Top 15 Books of 2008

This year has been great! I've read so many good books (and a few that were not-s0-good), it was hard to choose 15. I think I've narrowed it down to my favorites that were published in 2008. They are in no particular order, since I've never been able to pick one favorite book.

1. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer*
2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare*
4. Paper Towns by John Green*
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*
6. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen*
7. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott*
8. Model by Cheryl Diamond
9. Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber*
10. Death By Latte by Linda Gerber*
11. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway*
12. Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen*
13. Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman*
14. Wake by Lisa McMann*
15. How To Build a House by Dana Reinhardt*

* indicates that there is a review.
Review Archives

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Audrey Cuttler was just a normal Southern California girl -- until she broke up with her musician boyfriend, Evan. After the break-up, Evan wrote a song entitled "Audrey, Wait!" with his band The Do Gooders. The song is good, and soon becomes so popular it's on the Billboard Top 100 list. Since Audrey is the subject of the song, she becomes famous. Everyone is asking her for her autograph and paparazzi stalk her like she's an A-list celebrity. Will Audrey's life ever return to normal?

I thought this book was so cute and the idea for it was very original. A lot of bands write songs about break-ups they had and it's interesting to see the point of view of the girl who the song was written about. And since everyone wants to know what it's like to be famous, they can read about Audrey and see her experiences. A lot of people will do anything to be famous, so the fact that Audrey hates it is a nice change from the norm. Actually, sometimes I thought she hated it a little too much. I could see how the paparazzi stalking you could get really annoying, but Audrey starts getting free stuff and still didn't like being famous! Anyway, I liked all the characters, especially Audrey's friend Victoria, who seemed like an interesting person and great friend. After Audrey's break-up with Evan (once again, it was weird reading a book about a guy who has the same name as my younger brother), a new love interest is introduced, James, who has liked Audrey for awhile. Audrey works with him, has never given him a second glance, but suddenly she's in love with him. I just thought it was weird that she would work with him, never talk to him, and then start liking him. But I guess it's because she was dating Evan. Oh well, I still thought it was kinda random. Even so, this is a good book for fans of music or anyone looking for a fun read.

7 out of 10.

Birthday Books!

Today is my birthday and I turned 17. Now I can see rated R movies and sing along to songs like "Dancing Queen" by Abba and "Seventeen Forever" by Metro Station. But I didn't come on here to tell everyone it's my b-day, I wanted to share with you the books I got today : ).

Breathe My Name by R. A. Nelson
Life should be sweet for Frances Robinson. She has a quirky best friend, lives in a McMansion with a loving, adopted family, and has just met a dreamy guy from Louisiana, Nix, who is as charming and exotic as an evening on the bayou.So why is she terrified of ambulances screaming in the night? And what makes her so uneasy about the coming of spring?Frances has a secret—the most terrifying secret in the world. A secret that has haunted her for eleven years: her birth mother, Afton Jelks.Afton is the mother who laughed, sang, and made up stories for Frances and her sisters Tan, Ninny, and Suddle when they lived in Fireless. A place that allowed their mother to lead them deeper and deeper into darkness, until one horrific morning Fireless overtook the real world, and Afton smothered her children one by one. Only Frances survived. Now that Afton is free from prison, Frances’ secret horror threatens to rip her happy world apart. She has one chance to win her life back: she decides to accept Afton’s twisted invitation to meet. She and Nix embark on a clandestine journey to confront the monster in its lair. This is a trip that will help Frances at last find peace . . . or die trying. But no matter what happens, Frances will discover just what it means to finish.


Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she's with him. In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby's mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group''s own members is the subject of the tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, this mission turns out to be much more than just a road trip....

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

What if... Your picture was taped inside lockers across America, your closets were bursting with designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status? It's a glamorous life, but Kaitlin Burke, co-star of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of her fame. So she decides to spend a few months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real-life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood...? Combining the vicarious star-studded glamour of the bestselling A-List series with the innocence of The Princess Diaries, this is an engrossing look behind the velvet curtains of stardom.

I'm so excited to start reading these books! In other news, The King's Rose finally came in the mail today so that was another plus. And the Twilight Saga Official Guide was released today, something I'm hoping to buy

Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan

Sarah can see people's secrets in an ordinary crystal paperweight. Too bad they still believe in witches in Pine Crest. And they don't like them at all. Sarah is about to relive a horrible ordeal that happened hundreds of years ago--unless she can undo a terrible wrong.

I usually write the summary myself, but I thought the summary on the back sounded so mysterious and spooky. Don't worry, though, I'll give my own summary, too:

Sarah has just (unwillingly) moved to Pine Crest, Missouri, with her lovesick mother who is following her new boyfriend. Never mind that Ted is still legally married, Sarah's mother has been swept off her feet by this overbearing and contemptuous man. Obviously, Sarah and her mother are not welcomed with open arms into this tight-knit, and extremely conservative, community. So Sarah agrees to read fortunes at a Halloween carnival to make some friends, and she begins to see things in crystal paperweight her mother gave her. Things that come true. When Sarah starts a fortune telling business with two kids from school, people start to believe she's a witch. And that could have deadly consequences in a town like Pine Crest.

If you like thrillers and supernatural type books, you definitely have to read Lois Duncan. Most people have never heard of her, but she wrote the book I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was later turned into a movie. (By the way, the book is a lot better. Just saying.) Her books are like Goosebumps for teens, but instead of vampires and mummies, she uses themes like reincarnation and immortality. So her books are really good. And Gallows Hill was no exception. It was so suspenseful, I didn't want to stop reading. The book was a lot like the Salem Witch Trials, where everyone started accusing people of being witches for riduculous reasons. But I don't want to give anything away, so you'll just have to read it to find out what happens.

8 out of 10.

The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees

Frankie Towers has always looked up to his older brother Steve. Steve is popular, great at soccer, and has even earned the respect of the local cholos. Frankie isn't as popular and spends his time setting off fireworks with Zach or trying to get the attention of his crush Rebecca. But when Frankie gets into a fight with John Dalton, the richest boy in school, things began to change. Steve takes him under his wing, and Rebecca agrees to go to Homecoming with him. Things are starting to look up, until Steve and Dalton get into another fight, and Frankie starts to think that Steve is taking the respect thing a little too far.

I really liked this book. I don't read many books where the protagonist is male, so this was a nice change. I enjoyed reading about the setting, which was a town in New Mexico because it's a lot different than where I live. Since I don't live in the Southwest, there really isn't any Mexican influences. There was a lot of references to Mexican culture, mainly regarding food, so that was really interesting. There was even some Spanish thrown in there, so I could test my language skills. As for characters, I liked Frankie a lot. He seemed like a good guy, trying to do the right thing. His brother, Steve, not so much. Steve put on this facade that he was popular and nice, but he did some nasty things. If anyone's ever read Tangerine by Edward Bloor (and if you haven't, go read it!), Steve is similar to Paul's older brother, Erik. But this time, Steve actually changes his ways for the better, unlike Erik. At some points the book got a little boring since there wasn't all that much going on plotwise, it was still a nice coming of age story with interesting characters.

7 out of 10.

What's Up With Barnes & Noble?

I got a giftcard to Barnes & Noble for Christmas and wanted to knock off some of the books on my To Read list, so today I headed to the bookstore. I need to buy The Elite by Jennifter Banash, because I got In Too Deep from Flamingnet and I can't read the sequel without reading the first book. So I went to the Teen section and I can't find the book. I looked around for some of the other books I want and can't find them either. I went to the customer service and had the employee look up The Elite.

"Sorry," she said, "We don't have it in stock, but we can order it for you."
How about The Violet Series by Melissa Walker? I ask.
"No, we don't have it, but we can order it for you."
Ok, do you have any books by Elizabeth Scott? I ask again, starting to get annoyed.
"Which ones are you looking for?" she asked.
Living Dead Girl and Stealing Heaven, I answer.
"We only have Perfect You and Bloom in stock."
I already read those. Ok, thanks for your time.

I'm still completely amazed by the fact that Barnes & Noble didn't have any of the books I wanted. What is the world coming to?

Nicola and the Viscount by Meg Cabot

Nicola Sparks, sixteen and an orphan, has just finished up her schooling and is ready to begin her London season. Residing with the Bartholomew's, she's hoping to catch the eye of the "god" Lord Sebastian Bartholomew, complete with good looks and a love of poetry. Although, it would be nice if her best friend's brother Nathaniel Sheridan would mind his own business and stop spreading rumors about Sebastian. But when Nicola finds out that Nathaniel's insinuations are true, she realizes she might have had the wrong viscount all along.

This book was so cute. I've never read a historical romance by Meg Cabot but she did a great job. Everything seemed well-researched and well-written, as always. Now that I've read a lot of Meg Cabot's work, I'm starting to see some recurring themes. The protagonist always falls in love, it seems, with her best friend's older brother. And she always denies that fact until the end of the book. I remember this happening in The Princess Diaries. But besides that, I thought the romance was nice and there was even a bit of action at the end that I was not expecting.

7 out of 10.