well...

I am a college sophomore, as of Monday.

I haven't even been back to school for even a full week, and I am already exhausted. I think life is about to be quite busy for me. I have three classes, all of which have very high amounts of dry reading. And I am still working a few days a week, and as soon as I get my clearance, I will be back to my elementary school as a volunteer. (Get this: I need 40 hours of volunteer work in the classroom BEFORE I can take ONE class. Nuts!)

So, this means, basically, my only reading time is before bed, or on my break before biology, if I'm not doing history work. Therefore, I am pretty sure I will not be making my goal of reading 100 books this year. Maybe 2010!

Grist

Grist: A Novel
by Heather Waldorf

This summer will be Charlena's first away from home, away from Mike, her father. He invited her to go with him and his girlfriend to Toronto, but she would rather not be the third wheel, let along spend time with Barb. She is going to Lake Ringrose to spend her summer with Grams.

Grams warns Charlie to stay away from Kerry...she can befriend him, but nothing more. Charlie doesn't understand why, but she finds herself falling for him, and he is falling for her too. But then she learns something. Something terrible, and something that makes their relationship more than complicated.

Grade: B

I'm not sure where to begin. So, I will say that I love the creepy looking cover. But, I have NO idea what "grist" means. I've looked it up, but the definitions don't match the way it is used in the book. That is quite frustrating. I think the best part of this novel was the part where Kerry's secret was revealed. I didn't see it coming, and I was freaking out about it! I was really rooting for the relationship between Kerry and Charlie, but after that secret, I was as confused as Charlie. I liked her character a lot, because she was sarcastic, and we talked the same way. I haven't heard anything about this author, or if she has any other novels. I enjoyed this one, but I think it is a one-time read.

The Lost Summer

The Lost Summer
by Kathryn Williams

Helena Waite is finally a counselor at Southpoint, a summer camp for girls. She's been going to camp for years, and it is all she looks forward to. The bad part is, Katie Bell, her best friend, missed the counselor age requirement by a few months, and is therefore is stuck as a camper for another year.

Katie Bell and Helena swear camp will be the same. But Helena thinks it will be different. And it is. Helena leaves Katie Bell behind for her counselor friends, and Ransome, her long time crush that has become a reality.

Grade: B

As I've mentioned before, I love camp, therefore, camp books are a must read for me. And look at that cover. I love it. It reminds me of one of the camps I attend, because of the lake. I was a little disappointed in the read. The ending was a complete surprise that I didn't see coming, which is always a good thing. A lot of the time I found myself quite annoyed with Helena, what with her treating her best friend the way she did. With me knowing so much about camp, it made me curious, because most of the time it seemed as though there was nobody watching the children. I really thought this book was going to be different. It was quite average.

Ashley's ABC's

I was tagged by The Ladybug Reads...


Available or single? Neither. I am currently in a relationship. :]

Best Friend? I have two. Krysten and Rachel.

Cake or Pie? I'm thinkin' cake. I loooove frosting, which is probably bad.

Drink of choice? Water or milk.

Essential item for every day use? It's not really an "item", but oxygen is pretty darn essential.

Favorite color? TURQUOISE!

Google? I use it daily.

Hometown? Tacoma. Same house my whole life.

Indulgences? Do I need to answer this? Books.

January or February? Um. That's tough. I'll go with February.

Kids and their names? No kids.

Life is incomplete without…? Love. :)

Marriage date? I'm not thinking about marriage. I'm only 19!

Number of siblings? Two: one of each.

Oranges or apples? Apples all the way.

Phobias and fears? Death.

Quote for the day? I don't really have one. :/

Reason to smile? I'm happy. That is reason enough. :)

Season? Summer!

Tag 3 people: I'm not going to. There's too many people to choose from!

Unknown fact about me? I was on the bowling team in high school. We won state 3 years in a row.

Vegetable you hate? Pretty much all of them. haha

Worst habit? Well, I used to bite my nails. But now I pick/bite the skin around my nails. I dunno why, but I hate that I do it!

X-rays you’ve had? Arm, fingers (hand, I guess), and teeth.

Your fave food? Pizza, spaghetti, or nachos!

Zodiac sign? Aries.

Winners!

I was a little disappointed in the turn out of the contest, but maybe no one liked the books up for grabs. Next time will be something good, I hope. :)

The winner of Meet Me at the Boardwalk is:
Jordan!

The winnter of It's All About Us is:
Alexa!

The winnter of Shrinking Violet is:
Lilibeth!

The winner of What Would Emma Do? is:
Paradox!

I have emailed you all, so get back to me and in a few days I will end up at the post office to get the books sent out!

And as for reviews, I am reading as much as I can in my free time. I'm back in my groove, so there should be more reviews!

Wintergirls

Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson

from cover flap:
Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way--thin, thinner, thinnest--maybe she'll disappear altogether.

Grade: A+

First off, I think the cover is amazing. Secondly, this is probably one of the most disturbing books I have ever read.

Spiders hatch and crawl out of my belly button, hariy little tar beads with ballerina feet. They swarm, spinning a silk veil, one hundred thousand spider thoughts woven together until they wrap me up in a cozy shroud...Page 43

I mean, that is weird. But it is written sooo well. It almost made me feel like I was her, counting calories, etc. I can't imagine being as sick as that.I hate to admit it, but I was really interested in reading this book because...I have my own background in anorexia. Overall, another amazing novel that deals with the hardship of anorexia and cutting.

**REMEMBER TO ENTER MY CONTEST! IT ENDS ON SATURDAY!**