The Clique by Lisi Harrison

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.    

Today's novel is The Clique by Lisi Harrison.

This book is definitely MG, and a total surprise for me. I was sitting in a junior high English class with nothing to do because I'd already finished my other book. So I went to the teacher's book shelf and chose a short one that I thought I could finish in the time left.

I don't know what I expected, but this short novel about 12-year-old girls trying to fit in with each other was refreshingly fun. Claire, a typical middle class girl, moves into a posh neighborhood where the other girls her age carry around credit cards and spend $600 on a dress. Yikes!

Thus begins a very severe battle to fit in. Claire wants to fit in, just like most girls, so I think teenage girls will be able to connect with the characters quite well. At least Claire. The other characters are so out of my league that I could hardly fathom their lives, though for this reason it was quite interesting when the book got behind their eyes and into their POV.

There were a few moments where I thought Claire switched her personality too drastically, but overall she remained true to herself. A very hard position to be in. There are several books in this series, apparently. They are quick reads and I would enjoy picking them up and reading them. I wouldn't buy these for myself, but a preteen girl would enjoy them a lot.

I'd give this book a C+.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

LA Candy by Lauren Conrad

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.   

Today's book is LA Candy by Lauren Conrad.

This book had a lot of potential. The subject matter is extremely interesting; it's a novel based on Conrad's actual experiences moving out to LA and getting involved in a reality show. Since most of us have no behind-the-scenes experience with reality shows, this is fascinating. I really wanted to into this aspect of the book.

But there were a few problems that kept me from really getting into it. The main characters Scarlett and Jane, were very disagreeable. Not so much Jane in the beginning, though she did come across as kind of mousy. I just don't much like people with no backbone. I didn't find anything likable about Scarlett except her loyalty to Jane.

Jane, however, turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. I suppose it's typical that one moves to LA (or some other place) where everyone has a different moral standard than your own, so you decide to try it out. But I can't relate to people who switch moral codes just because everyone else is doing something it. Do we only act/believe a certain way because those around us do? I hope there is more substance to us than that.

Also, I thought the writing felt very amateur-ish. Just because someone was on a reality show doesn't make them qualified to write a novel. The POVs switched a lot more than necessary, IMHO.

Overall, the book was interesting but not great. I'd give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library.  

Today's book is Liar by Justine Larbalestier.

I really wanted to like this book. I read another book of hers, How to Ditch Your Fairy, and thought it was cute and humorous. This one, Liar, looked like it would be more thriller, suspense, with a lot of anxiety.

The MC, Micah, is a chronic liar, so you know right off that everything you're reading is subject to the unreliable narrator. But instead of being a book where you could infer things and figure it out, it went from being a thriller to being bizarre.

Without giving away any spoilers, there's a point where Micah announces something paranormal and supernatural as if it were a fact. From that moment on, the book lost all meaning to me. It was like listening to someone tell me their dream. Uh-huh, uh-huh, cool. Just a dream. A little weird, but nothing to be remembered.

 One time in an English class we had to read "The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story about a demented woman, only in the beginning she doesn't know she is. As a reader, you believe her until her dementia begins to be apparent. When the story ends, it's fascinating to analyze because you can see how the 'facts' she told the reader were delusions in her mind. It makes sense.

Which is more than I can say for this book. I finished it and felt like I'd wasted my time. I had no idea what happened. No idea what was real and what wasn't, and not in a good way. It didn't leave me thinking and pondering, it left me frustrated for reading it when I could've been reading something else.

My opinion: skip it. I give this book a D.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Disclaimer: I get all my books from the library. 


Today's book is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garci and Margaret Stohl.

I really wanted to like this book. It's got all the makings for a great book: Nice and thick, romance, paranormal, historical fiction.

Yet it fell short for me. The story is told from the POV of a boy. It felt like the authors were really trying to be masculine, but somehow he came across as a little too femmy for me. A little too compassionate, anxious, open with his feelings. Kind of like the way girls want boys to be.

Lena, on the other hand, felt like an enigma. She didn't show her feelings. She seemed empty and vague, and other than her looks, I'm not really sure what it was that made him like her. She wasn't very likeable. So I had a hard time believing in the romance.

And then the book dragged on and on and on. The beginning was exciting, and the ending was tense. Almost everything in the middle just felt like a useless scavenger hunt, killing time until we could finally get to the conclusion. I wanted to get to the ending, so I finally started skipping. Not a good sign.

Don't take my word for it, though. Find out for yourself. I give this book a C.

A = Buy this book NOW
B = Buy this when you can
C = Check it out from the library
D = Don't bother reading it
F = Burn it