Saturday, April 30, 2011

U + Me = Us (Calculus)-2Gether

Title: U + Me=Us (Calculus)
Artist: 2gether
Language: English
TTS: No

Wdebo's Notes: YES! I feel bad about not posting so here is a little boy band for you all :) Even if 2gether is not technically a "real" boy band I still love them all the same. RIP QT.



Wdebo :)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Blog Vacation

Hey everyone, as you can tell I have been "slacking off" in my reviewing/blogging but I have a good excuse (I hope.) As most of you know I am a senior in high school so right now is my college decision time and yeah, not going so well, still not sure where I am going. I also have to study for my AP Test. So, yep yep too busy to read =.= Hopefully you all understand I will be back blogging once I get everything sorted out!

Wdebo :)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Between Here and Forever By: Elizabeth Scott

Title: Between Here and Forever
Author: Elizabeth Scott
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 256
Release Date: May 24, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Geared Towards: Teens
From: Publisher (ARC)

"I'm not the devoted sister, I'm not the noble, plain girl who sacrifices all for her sister to come back. I want Tess to wake up so she'll go away."

Summary (From B.O.B): Abby long ago accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister, Tess, but at least she knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby's life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

Abby's got a plan to bring Tess back, though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli. But then she learns a shocking secret about Tess. Something that was always right there, but she'd never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could.

Wdebo's Review: I was first introduced to Elizabeth Scott through her debut novel, Bloom (Which also happened to be the book that got me into PulseIt and later in book blogging. But that's a story for another time....Apparently a lot of the main characters from Bloom appeared in this book, but since I read it so long ago I didn't notice =.=). After reading Bloom I found her to be a very decent author and was excited to see her other works. I later read Living Dead Girl and was basically left breathless by her writing. Anyways, this introduction does have a point, I was so excited when I got a chance to review Between Here and Forever.

The writing was wonderful and enthralling, but there were still a few unsatisfactory points to the story. I enjoyed the plot very much. I haven't had a chance to read many sibling novels especially one that delves into the whole "perfect older sister and plain younger sister" idea. The story line at first seemed very simple, it seemed to just be following one path, but towards the middle it began to split into many different and intricate branches. I'm not quite sure if I enjoyed it or disliked it. At times, I found it was very interesting, I really liked Eli and what he was going through (I seriously just wanted to give him a big hug throughout the whole novel), but at other times it seemed to be just added in because it seemed like there wasn't enough drama. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns, I just hoped some would had been spread out towards the beginning of the novel. I also guessed the ending of the story in the beginning so it kind of took away the OMG factor to it, but it still enjoyed how the novel unfolded to that moment.

As stated above, I loved the writing, Elizabeth Scott's way of writing is very captivating, enjoyable and heartfelt. It is a balance that many authors are unable to capture but Elizabeth Scott does so wonderfully.

I enjoyed many of the characters. Eli was my favorite, of course, because he is awesomeness in human form. I had a love-hate relationship with Abby, in the beginning she was whinny and very hard to like, well for me, maybe it's because I don't have any siblings so I don't understand the whole sibling relationship things, that is why I found her whining and inability to see what was happening in front of her, insufferable. However, after the middle, she did grow up somewhat and I began to like her more. From what I had read about Tess, I didn't feel she was all that amazing, she seemed like a total bitch at times, but I did feel bad for her and stuff....

Cafe Cover Chat: I like the cover, it's pretty. (B)

All in all, a fairly decent book by Elizabeth Scott, not my favorite work by her but it was still enjoyable.

Grade: B+

Wdebo :)

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Mindless Self Indulgence

So, my current obsession is MSI. Please don't ask me, I actually have no idea why, I question my sanity everytime I listen to them, but their music is just so damn addicting. I remember the first I listened to their song, I was just like What the hell is this crap? And for some reason even after I turned it off, it was just stuck in my head, and I had to listen to it again and before I knew what was happening I had been sucked into the black hole by the name of MSI.

It's hard to explain Mindless Self Indulgence, must be because there is no "true" label that we can box it nicely in. It just seems to have a little bit of everything thrown in even though at first listen it just seems like a bunch of noise, just screaming, profanity explosions and the random opera falsetto. Even though I personally cannot describe them, I found a wonderfully hillarious yet awesome explanation from Sing 365.
"Once upon a time in galaxy far away..in a place called new york-there were four beings-two girls(kitty & Lyn Z),a boy(Steve),and a ferret(Jimmy)...they got together and decided they wanted to start a band...and thus began the neverending road to pure stupidity. Mindless Self Indulgence is so fucked up it'll make your head spin and then do the hokey pokey!

Mindless Self Indulgence is what you will be called when the music that you make has no chance in hell of getting you laid,or of making you seem cool in the eyes of your p.c. restrained,cookie cutter catagory demanding,humorless peers. It is also a four piece band of co-ed punks from N.Y.C.,whose name manifests itself during their live shows. Their music is a hybrid of Atari driven(the computer not the group),Industrial,New Wave,Soul,Jungle,Hip Hop,and Punk with a venomous splash of Attention Deficit Disorder....aka... "industrialjunglepussypunk"

See & hear Mindless Self Indulgence live. Why? Because they rarely suck live, but when they do, they suck with conviction!"

I actually just got into their music so I can't say much about them. So, if you like or have any comments on MSI feel free to comment below telling me what you feel about them, how you found out about them, favorite band member (I personally love all of them, but I love Jimmy the most ^^ ), favorite song/album, etc etc.

Members:

James Euringer AKA (Little) Jimmy Urine [Vocalist and programmer] (The ferret...)
Steve, Righ? [Guitarist] LynZ [Bassist] (Replaced ex bassist Vannessa YT. She is currently married with a daughter to My Chemical Romance's Gerald Way)Kitty [Drummer]

Anywho, now that we have the introductions out of the way. Let's move on to the main attraction *rubs hands together* MUSIC!!

Shut Me Up (Stuck in my head =.= I really like the beginning of the vid :) )




Played (The first MSI song I listened to)




Faggot (The first time I heard this I got a migrane now I can't stop listening to it)




Mark David Chapman (Love Jimmy's voice throughout this entire song. He changes his singing so much, gaahhh. I love it!)




Molly (Addictive)




Wdebo :)

Monday, April 4, 2011

Go Ask Alice By: Anonymous

Title: Go Ask Alice
Author: Anonymous
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 158
First Published: March 5, 1971
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Geared Towards: Teens/Anti-Drugs
From: Library

"I have two choices; I must either commit suicide or try to rectify my life by helping others. That is the path I must take, for I cannot bring futher disgrace and suffering upon my family" (89).


Summary: Written from the point of view of an unnamed diarist, Go Ask Alice examines the harrowing effects of drugs on a young person's life. How it can rip one away from a comfortable life into one filled with pain, fear, and hurt.

Wdebo's Review: Ok, truthfully, my feelings towards this book are mixed and I'm confused about what I'm truly feeling. lol. For one, I thought the whole plot line of the story was interesting, it really showed just how dangerous drugs can truly have been, but this story was most likely a work of fiction which brings me to one of my main reasons why I disliked the story, I felt like there was a trust between the author and reader that was broken when the story, which claimed to be "the truth" but instead just turned out to be fictionalized by Sparks, yes, I can understand how it could be based on truth but the story was so enlarged that it just felt so fake.

Let's start with the good, shall we? I felt the storyline was very hooking, it was very interesting, to understand just how addicting drugs can truly be and how freightening they really are. It really had some sobering ideas in there, and really made me appreciate my no-drug life. It is a good piece to scare children into not wanting to try drugs or be involved in drugs in any way. A diary form was a good form to bring out the story, for it shows a girl's progression is a way to show the diarist's deepest and darkest feelings.

However, the writing seemed so, fake. From the beginning I was skeptical as to whether this was fact or fiction, I know it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but when someone says it's the truth I want it to be the truth not have it be fictionalized and be pushed upon me stating that it is all nonfiction.

I also disliked the diatrist she was just very very childish, I'm pretty it was trying to make her sound naive but it was quite annoying. However, I sympathized for her when she just kept relapsing, she would get better and then she would fall into a deeper hole then the last until she was locked it, it was truly saddening.

Cafe Cover Chat: The cover I had was probably a 90's cover so it was really meh, the one pictured above is better but still meh. (B)

All in all, it a good book to frighten children and young adults away from drug use but should not be read for any kind of amazing writing skills or anything, it was a quick read, but disappointing for me because I had heard so many good things about it before.

Grade: B-

Wdebo :)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Hello Fascination-Breathe Carolina

Title: Hello Fascination
Artist: Breathe Carolina
Language: English
TTS: None

Wdebo's Notes: I just got into Breathe Carolina and yes I am in love with this song sooo much. I love David's (I hope I'm getting their names right) voice gaahh so dreamy, and Kyle's whole "You've dug my grave, but I pushed you in it." My goodness, lyric classic right there!!

Listen and Love!




Hope you enjoyed! And please comment!
Wdebo :)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Leaving Paradise By: Simone Elkeles

Title: Leaving Paradise
Author: Simone Elkeles
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 303
Release Date: April 8, 2007
Publisher: Flux
Geared Towards: Teens
From: Bought

"What scares me to fucking death is that some part of my brain has decided this insignificant act of Maggie sitting next to me is the first step in fixing all that's gone wrong in my life" (159).

Summary (From B.O.B): The night Caleb Becker was arrested was the night he hit Maggie Armstrong and ran away from the scene. That night was the night that Maggie revealed something she never wanted to tell him. That night was the night that Caleb tried to escape from it. That was the night that changed everything.

Now, a year later, Caleb is finally out of juvenile detention and can start his life again in Paradise. Maggie is trying to overcome the disability that the accident had caused to her leg and is looking forward to the only thing that can make her happy, an exchange program to Spain. The last thing both of them wants to happen is to see the other, but when it does happen, they begin to realize how the only ones that will truly be there for them are each other.

Wdebo's Review: Yes! Another winner from Simone Elkeles! I loved the book from the beginning, it hooks you right in and doesn't let go until the end.

The story seemed like all of Simone Elkele's books cliche and was following a path that you can see the end to. And though yes there was that cliche element to the novel, I did not see the ending come. The ending was a total cliffhanger that left me breathlessly wanting to read Return to Paradise.

I enjoyed the writing immensely, there were very few slow spots which increased the good reads factor of the book. The characters were very well defined and they had their differences that really let them feel so different yet so compatible, a perfect romance.

I loved Caleb he has the badass yet sweet inside thing going for him, and I won't lie, when they started warming towards each other, I was totally swooning even though it was totally obvious and cliche but oh wow so sweet, that is what I love at Simone Elkeles books, they follow this predictable path yet they are just oh so sweet! I didn't like Maggie as much as Caleb like how I usually am, but she wasn't bad, a little whinny though which did get annoying at times.

Cafe Cover Chat: I like this cover, it looks cool and it shows the contrast between Caleb and Maggie. (B+)

All in all, a great read for romance lovers and non romance lovers that will leave you wanting more. Seriously can't wait to read Return to Paradise!!

Grade: A-

Wdebo :)