Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Published by: Recorded Books
Released Date: March 1st, 1996
Rating: 7/10

 Alice

COULD BE ANYONE.

Alice

COULD BE SOMEONE YOU KNOW.

Alice

USES DRUGS.

With over a million copies in print, Go Ask Alice has become a classic of our time. This powerful real-life diary of a teenager's struggle with the seductive — often fatal — world of drugs and addiction tells the truth about drugs in strong and authentic voice. Tough and uncompromising, honest and disturbing — and even more poignant today — Go Ask Alice is page-turning and provocative reading.                                                                                                                          


I read this book because it's considered a classic, and was both outraged and horrified to find out that, despite the editor's note at the beginning, it's NOT the true story of a real girl. It was written by an adult psychologist with an agenda. 

I don't support drug use so I understand the author's motivation. However, that doesn't excuse passing off an ulterior motive as the truth. Whatever a reader's opinions on the subject, I firmly believe they deserve to know the truth - there's a reason this book is shelved in FICTION. 

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

                               Book: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry  


"Take pride in your pain. You are stronger than those who have none."  Chapter 3, p. 22

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
 Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
 It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot. 
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.


I was really excited about this novel and had very high expectations for which it lived up to magnificently. Lauren has a way of captivating you with her words


The characters were well developed and you could really relate to their longing. They both wanted each other, but they couldn't admit it to each other.. I was crying at times because it was just hard to imagine being in their position..

Courtney and Jordan were meant to be, fated for each other.. but everything was keeping them apart.. until they reach out for each other and start over.. facing their lives. One step at a time.

A good read. Nothing AMAZING, but still quite enjoyable

In My Mailbox #1

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at the The Story Siren.

       


Book I got In My Mailbox: 


Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Revealer's by Amanda Marrone
Candy by Kevin Brooks
As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan 
Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Love, Love, Love. by Deborah Reber

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Published by: St. Martins Press
Release Date: March 15th. 1998
Rating: 7/10
An enchanting novel for older children by the author of 101 Dalmations.
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Over six turbulent months, Cassandra tries to hone her writing skills, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries which chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle''s walls, and her own first descent into love.

A BBC production is planned, to be directed by Tim Fyell of Madame Bovary fame, with Mike Newell as executive producer




The Mortmain family is an odd family unit living in an odd residence. The family exists of sisters Rose and Cassandra, their brother Thomas, their father, their step-mother Topaz, and their orphaned helping hand Stephen. The family lives in an old dilapidated castle and their money is running out as they wait for their father to return to his writing glory and follow up his first successful book with another.

When brothers Simon and Neil Cottom get stuck in the Mortmain drive, their world starts to change. They just inherited land from England even though they had been living in America for a while. Rose determines that she is going to make one of the brothers fall in love with her so that she no longer has to live in poverty. Cassandra finds herself being left at home more and more as her family goes on trips to London with the Cottons, which gets Cassandra thinking about whether she agrees with Rose's selfishness. As she writes in her journal, she tries to find a way to help her father get back into writing.

The book is told through Cassandra's journal entries. She believes that she may be able to become a writer some day so she has some pretty lengthy descriptions of things that are not essential to moving the story along. I found myself skimming through these parts because I wanted to get on with the story. Rose's selfishness also made me increasingly frustrated with her as I got further and further through the book. Maybe that was the point though?

For a BBC Top 100 book I expected more from this book. There was a twist at the end but I felt it kind of fizzled out and wasn't worth the journey.

The Amanda Project by Amanda Valentino and Melissa Kantor

Published by: HarperTeen

Release Date: September 22nd, 2009

Rating: 9/10

Mysterious, charismatic, and one of a kind—the only way to find Amanda is to think like Amanda.

When enigmatic freshman Amanda Valentino arrived at Endeavor High, she chose three people—Callie, Hal, and Nia—to guide her through the choppy waters of her new school. Except she didn't tell them about each other. When Amanda leaves, the three must reluctantly work together to figure out why. But once they start piecing together the cryptic clues that Amanda herself is leaving for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew about her is false. The more they dig, the mystery of where—and who—Amanda is deepens.

The freak, the hot artist and the cute popular girl all are called into the Vice Principal's office. There has been a prank, the evidence points to them and their mutal friend, Amanda. But Amanda is missing and the three decide to work together to find out where Amanda is. As they dig and uncover more about their friend, they realize Amanda was nothing that she said, and more than they ever imagined.


This book was awesome! I am a big fan of mysteries so when I read the back I knew it was something I would like. I figured out that Callie`s mom`s disappearance and Amanda`s are somehow connected. I also think that Heidi`s mom knows that Callie is telling the truth and that`s she is saying Callie is lying. I loved how Callie`s dad changes and becomes more responsible. I also liked how Callie chose true friends over popularity. It was very thoughtful and nice. I really want to read the next book so I can find out what happens. Definitely something everyone should read.