games, but who she knows despises vapid behavior as much as she does, who she secretly has a crush on? How will he react to her being gone, and will he recognize her inside this new Nikki character she's been forced to become?

Review: I actually didn't read anything about the book before I bought it. Honestly, I purchased the novel simply because Meg Cabot wrote it, so now that I'm getting ready to read the next book (out May 5th), I pushed to read them both back to back. I'm glad that I knew very little about what was happening to Em (sorry, but every other plot summary pretty much says more than I give away above!), as it made me feel more for Em. There's always this side to most women, where we wonder what it would be like to look like Giselle Bundchen or Heidi Klum. Would it change your personality? Would men flock to you? Would life just come easier?

Most of the book spends time setting up the situation for us. It takes almost 3/4 of the book before we see Em step back into parts of her old life so that we can see how she resolves the two sides of herself. In fact, very little is resolved, but all is set in motion in this first Airhead installment, which makes me very happy I waited to read these books back to back! Now that I see what's going on, and have been left with many things I want to see Em confront, I'm eager to jump into Being Nikki (which I've already done) to see how things are handled. Overall, a fun little escapist read, as are all of Meg's novels. Now off to the second!

As for Library Loot (brought to you by Eva and Alessandra), this is actually a little overdue. Last Friday I ran into the library to pick up a stack of things, and return an even larger stack of books and DVDs. I actually only had on hold Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, which I had heard some buzz about, yet later found out was just a re-release to a previously published novel. People are either really hating it, or really loving it, so we'll see!

So, on my way to check out, I felt almost sad that I only had one book in my hands to check out, so I grabbed a couple of books on interior decorating (since I'm buying a new townhouse and will be picking everything out...and feel I have no talent for, nor know what I really want), along with two other Pride and Prejudice departure novels that caught my attention on the way out. The first that I noticed in the lobby was Impulse and Initiative by Abigail Reynolds. Now I've read one of hers before, and wasn't too thrilled, but thought this one sounded interesting and thought I'd give it a try. I love the cover, so I'm hoping I enjoy her take on this famous couple! Last, I picked up The Darcy's and the Bingley's: Pride and Prejudice Continues, by Marsha Altman. Doc actually saw this on my shelves once I got home, and stole it from me (momentarily), and really loved it. As with the others, it gets a mixed bag of reviews, so we'll see!

All in all, a very Pride and Prejudice sort of haul for my library loot! Now I'll hope to get my grading out of the way so I can read for a bit. End of level testing is coming up, so I'm going to make the big push to finish all my grading so I can read a little while I proctor tests! Having said that, I better get back to the grading. :) Chow!

Sunday Salon #1

Yes, this is my first with Sunday Salon, and yes, it's almost Monday...in 35 more minutes. I stayed up last night cheering for the read-a-thon, and have spent most of today bouncing between work responsibilities I've sort of pushed to the side all week (grading essays and such). Yes, also a procrastinator there! However, the weather was so beautiful today that I grabbed Meg Cabot's novel Airhead and went for a walk down to the park. I can't remember the last time I walked, outside (I do it all the time at the gym), with a book in hand. As a young girl who lived down a semi-long dirt road, I would almost always walk with a book in my hands. It became a skill that I actually repeated in graduate school when I would be walking to one of my various lit. classes, knowing I needed to discuss said book that day. (Sigh...there's that procrastination thing again!) Anyway, it was really delightful. Once I got into a good pace, not too fast, not too slow, then I slipped away into my book. I'm not quite finished yet, and I did read for another 30 minutes this evening while having a quick soak in the tub, but I haven't yet picked it back up to finish.

Well, that is my meanderings through what I've read for today. If I can count the 20+ AP essays I've read about the conclusion of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, then we could chat about that as well! :) Until I finish my other book though, have a good night!

Reviews: The Musician's Daughter & Project Princess

Okay, so I actually finished these both yesterday, but didn't get a chance to post about them. Yes, I'm still in the middle of my Spring Break (not that you'd know it by all the snow we've gotten), but have been running errands, keeping doctor/dentist appointments, and grading online and school assignments. It's all very good. I'd be a pretty bored girl otherwise...right? :)


Project Princess, by Meg Cabot, is another VERY short installment in the Princess Diary series. Honestly, it was more like a pamphlet (for my friends that think I either spend all my time reading, or have some speed-reading technique I'm hiding). I honestly think it took me 20-30 minutes to read? Anyway, this installment is a "between" or insert story that goes in between the longer novels in the collection, and tells of Mia going on a fieldtrip with her schoolmates to do humanitarian work. You know...like Prince William did in Chile? Well, Mia's real motivation is to get to spend extra time with her boyfriend, only she soon finds that their efforts are spent working, and at night sleeping in tents. Gasp! Like me, Mia hates camping.

Once again, the story is pretty much centered on Mia's anxiety over her relationship with the boy. It's cute, and to be quite honest, from all I've seen and experienced, a pretty accurate portrayal of how we all act when we like a boy, think he likes us, or only wish he likes us. We LOSE our minds. :) So, regardless of being 14 or 40, relationships make us all a little nutty, and Mia is just open enough in her diaries to share that with us!


As for the second book I read, I can honestly say that I've been reading it for two weeks. How do I know? Well, I read it all at the gym as an experiment to see how long it would take for me to read a book while on a cardio machine. Little did I know that some days I would feel more like watching Oprah as I plodded along, or that I would become fascinated by the size 0 girl in front of me with cellulite and stretch marks, wearing so little that I could see it all, and think to myself, "Holy cow! You mean that even super skinny girls get those?!?" Yes, it disheartened me, and took me away from my reading at times. (All a true story.) Anyway, I finished the novel yesterday while working out on an orbitron, which I owe much thanks to for getting me through many novels while in graduate school (what can I say...it's a strange, symbiotic relationship exercise machines and I have...too bad I'm not stick thin).

Synopsis: As the title indicates, the story centers around the daughter of a poor musician playing in the Prince's orchestra in 18th century Vienna, who we find has been murdered. Theresa, his daughter, then sets out to find out who murdered him, what happened, and why all the mystery surrounding his death. Not only does she have the mystery surrounding his death, but also money to come up with so that her brother can go to school to apprentice with a violin maker, and to help pay for the medical care her ailing, pregnant mother needs at such a stressful time. Theresa, through the course of the novel, mingles with gypsys and princes, all in search of answers. Who murdered her father and why? Must she marry a man she does not love, only so she can provide money for her brother and ailing mother?

Review: While I am not a mystery fan, as revealed in previous posts, this particular story felt more like an adventure than a real "who done it" sort of story, and therefore, had me intrigued. I still can't quite put my finger on it, but throughout the novel I felt like I had read this kind of style and voice before, as if it were the same style of storytelling that I remember from back when I was in high school. However, this is a new release, so I quickly realized that the somewhat detached, floating style of the writing was merely a reflection of the author's voice, which was pretty intriguing all by itself. I really did like this novel, and the mix between mystery, romance, and history just kept propelling me to want more.

Very clean read, and one that has you trying to piece together what you think might be going on.

Well, off to get a bit more grading done this evening! I wouldn't have to if I'd done it earlier, so no reason to feel sorry for me. :)

Review: Valentine Princess by Meg Cabot & 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Cheering

After my disturbed reading from yesterday, I desperately needed something LIGHT and fun. Since I'm trying to get through the Princess Diaries Series, I picked up Valentine Princess by Meg Cabot, and let the fun ensue! Ironic enough, this book is about Valentine's Day, February 14th, and I'm posting on April 14th. Two months late, but a cute coinky-dink! ;)

Synopsis: Mia is now in love (well, teenage love...which we all loved, right?!?), but knows that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. The trouble is, her man (won't say his name so that I don't give him away) feels that Valentine's Day is a holiday created by the commercial industries of the globe to get us all to buy candy, flowers, cards, etc. This puts Mia all in a tither. Will he or won't he? If he forgets or opts out of Valentine's, does that mean he doesn't really "love" Mia?

Review: I found this short installment cute, funny, and LIGHT. In other words, exactly what I needed at the moment. This one isn't very long, and although the teenage angst can make me feel a little short of breath at times, I think Mia is cute and fun to read about.

One last thing before I post. There has been a lot of talk about the 24 Hour Read-A-Thon that Dewey started, and that is generously being continued. I can't participate this coming Saturday, April 18th (from 5 am Pacific Time on), but signed up to be a cheerleader. I know I'll be sad to read all the fun posts and tweets coming from the event, but I'm excited to cheer them on and to read their posts. In fact, I'm hoping I can take some time later in the evening to maybe read a book and post later that night. We'll see, but it sure sounds fun!

Review: Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot

I should have posted about this last night, but just couldn't stay awake! :) It's better to post once one is fully awake and coherent.

Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot is the fourth in the Princess Diaries series and picks up right where book three left off. Mia is in Genovia for Christmas break, and desperately missing her newly acquired love, Michael Moskovitz. Mia agonizes over Michael, day in and day out, in her diary, discussing how painful it is to be separated from him, how cruel her grandmother and the entire country of Genovia are for keeping her from him, and how distance and time must be making him less interested in her, right? Once Mia gets home, you'd think they'd be fine, right? Wrong. Grandmere has too many princess duties for Mia, and once again she is left agonizing over time not spent with Michael.

Another cute entry in the series. I actually really liked this one, although I felt that teenage anxiety of first love and possible loss creep over me as I felt all that Mia did. The waiting bit is definitely about her waiting to be with her new boyfriend, and not about the waiting to become a royal! :) Yet again, a cute book, and puts me one stop closer to reading Mia's book that she wrote. After all, that's my goal. To complete the series and then read the book Mia wrote. It's all taking me back, so it's been kind of fun!

My First ARC!!!

After a fairly nerve-wracking day (and no, for once it's not because of work), it was so exciting to return home to find a package with the "Meg Cabot" sticker I've heard about from other bloggers, sitting on my counter! Honestly, my heart gave a little jump, and I smiled because I knew I'd been chosen to review Meg Cabot's newest sequel to Airhead, Being Nikki. It's terribly exciting, and I need to get a move on. Unfortunately, after getting a bit of bad news about owing MEGA taxes this year, I've had a nasty headache brewing and think I'll be heading to bed early. More reading tomorrow! I really can't wait to dive in. :)

I did want to review a fantastic documentary I watched over the course of the last three days, "Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work." I caught the first episode of this five episode, BBC produced documentary about two months ago when I was flipping channels. Having a fascination with BBC productions, and of course with the Royals, I was instantly gripped by the film. Sadly, it was next to impossible to catch the real times it was being shown on PBS, so I checked the library and put it on hold. How silly though...no one else was even in the que to get this great piece!

Documenting the engagements kept by the Queen, the film follows the British monarch to a state visit to the U.S., showing to what extent everyone goes to in order to make her visit comfortable and monumental. It was interesting to watch the way the White House (actually not white, but "whisper") pulled out all the stops to put together a formal dinner, showing the presidential chinas being considered, and discussing George W. Bush's aversion to white tie events to begin with. You then follow this episode with other visits the queen makes, other dinners and presentations made at the palace in London, and even see her visit her famous home in Balmoral. It's all so fascinating! I don't know how she keeps to her schedule all the time, nor how she deals with talking & schmoozing with so many people all the time! The final episode actually shows her children, cousins, and grandchildren taking on royal duties as well, highlighting the seriousness with which they take their work, championing causes from around the UK.

If you're at all interested in Britain, or the royals, then I highly recommend this wonderfully fascinating documentary.

Wish I had some of the Queen's money about now...

Review: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot

Happy Sunday! I finally finished another book last night, and it gave me a little happy grin. Without pretense or hidden messages, Meg Cabot's third in the Princess Diaries series, Princess in Love was a sweet little, fun book that put me one stop further into the story of Princess Mia.

In book three, we find Mia in a relationship with Kenny, the boy who had sent her anonymous love-email in book two. While she muses on the idea of finally having a boyfriend, he's not the one she REALLY loves! The pressure to be a "normal" teenage girl who has a boyfriend who she can lock lips with from time to time has Mia all in a tither. You see, she really doesn't want to kiss Kenny, she wants to kiss Michael! As she tries to figure out how to break it to Kenny, that she doesn't want to be his girlfriend, and how to get Michael to see how much she likes him, she continues to prepare to head to Genovia for her Christmas address as the new princess. What stress!

Told in diary form, and in the language of a teenager, the third Princess Diaries' tale is a fun, rather quick jaunt through Mia's life. After teaching three "classics" in the last month and a half, the more light stuff I can get my hands on to keep me smiling (and not taking myself too seriously), the better!

Princess in the Spotlight...and NO...I'm Not The Princess!

I need to be heading to the gym, but if I can procrastinate moving my body in any way on a Saturday morning...then I will! :) I recently updated and bought the new BodyBugg. Don't let that fool you though. It's an electronic device that only tells me...once again...how bad I am at the weight loss game!!!


Okay, well I did finally finish Meg Cabot's second Princess Diaries novel Princess in the Spotlight. All of Cabot's stuff is light, fun, and easy to read, so I'm not sure why this took me so long to read?!? I'm actually trying to read all of the series so that I can read the book published by "Mia" called Ransom My Heart, in which all the proceeds are going to GreenPeace...so cool. Anyway, I have been trying to read through the series so that I get Mia's desire to write the book. Honestly, Meg Cabot is one of my favorite authors, so reading these should be a delight.

Well, in book two, Princess Mia is just learning the ropes of what it means to represent Genovia. She's madly in love with her best friend's brother, Michael, her mother is pregnant and marrying Mia's math teacher, and Mia's Grandmere is trying in every possible way to turn Mia and her life into princess-quality stuff. Overall, just a fun little read full of teenage angst that's been added to by finding out she's a princess.

Off to the gym now. My house is being inundated by "study group" people...so must leave. Good motivation for going to the gym! One week, and I'll be in Hawaii!!!

Book List...

DRUMROLL PLEASE...

I'm finally ready to post some book reviews, get feedback if you've read any of them, get suggestions for things you think I should be reading, or even let me know if you'd like me to give YOU suggestions. I will say, that my own choices in reading material doesn't mean that I haven't spent a lot of time exposing myself to lots of different things (just not horror!!!) so that I have things to recommend to my students. Having said that then, I'll just say that my summer has been filled with lots of selfish beach reads, since there are LOTS of beaches here (and I'll cry when I leave them...), and a lot of YA fiction to catch up on what I saw students reading. Let me also insert in here really quickly that I can honestly say that the newest trends in YA fiction for girls is a little underhanded at times. I'm really not one to ever ban or censor any of my students, but I now have a short list of "girl" books that make me sad and sick to my stomach. (I won't post those, but email me if you really want to know what series, authors, or publishers that I now think have little value. Reminder, I'm not a censor, and never will be one, but I know what I won't recommend to students, or anyone for that matter!)

Off to my reads!!! (Yay...my favorite subject...outside of my new love Richard Armitage!) :)

--Mass amounts of Meg Cabot: I really like any of her YA stuff, as she has an amazing sense of humor, and attacks issues and teen thinking I see every day. As for her writing for adults, I will say that it's not perfectly squeaky clean, so you have to pick and choose. Overall though, I'm a big fan of her stuff, and I have her newest teen fiction book Airhead ready to read on my flight home. She always makes me laugh, and her stories are fun to escape into.

--I also read three Sophie Kinsella novels this summer, purely for selfish, beach-reading fun! Mom actually picked up one and couldn't put it down. Kinsella is famously known for her "Shopaholic" Series, but she has also put out some stand alone novels such as The Undomestic Goddess. No, she's not Beehive Book, but her stuff also makes me laugh, and gives me a relaxing, good read to escape into.

--Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder. I felt like I wasn't exploring into genres that I'm not real big on. Basically, this novel is a fantasy novel based around a girl who has magical powers, but doesn't know it. Her kingdom has killed all people with magic, so as she begins to discover her powers, she has to hide it. Also, along the way she is hired as the king's food tester. She has to taste his food for poisons...and that's all I'm going to say. Did I like it? Yes and no. It was decent enough, but no Harry Potter! :)

--House of Many Gods by Kiana Davenport. I actually haven't finished this one, but it's really good. It's your basic ethnic novel based around the Hawaiians on the Southwestern side, over by Wainae. It's been interesting to read, and I'm thinking I need to email my Graduate Director, Greg, back as K-State to see if he's heard of it. It's not an easy read, nor is it a casual read, as it hits on cultural issues among native Hawaiians. If you like contemporary, ethnic reads, then you might like it. This one definitely has my attention, but it helps that it fits my environment!!!



Unfortunately, that's it on my summer reads. Let me remind you that my degree was in a pretty liberal field in English. It's pretty hard to offend me, so if you need a more specific suggestion or analysis, just let me know.

Sigh... Having said that, I guess I'm ready to gear up to head back tomorrow. :( I met with my trainer today for the last time, at least until I come back in December. She has been SO good to work with. From the beginning, she's been a teacher, and all about working with the health problems I've had that have messed up my metabolism and immune system. Anyway, my weight has stayed at around the same 4 pound loss I've had this entire month, but if you could see how baggy everything is on me, you'd know that I'd done some pretty serious work this summer! I went from gaining an inch on my biceps, to dropping three, and have dropped about an inch everywhere else. My lean body mass has increased, which is SO AWESOME!!! That's what you want to have, as it reduces your risk of diseases, injuries, etc., so I'm really happy about that shift in muscle mass, as HEALTH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Let me NEVER indicate anything else in this pursuit, if not that I just want to be healthy and happy. Honestly, I'd be most happy if my energy would skyrocket, but that's still in the basement somewhere. Overall though, I'm really pleased with the changes I've made, and for always being so persistent in being proactive about my health. Let me not kid anyone though, as I will ALWAYS love chocolate cake and bowls of pasta, and have no intention of giving them up! As with all things in life, our pursuit is to be balanced, and not do anything to an extreme. All I can say is, that I'm very happy with the hard work I put in this summer (did I mention AT LEAST 2 hours a day?!?) in the pursuit of health, habits, and happiness. Now let's bring on this fall, because I'm DETERMINED to keep up my three H's! :)