Review: Ugly to Start With

Title: Ugly to Start With Author: John Michael Cummings
Pages: 168 Genre: Young-Adult
Subgenre: Historical Fiction
The life of Jason Stevens is told through 13 short stories that can be read all together as a novel or each one by themselves and still get a good story, either way. Jason lives in the small, historic town of Harper's Ferry in West Virginia during the 1970's when life was determined by one's wealth, skin color, and town gossip. Each story shows a different moment in Jason's life when something , even if it's just something little, changes about him or his life. Jason wants to be an artist, but surviving your teen years in Harper's Ferry, especially when your father is the most-hated, racist, stubborn man in the whole region, is none too easy.
Ugly to Start With is real, raw and smart. The unique short story format focuses on Jason's change, rather than a set plot and plays to its own advantage, giving the already interesting story an edge. Every one of the stories brought me a little bit more of Jason and a little bit more of the dynamic and old-fashioned Harper's Ferry. At times it made me laugh as Jason would describe the strange traditions of Harper's Ferry. Other times it would bring me to the brink of tears or send a wave of pity through me. The whole time I was amazed (and maybe even a little shocked) at how deep the author went into and how real the whole community of Harper's Ferry seemed. I could just imagine these characters gossiping in their kitchens or barely making a living. It just seems impossible to not feel like these characters are something more than just people in a good story. The characters were definitely what made this book so good. Ugly to Start With navigated through risky topics, but did so very well using a great cast of characters.

Cover:I love this cover. The whole packaging of the book is gorgeous, to be honest! This cover could not be more perfect for Ugly to Start With.

Level of Romance: Medium? A little? I'm not really sure how to categorize this one because it really depends on which story is read. Jason is trying to find himself and I guess one could say it takes some romantic experiences to get there.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Warning: This book contains some mature themes that, in my opinion, require a mature reader. Recommended for ages 15+

Review: All That Matters by Youseph Tanha

“Ethan Wright is just like any other high school kid that is one day lucky enough to meet the girl of his dreams. Throughout the course of high school the young couple learn to cope with incredibly difficult odds to discover all that matters.’All That Matters’ is a novella about love and life and all that the heart can endure. With memorable characters and a deep story you will find it difficult to put this book down.”
(Source: http://www.YousephTanha.com/ )
Raw, real, and a little gritty this book shows a true struggle in life.
Really describes what going into high school is like in a small town. I loved it. Ethan is a teen boy that falls for a pretty girl in his tech class. I loved Ethan. He is such a sweet guy and endures a lot for Amanda, the girl of his dreams. Despite the fact that the book covers the heavy topic of cancer, the book isn’t really depressing. If anything, it is inspiring and hopeful showing how much a relationship can be stretched. It's a great love story told from the boy's point of view. I haven’t read a book that is so honest about what a high school student experiences in a long time. “All that Matters” shows Ethan, a normal high school guy, go through the normal high school events, like first love and finding true passion. In a word, I would call this book “real”. I loved this book, from the characters to the storyline to the setting in a small town.
Pages: 98
Chapters:16
Level of Romance: The story kinda revolves around Ethan’s love for Amanda. There is some sexual content.
Rating: Favorite!
 Buy this book here: Amazon

Review: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Georgia Nicolson is a fourteen year old, British girl who's family is unwilling to recognize that she is on the brink of womanhood -- or at least, that's how she sees it. She's experiencing the transition into adulthood in all it's awkward glory with bras and pimples and insecurities. She chronicles all her escapades in her diary ( she makes entries a lot -- sometimes every five minutes!) and that is what this book is: Georgia's diary. Readers hear about her cat, Angus who is half domestic tabby, half Scottish wildcat, and all around crazy; her attempts to make her appearance perfect with cosmetics and other drastic means; and all her boy-stalking, boy-trapping, or generally boy-crazed moments. Covering the course of twelve months, readers will take on one wild year with Georgia Nicolson.
   While at times I found Georgia hilarious, most of the time she seemed superficial and down-right offensive. For instance she makes several references to having to become a lesbian because she is so ugly and can't get a boyfriend. Who ever made the rule that lesbians have to be ugly and only turn to liking girls when they can't get a guy? So when Georgia isn't insulting the gay community, she's hinting at suicide. If things don't go her way or if something absolutely riveting isn't occurring in her life, she says things like, "there is no reason to live", and " I might as well kill myself". Such comments are not funny and are simply over dramatic. They are positively silly to say, considering she is a privileged teen girl from a relatively well-off family. But I will agree that she did have her witty and genuinely funny moments that managed to entice a laugh of of me. The plot moved along nicely. The conflicts seemed real ( and life shattering) to Georgia. My edition was great and had a glossary of British words and phrases so American readers, like myself, could understand Georgia a little better. Honestly, half the time I don't even think Georgia could understand herself. Overall, it is a quick read that s relatively light. Best for when you are feeling a little silly.
Level of Romance: Kissing is talked about and done quite a bit( an estimated 75% of total content). And Georgia is chasing a boy (or maybe just the concept of a boyfriend).
Rating: Okay

ISBN: 0064472272
Edition: Paperback with glossary of British phrases
Source: Public Library
Genre: Young Adult/ Teen
Sub-genre: Realistic/Contemporary/ Chick Lit
Pages: 234         Chapters: 12 chapters labeled as months
 Publication Date: June 1st 1999
Publisher: HarperTempest (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Series: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Book One

Review:Godless by Pete Hautman

ISBN:1416908161
Edition: Paperback with Reading Group Guide
Source: Purchased from local bookstore @ $8.99 US
Pages: 198
Chapters: 31
Genre: Young Adult
Sub-Genre: Realistic/Contemporary
Release/Publication date:October 25th 2005
Publisher:Simon and Schuster for Young Readers
Series: N/A
After gettign beat up by the town bully, Jason Bock has a "religious experience". While lying on the ground recovering from getting punched hard in the face, he looks up to see the town's water tower, illuminated by the sun in a heavenly way. That gets him thinking "water is life" and Jason invents a new religion worshipping the water tower. He calls it the "Church if the Ten-legged God" (because the tower has ten legs) and it's followers are called "Chutengodians". Jason gathers a strange band of worshippers for the religion: there's his best friend, Shin who is a snail farming, overall nerdy guy; the attractive Magda Price whom Jason has a crush on; the violent, unpredictable bully named Henry Stagg (yup the same one who beat up Jason at the beginning of the book); and Daniel, the local pastor's son. As each member struggles to leave their mark on the religion, Jason realizes that it's a lot harder to control a religion than it looks. But he has to gain the reins fast before the first Chutengodian ceremony high atop the water tower goes horribly awry.
I loved every page of this book. The characters were all so vivid and unique but still meshed together naturally. The writing style is laid back and witty. Jason is the narrator and he is usually sarcastic and sometimes humorously awkward with people. This book shows the ways a religion can affect people in different ways and on a smaller scale how religions are changed by its followers. Shin gets an obsession while Jason struggles to keep the religion pure and as what he envisioned. Also it represents the hard times and ridicule a new religion goes through. I think Godless is an allegory of the struggles in the history of actual religions disguised as an amusing story. That said, I like (love really) that Jason feels like a teenager in voice and in actions. Being a teen I know that we are stubborn, especially whe it comes to adults tryign to change our minds. I feel that aspect in Jason instead of the usual teen-suddenly-becomes-reasonable-after-life changing-experience-crap. Huzzah for stubborn teenagers!
Level of Romance: None really
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:3 Willows by Ann Brashares

ISBN:0385736762
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Public Library
Pages: 318      Chapters: 26
Genre:Young Adult Sub-Genre:Realistic/Contemporary
Release/Publication Date:January 13th 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Series:N/A
 Ama is a brainiac shipped off to an outdoorsy camp, even though she only wants to be reasearching in an air-conditioned library. Jo is staying in her parents beach house for the summer with a job at a local restauant. She wasn't expecting har parents surprise, nor was she counting on meeting the super-cute boy. Polly is trying not to miss her friends this summer. Her solution: aim for the glamourous life and never look back...but is she cut out for it?
     Honestly, I underestimated this book. I truly believed that this would be a crappy replica of the Sister fo the Traveling Pants. I won't lie. I'm happy to say I was very wrong. While the beginning was a little slow, it didn't take long for the pace to pick up. Just like the first sisterhood, the friends spend the summer away from each other, but unlike the first sisterhood it isn't really their first time apart. I find it fascinating that there are references to the first sisterhood, but at times it feels like too much effort was put in to make the new sisterhood seem different from the traveling pants girls. Readers don't need previous knowledge of the traveling pants and its sisterhood to follow the story. I'm surprised that such a relatively short story can cover heavier topics like divorce, body image, accepting what you can't control and so many more without seeming jam-packed and stuffed in an awkward, walking advertisement kind of way. This will sound a bit cliche, but this book was the first on this type to actually engage me until the end. I actually wasn't expecting it from this book. But the characters, their issues and their friendship all felt so real to me. It all reminded me of my own friendships.
I was sincerely impressed by this book and think with Ann Brashares other larger-than-life series( The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) casting a giant shadow over this one, it's not getting enough attention. I'd recommend it again and again.
Level of Romance: In a shallow kind of first love way, I'd say a solid almost one third of the book has it.
Rating: 5 out of 5

Video Review: Ella Mental and the Good Sense Guide by Amber Deckers

This is what happens when my mother makes me clean...
I hope you enjoyed this. Here are the stats on this book:
    Pages: 231
    Chapters: 21
   Edition featured in Video: Mass Market Paperback
  Rating: 4 out of 5

Can't Get There from Here by Todd Strasser

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


198 pages, young adult, 30 chapters



Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Her street name is Maybe. She lives with a tribe of homeless teens — runaways and throwaways, kids who have no place to go other than the cold city streets, and no family except for one another. Abused, abandoned, and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger, and constant danger.



With the frigid winds of January comes a new girl: Tears, a twelve-year-old whose mother doesn't believe Tears's stepfather abuses her. As the other kids start to disappear — victims of violence, addiction, and exposure — Maybe tries to help Tears get off the streets...if it's not already too late."



As you read about the woes of Maybe and all the members of her street family, it's hard not to appreciate what you have. She goes from sleeping in doorways, to squatting in construction sites, to sleeping under a bridge, knowing she won't have a bed to rest in. When her family slowly starts to dwindle, you can feel the hopelessness of her situation. A really great and quick read that might put the dangers of NYC into perspective.

Level of Romance :None, the characters are much too busy trying to survive until tomorrow.

Rating: 5 out of 5







View all my reviews

Five Mini Reviews for your Reading Pleasure

So, instead of giving excuses for my nearly month-long absence, I'll just jump right in and say, "I'm Back!" While I may have been a little MIA, I did read, so here are the reviews that I owe you, compressed into one post. Enjoy!

   

Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass

Young Adult, 251 pages

When she gets into a dodge ball accident in P.E., 16 tear old Tessa finds herself in a coma-induced "heaven" that looks exactly like the mall her parents work at. She receives a bag of items that she'd bought at that mall, all of which relate to a memory. These memories will help her answer the question she's been asking herself.

   Overall, a quick, fun read written in a quirky free verse. Tessa is a sassy character that all readers will identify with. Filled mostly with memories of Tessa's past, the pages fly by.

Level of Romance: None, Tessa is too busy flipping through her memories and stuck in a coma, sooo...

Rating: 5 out of 5

 The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Young Adult, 192 pages

Colt and Julia were secretly together for a year. Then Julia dies, and Colt is forced to internally mourn because to the public, he didn't even know the girl he loved. He is haunted by her memory and things only get worse when her diary falls into his hands. He has to  choose between bringing himself to read the diary, reopening the wounds he'd been healing; and living without the answers that the journal could hold. Julia meant so much to him, but is it time to move on?

 Another quick read, and despite the fact that it sounds like another book revolving around a high school relationship, it's not. It's more about Colt's reaction to Julia, her absence, and knowing the rest of his life will be without Julia. But it's so much more than that. There is an element of social prejudices between the wealthy and the "poor". Most of all, it's about moving on and admitting you have to do so.

   Level of Romance: Little, Colt is trying to mend; it's more about the effects of a relationship on a person and society.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Faking 19 by Alyson Noel

Young Adult , 210 pages

Alex is a senior in high school with a daddy complex. Her best friend M suggests that they go to L.A. for the weekend to escape the boring Orange County suburbia they are normally stuck in. Partying in Los Angeles means older guys with money and glamorous jobs...plus dangerous things like drugs, drinking, and sex. Alex and M begin relationships with some boys of the less wild type, but Alex will learn not everyone is what they seem.

A good read, but often the narrator, Alex,  talks to the reader and awkwardly breaks up the flow of the story. Surprisingly filled with life lessons and not as shallow, or even as prime-time-drama-show-ish as the synopsis printed on the back will make it seem.

Level of Romance: It's about relationships, so...I'm gonna go with a lot.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Crackback by John Coy

Young Adult, 201 pages

Miles Manning isn't the best anything. He's got zits, his grades could use some help and girls rarely look his way. The one thing going for him is football. He's a starting player on the school team, but it's not enough. His father is still pushing him to do better and pretty much driving his life. His best friend is trying to shoot him up with steroids, saying it'll make him a better player. Is it worth it?Mile will have to decide what he's willing to do to be the best. 

Not as dull as I thought it would be. It puts football in layman's terms for those who aren't exactly fans of the sport. It's not just about football, either. It's about being yourself and taking control of your life; about defining yourself. Miles has a believable teen voice and he's a great character. At times the plot seems to be stuck in the early nineties because of the mannerisms of the characters but it doesn't hinder the story. 

Level of Romance: Miles does fraternize with a girl, but it's nothing overly romantic. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 

 Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Young Adult, 208 pages

Lacey is all set to start her summer job at the public library, while her mother is about to start her own job at the local grocery store. The thirteen-year-old Lacey hopes that her mother's problems have settled because she seems so much better and without this job, they're flat broke. But as the day grows old, all the memories come back, telling the story of how this plan obviously couldn't work and how it quickly got out of hand.

With a slow start, I was almost going to give up on this. But about a third of the way in, a true conflict and some answers are presented to the reader and the plot takes off, gluing you to the pages. Mental illness and some other heavy subjects are featured in this book, so don't expect a frivolous tale of a girl. Definitely worth the read and the drudging through the first part.

Level of Romance: Lacey's got enough problems, she can't handle a guy too.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I hope you enjoyed these short and simple reviews and expect a new full length one soon. Happy Reading!!!

Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

                                                                                                                                              Lia and Cassie are best friends competing to be the thinnest. Then Cassie loses, not just the game, but her life and Lia is left with a haunting memory of her friend and a guilt that she can't get over. Lia struggles on a painful journey of recovery and the loss. Told in first person point of view, this sometimes graphic young adult novel has 278 pages. The main focus of the novel is Lia's eating disorder. Alright, it's basically the only conflict other than Cassie's death, but they're actually related so...no subplots, just all Lia's problems all the time. Which wasn't a bad thing...until her problems got boring. I liked her hallucinations though. her constant visions of Cassie were interesting and it'll leave you wondering if this is a ghost novel or is Lia just crazy. My favorite characters are Elijah, a strange hippie-esque guy Lia meets, and Cassie's ghost. They are both sarcastic and call for funny, sometimes lighter moments in such a dark and painful novel. I had to force myself to drudge through this when I reached the halfway mark and still nothing moving had actually occured. Not only that, but it took me a long time to get into the book because of the strange way Lia thinks and the lack of expostion until much farther in. Despite all that, the ending came through with a quick series of events that definitely put the novel back on track for me. The actual last chapter, which is something like an epilogue didn't jive with me, but I suppose it was necessary.  The language was lyrical and beautiful, something I enjoyed, although it did bring the reader out of the story and makes it a little hard to get back to focusing, but still, a plus point for the novel and the strike-out text helped to show the way Lia's brain works. For example there will be a sentence like this:

                       I am so hungry

followed by a sentence like this:

                   I don't need a muffin

     Wintergirls discusses the issue that is so common now; eating disorders. A scary problem, after reading this you'll want to eat and spill your feeling all over the floor. It's painful to read and the emotions are there, but a reader can be easily distracted or frustrated by the format and sometimes dull situation of it all. Worth the read if you dig on drowning in the problems of others.

Level of Romance: Lia doesn't have time for romance with the ghost of her best friend haunting her, too many family problems to count on her fingers and toes, and an eating disorder that's slowly killing her.  

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

   Liz is Photogirl; able to sum up everyone in a nickname and knows that what she sees through her camera lens is truth. She loses her best friend, Kate, after Kate accuses Liz's older brother, Mike, of a crime. Liz can't see the big picture anymore like the old Photogirl, the one who was "foreverbest" with the Mistress of Modern Dance(Kate) used to. Told in free verse, the hardcover edition of this 2011 young adult  debut has 288 pages.
    I went through stages in my liking of this book. I was excited to read it, went into reading it with a lot of hope. But when I, as an attentive reader, was able to figure out the secret some 50 pages before Liz, the narrator was able to, I began to grumble and the hope of a good verse novel died. As I drudged through, I grew to love it again. The characters and events felt so real; the emotions searing. Liz's journey from having a great life to having nothing and her reaction and coping with that was amazing, flawless even. There was family tension, character growth, and a great resolution. unlike some verse novels, the events are chronologically ordered and make sense, with a minimal of random side stories from the past and the such. Once you get over the whole secret thing, the novel actually becomes quite gripping.
   Level of Romance: None; it's mostly about the family tension and Liz's burdens of the situation as well as how she deals with it.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
"Meet Jenna Boller, star employee at Gladstone s Shoe Store in Chicago. Standing a gawky 5'11'' at 16 years old, Jenna is the kind of girl most likely to stand out in the crowd - for all the wrong reasons. But that doesn t stop Madeline Gladstone, the president of Gladstone's Shoes 176 outlets in 37 states, from hiring Jenna to drive her cross country in a last ditch effort to stop Elden Gladstone from taking over his mother's company and turning a quality business into a shop-and-schlock empire. Now Jenna Boller shoe salesperson is about to become a shoe-store spy as she joins her crusty old employer for an eye-opening adventure that will teach them both the rules of the road - and the rules of life. "

Review: Orchards by Holly Thompson

Release Date: February 22nd, 2011
     Kana is sent to live in Japan for the summer with her family there after one of her classmates, Ruth, commits suicide. During the school year, her and her "cliquey friends" had said some careless things about Ruth. Her parents hope this trip will force Kana to reflect on her behavior as she labors for hours in the hot, Japanese sun, tending to her family's mikan orange groves. With her half-Japanese, half-Jewish American heritage , Kana learns how hard it is to fit in as she is criticized by her extremely traditional grandmother, who never approved of Kana's American father. Kana begins to really understand and process the damage she and her friends have done, registering the pain and guilt for what it is. When more bad news reaches her, Kana wonders how can she mend herself and those around her. Told in an easy-flowing verse with a first person narrative and accompanied by cute illustrations, Orchards is sure to open every one's eyes to what a few thoughtless words can do.

Review: Loser Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Cammy Hall has always been a loser. With her only friend, Gerdi, the Danish foreign exchange student by her side her goal is to get through Junior year without doing something drastically embarrassing. At Homecoming when she flashes her Christmas print "granny panties" she fails to complete this mission. Days after the incident she gets a mysterious and anonymous text  with instructions on how to get revenge. After ripping down the most popular girl in school, with the planning from the texter, Cammy begins to rise up the high school social food chain. But how long can Cammy's popularity last with only the support of lies and secrets?