Book Review: THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Author: Jennifer E.Smith
Number of Pages: 236
Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown
Release Date: January 2, 2012

Hadley Sullivan is convinced that flying across the Atlantic Ocean to attend her father's second wedding- in which he is marrying a woman that Hadley has never officially met- will end in disaster. So when she misses her flight by only four measly minutes and is forced to take the next flight, she doesn't know what to think. Then she meets Oliver- a handsome British boy on Hadley's flight to England. In the twenty-four hour period that this novel spans, Hadley realizes that it just might be possible to fall in love at first sight.

I found this book very enjoyable to read, and I was thinking about it for the longest time after I finished it. This novel is almost like a fairy tale because it has a happy ending that leaves you hanging but feeling satisfied at the same time. Yet the abundance of happiness is not annoying, like it is in some other books I have read. And I absolutely loved Oliver!!! One: He's British. Two: He's very kind. Three: He's funny, smart, courageous, helpful, caring..... the list goes on and on!

I also loved the title, even though it is incredibly long. I hate when books have titles or covers that don't correspond at all with what the actual story is about, but this one isn't like that. The way the title ties in with the book is so adorable.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read that I have no complaints about.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Definitely!
Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: CITY OF BONES

Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 485
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: March 27, 2007

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . ."
                                                                                                           - Goodreads.com

This book was recommended to me so frequently that finally I just said, "FINE! I'LL READ IT!!!" I am so happy I did!!! Cassandra Clare created a world within these pages that is so unique and captivating that you can't help but be pulled in. There were so many twists and turns that I had to stop every once in a while and convince myself that the unthinkable event that just occurred did actually happen. AND THAT THING AT THE END WITH JACE!!!! HOLY COW!!!! You'll see what I mean if-WHEN- you read it. The pacing of the book was great- it didn't drag on too much, yet it didn't go so fast that it made me very confused.

I honestly have no complaints about this book. There's fantasy, romance, suspense, an abundance of action.... what more could you want? And to make it even better the story continues in several more books! I cannot wait to read them all!!!!

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys

Would I recommend it to a friend?: ABSOLUTELY!!!

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: EPIC FAIL

Author: Claire LaZebnik
Number of Pages:
Publisher:
Release Date:

"At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Cast in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school - not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long."
                                                                                                - Goodreads.com

I think the only way I can describe this book is with the word OKAY. It wasn't an amazing book, but it wasn't terrible either. I found it more enjoyable to read as it progressed, but it was slow and sort of boring. This book was your average romance novel, only shorter. I probably could have read this in one sitting if I had wanted to.

There was a twist that took me by surprise in the middle-ish of the story, which I liked, but other than that the plot was kind of predictable. I knew who would end up with who because I figured it would be a happy ending like most of the stories in this genre, and I was right. Overall, this was simply an okay read.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. So you might have noticed that the book in my last post, Please Don't Be True, was also rated 3 out of 5 smileys, but I appeared to like it a lot less than this one. That is true, but I feel like this doesn't deserve a four, and it doesn't deserve a two either. So I'm sticking with a three. The same goes for the other book.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Maybe. If they were a big fan of romance novels I might mention this book to them, but otherwise I probably wouldn't.

Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: PLEASE DON'T BE TRUE

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Number of Pages:768
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 8, 2011

In Please Don't Be True, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor continues her account of the life of Alice. Alice is your average girl going through high school. In this novel, the reader will read about Alice hanging out with her friends Liz, Pamela, and Gwen. Hardships will have an impact on everyone, but happy events will bring joy as well. Alice is a junior in high school in this novel.

After reading I Like Him, He Likes Her and It's Not Like I Planned It This Way, I had mixed expectations for this book. The first two were good, but there were a lot of things that annoyed me. I figured that this would be the make it or break it book. The things that irritated me could start to go away in this novel, or they could exponentially increase. Well, guess what? They increased.

I was disappointed with this novel. Alice and her friends grew more boy-crazy than ever, and Alice seems to have no common sense. For example, she doesn't see that the senior who asks her to the school dance is a creeper and just wants to use her. No, she thinks he's a great guy. WHY???? Because she's blind and oblivious to all bad guys.

Next, Alice is whiny and complains constantly about not understanding anything. And by anything, I mean that she mostly understand herself. I think that feeling is common among teenagers- I for one, certainly feel that way from time to time- but she talks about it as though she is the only one in the world going through it. She's like: OH MY GOSH I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE! I THOUGH I DID BUT NOW I DON'T AND MY BOYFRIEND WON'T EMAIL ME AND NO ONE IS CALLING ME AND BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!! Seriously.

Normally, I love long books. But I have learned through this experience that long books are only good if the story inside of them is good. Otherwise, they are pure torture.

Maybe you might find this book enjoyable. Maybe you might even love it. I'm just saying that for me, it wasn't my favorite book. But then again, I have read books that are a lot worse than this was, so at least that's something positive to say.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys. Not the worst book I've ever read, but still not good.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Ummmm.... probably not.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: January 1, 1978

When the President of the United States calls Mr. Murry on Thanksgiving night telling him that a nuclear war may begin in a matter of days, or even hours, the Murry household is filled with a sense of dread. Suddenly Mrs. O'Keefe starts saying an old rune, and tells Charles Wallace that he alone has the power to stop this entire war. Will the help of a unicorn and Mrs. O'Keefe's memories of the past be enough to save the country? And will they be able to achieve this in a single night?
This book was very different from the other books in this series (A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door). It was very historical, dealing with different societies and cultures in the past. It still had that element of science fiction (Charles Wallace was traveling back in time, after all) but it was different from the first two books.

However, it proved to be very interesting. It was very neat to see how all of the descendants of Mrs. O'Keefe connected through time. There were a lot of little details threaded through this novel that really made it an enjoyable book. The reader gets to experience different time periods, many new characters, and a Charles Wallace that is a bit older and a lot wiser. Although some parts of this book were slow and dragged on, it was still a very good read. It feels as though as the series progresses the novels grow less and less childish, which isn't a bad thing for a YA reader.
My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.
Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A WIND IN THE DOOR

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 240
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: 1973

"It is November. When Meg comes home from school, Charles Wallace tells her he saw dragons in the twin’s vegetable garden. That night Meg, Calvin and C.W. go to the vegetable garden to meet the Teacher (Blajeny) who explains that what they are seeing isn’t a dragon at all, but a cherubim named Proginoskes. It turns out that C.W. is ill and that Blajeny and Proginoskes are there to make him well – by making him well, they will keep the balance of the universe in check and save it from the evil Echthros. 
Meg, Calvin and Mr. Jenkins (grade school principal) must travel inside C.W. to have this battle and save Charles’ life as well as the balance of the universe."
                                                        - Goodreads.com

Even though this is a sequel to A Wrinkle In Time, I was surprised at how little it actually connected with that book. Besides the characters, nothing of utmost importance is brought from the first book to the second, so you could definitely read this one without reading the one before it. That is why instead of doing on big post containing the entire series as a whole, I am going to do individual posts, because the books themselves are very independent of each other.

This book starts to get a bit more confusing then A Wrinkle In Time. They do include time travel, but a lot of it is focused on mitochondria and how they work, so it's good to know a little background on that sort of stuff. I already knew about them, so it was weird reading Madeleine L'Engle's description of them- it reminds you that this is not science, it is science fiction. I think that this book is definitely more "out there" than the first one, but it was still enjoyable.

I found Proginoskes to be a very likable character, as well as Blajeny. One again, Meg annoyed me A LOT. It seems that her ability to irritate me is directly proportional to her age. (The older she gets, the more she annoys me.) She is just so WHINY and dependent on others! And she WON'T STOP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS!!!!! I like Charles Wallace much better, because he is much more mature than his older sister.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: NERDS

Author: David Anderegg
Number of Pages: 304
Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: 2007
What is a nerd? Are nerds and geeks the same thing, or are they different? How did the nerd and geek stereotypes come to be? Why are they most common in kids in the middle school age range? How are these stereotypes impacting what American students are choosing as their careers or professions? David Anderegg attempts to answer these important questions as well as many more in this eye-opening novel that shows just how much power a label can have.

I saw this book at my local used bookstore and inside my head I screamed, "OH MY GOSH I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!" I am a self-proclaimed nerd, and I often get frustrated when my peers give me strange looks, saying, "Hold on- you like school?" or "You actually enjoy reading?" Yes! I want to shout at them. I am a person who cares more about novels than television, who likes to learn things and enjoys going to school (for the most part). So this book really interested me.

I was not disappointed at all. I think that David Anderegg did an excellent job at trying to explain the nerd and geek stereotypes. He uses evidence from his own studies as well as those of others. Even though I didn't completely agree with all of his ideas, it was still a great book. (For example, he said that nerds are commonly interested technology, including computers, video games, science, math, etc. But what about literature nerds? HMM????) This book also brought up some really interesting points that I had not thought of before.

Example: Let's say that in seventh grade, a boy gets picked on for being a "nerd". He is seen as an outcast because he enjoys math and science classes. Since he associates math and science with being bullied, he is more likely to stay away from those classes in high school. This means that he is also less likely to choose to go into a profession such as engineering because he doesn't have the necessary background knowledge. This chain of events is occurring all across the country and it is impacting the number of science and math degrees given out each year.

Overall, this was an excellent book.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely!!!!!

Always,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: A WRINKLE IN TIME

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Number of Pages: 247
Publisher: Square Fish
Release Date: 1962

Meg Murry an average girl with an unusual brother named Charles Wallace. When Charles Wallace starts talking about three ladies who supposedly live in an old, abandoned house down the road that is said to be haunted, Meg is skeptical. The two siblings meet Calvin one day, and from there everything is turned upside down. Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.Who, and Mrs. Which take Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin on a journey to find Mr. Murry, who stopped sending them letters a year ago when he was away doing scientific research. As they travel through both time and space in the span of a single night, one has to wonder: will they find Mr. Murry? And even more importantly: Will they make it home alive?

I remember reading this book when I was younger. I also remember being really confused while reading it. Back then I didn't really understand the science aspect of this book, so I couldn't really enjoy it much. I decided to pick it back up again and give it another shot, now that I'm many years older.

One of the things I really like about this book is that it is very unique. The Mrs. W's all have dynamic personalities, making reading about them extremely enjoyable. Charles Wallace adds some mystery to this novel, with his personality that is just quirky enough that it is difficult to predict his actions. All of the little details make this story the great novel that it is.

With all of those good things said, there are some things that I did not like about A Wrinkle in Time. First, Meg's personality really irritated me. She was SO impatient and asked questions about EVERYTHING. She always needed Calvin to make her feel safe- she wasn't very independent. And she could not focus or see the bigger picture. She was obsessed with finding her father, which is understandable given the situation, but the entire Earth is at stake at well. Could we try to be a teensy bit less selfish here?

Also, you have to keep in mind that this is a children's book. That's probably one of the reasons I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought it would. I'm used to reading YA, so this was a little strange. All in all, it was a good read.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) 4 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes, but I would be sure to tell them that it is written for children, so it will be different from what they might normally read.

Yours,
NutFreeNerd

Book Review: TREASURE ISLAND

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Number of Pages: 311
Publisher: Kingfisher
Release Date: 1881

"The most popular pirate story ever written in English, featuring one of literature’s most beloved “bad guys,” Treasure Island has been happily devoured by several generations of boys—and girls—and grownups. Its unforgettable characters include: young Jim Hawkins, who finds himself owner of a map to Treasure Island, where the fabled pirate booty is buried; honest Captain Smollett, heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but obtuse Squire Trelawney, who help Jim on his quest for the treasure; the frightening Blind Pew, double-dealing Israel Hands, and seemingly mad Ben Gunn, buccaneers of varying shades of menace; and, of course, garrulous, affable, ambiguous Long John Silver, who is one moment a friendly, laughing, one-legged sea-cook . . .and the next a dangerous pirate leader!"
                                                                                                      - Goodreads.com

According to the summary from Goodreads, Treasure Island is "the most popular pirate story ever written in English." Well, guess what Goodreads? I DISAGREE. I have to say that this was probably one of the worst books I have ever read. I like pirates- don't get me wrong- and I usually enjoy reading about them. However, this book was awful! Half the things they said made no sense whatsoever, and when they did say something I could actually understand as English, it was all about rum! That's all they cared about! Well, that and the treasure. And what was Long John Silver's deal? First he was on the squire's side, then he went against them, and then he's friends with the other side again? And they WELCOMED HIM BACK AFTER HE BETRAYED THEM! Why would they do that? Honestly, it makes no sense.

Overall, I did not like this book, as you can probably tell.

My Rating: :0) 1 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: No, I wouldn't. However, just because I didn't like this book, doesn't mean you won't. If you really want to read it, go for it.

Always,
NutFreeNerd

MEWL

The man down the street changed his sign again. This time, the word is:

MEWL

According to Dictionary.com, this word means "to cry, as a baby, young child, or the like; whimper."

Yours,

NutFreeNerd