A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

Charlie Duskin loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.


Rose Butler lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke, but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: She's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie who just might be Rose's ticket out. 


Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive.

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Send the messengers for the Faery Courts. This is the end.


The Summer KIng is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.


Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. and Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.


Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win... and some will lose everything. 

3 out of 5

The Vespertime by Saundra Mitchell

The summer of 1889 is the one between childhood and womanhood for Amelia van den Broek - and thankfully, she's not spending it at home in rural Maine. She's been sent to Baltimore to stay with her stylish cousin, Zora, who will show her all the pleasures of city life and help her find a suitable man to marry.


With diversions ranging from archery in the park to dazzling balls and hints of forbidden romance, Victorian Balitmore is more exciting that AMelia imagined. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset - visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. Newly dubbed "Maine's Own Mystic," Amelia is suddenly quite in demand. 


However, her attraction to Nathaniel, and artist who is decidedly outside of Zora's cirle, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own - still, Amelia finds herself irrepressible drawn to im. And while she has no trouble seeing the futures of others, she cannot predict whether Nathaniel will remain in hers. 


When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause of them.

4.5 out of 5

See What I See by Gloria Whelan

Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. She makes sense of the world around her by relating it to what she adores - art. Armed with a suitcase, some canvases, and a scholarship to art school in Detroit, Kate is ready to leave home and fully immerse herself in painting. Sounds like heaven. All she needs is a place to stay. 


That place is the home of her father, famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn, a father she hasn't seen or heard from in nearly ten years, When Kate knocks on his door out of the blue, little does she realize what a life-altering move that will turn out to be. But Kate has a dream, and she will work her way into Dalton's life, into his mind, into his heart... whether he likes it or not.

I give this book 3.5 stars for being good but not wonderful.

Blogging -> What books I'm reading

If you look at my "To Be Reviewed" side bar, I'm sort of really behind. REALLY behind. I just haven't felt like reviewing books lately. To remedy my behind-ness, in case I ever feel like reviewing again, I'm going to post books with summaries and ratings so I keep up to date.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by Toni Morrison, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature.

It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment. - goodreads.com
 
While this book is sad in some parts and disturbing in others and I defiantly wouldn't have read it for fun, I liked it. I probably wouldn't have read it if it hadn't been required reading, but I'm glad I did. The little girls were adorable, and the discrimination of the time that convinced the children that they couldn't be pretty simply because they were African American was horrible. Morrison's way of storytelling was close-to-heart and heart-wrenching.

Critically, I would have to give this 5 stars, but for enjoyment wise I give it 4 stars.

Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett

Once upon a time in London town, there were three fab "birds"....


NONIE is a freak for fashion.


Bleeding-heart EDIE wants to green the planet.


And starter-starlet JENNY just finished filming a small part in a BIG Hollywood blockbuster opposite a drool-worthy boy.


But when these trendy Brit besties meet CROW, a refugee girl who happens to be an amazing designer, their worldview gets an extreme makeover. As they learn about the serious situation in Crow's homeland, the three friends decide to mix-and-match their talents to call attention to the crisis. Fashion and compassion - c'est si chic. 


Now Nonie's just got to lace up her (always a classic) Converse kicks, put on her (vintage Dior pillbox) thinking cap, and somehow "make it work"!


A fierce, sweet, boldface fashion fairytale! - from the back of the book or something


This book is absolutely adorable! The summary really gets at the heart of it - it's about three best friends who magically get sucked into the world of fashion and live a sweet exciting life.

My favorite part was the clothing descriptions - they were beautiful and silky and floaty and sparkly and made me feel like I was walking through a ballet costume museum or something else equally lovely.

I didn't really like Nonie, Edie, or Jenny, mostly 'cause the life they were living was slightly too absurd. I mean, what kind of person knows a "movie star" and a "famous blogger" and is still trying to pull of normal teenager with dreams? I guess if you're famous (or the like) you're more likely to know other people who are also famous, but at the same time what the heck. When everyone has unique, unrelated talents that are super, any story becomes odd. I guess you just have to look at it as a fairy tale or a dream world or something of the like. If you do, you're definitely able to enjoy it.

I love Crow. She's fabulously quirky and I'm insanely jealous of her skills. 

For shear adorableness, I give this book 4.5 out of 5.  Goodreads