Oops, I did it again.../Along For The Ride

Again, I forgot to review. So here is a review of a book that's sort-of new (yeah, you'll have to expect that:)

Along for the Ride

by Sarah Dessen

(I actually wrote this review upon reading the book, but I forgot to post it.)

High school is finally over, and the extremely studious Auden is facing three blank calendar pages before she starts at the prestigious Defriese University. What to do? In an unusual turn of events, she decides to spend the summer with her father, his new wife, and her new baby sister in Colby, a town by the beach. She makes several critical mistakes upon her arrival, most notably hooking up with a random guy and then running into his girlfriend the next morning. This does nothing to help her reputation, by the way. A little while later, she gets a job at her stepmother's boutique. The other girls who work there attempt to interact with her, but believing that they are all just "fluffy and insubstantial," Auden mostly ignores them. Soon enough, however, she finds herself drawn to a strange boy with a bicycle who encourages her to relive her lost childhood. In doing so, she discovers that "being a girl could be about interest rates and skinny jeans, riding bikes and wearing pink. Not about any one thing, but everything."

I've read several of Sarah Dessen's books, and by far this is one of her best. She uses her gifts of pathos and initiative to great affect to create another story that no one will want to end. (I certainly didn't.)

Rating: 9

383p

Viking Juvenile

$19.99

buy here (Amazon.com)

or here (Barnes and Noble.com)

Interested in winning a copy of an ARC of Suzanne Collins' CATCHING FIRE? Just go to Confessions of A Wandering Heart and follow the instructions to enter!

http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2009/06/contest-win-catching-fire-by-suzanne.html

Bermudez Triangle/ TBB Rules and Regulations.

Welcome to THE BERMUDEZ BOOKSHELF. I hope your needs have been met so far. If not, feel semi-free to comment.

Obviously, the first book I should review is Maureen Johnson's THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE (Razorbill, 2005). The reason for this is, well, look at the title of the blog.

So here goes...

(UK cover. Presumably 2005, Puffin.)

Avery Dekker, Melanie "Mel" Forrest, and Nina Bermudez have been best friends for years, and it seems like nothing short of a nuclear bomb could take the "Bermudez Triangle" (name bestowed upon the three now-seniors by a jealous peer back in grade school) out of commission. But one summer, two things happen: Nina goes to precollege across the country for a summer, and Avery and Mel fall in love. When Nina comes back to New York, she notices something's up-but nothing could have prepared her for this.

Will Nina ever come to accept them? (Okay, I have to spoil this one for you: yes.) Will Avery finally come to terms with her sexuality? Will Mel gather the courage to tell her parents? Will Carter (oops, spoiler) ever figure out which of the BT girls he actually likes? And finally, will PJ Mortimer's ever become an actual good restaurant? (Another neccesary spoiler: probably not.) You'll find all the answers to the previous questions (I think) and more when you read Ms. Johnson's excellent sophomore offering, THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE.

Overall rating: Worth all eight hearts on the cover, along with all the ones inside. (Read--excellent.)

(US First Edition, 2005, Razorbill.)

Well, that wasn't too bad, was it? (SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: COMMENT. DON'T FLAME, JUST COMMENT.) Okay, now on to rules. Credit to Karin's Book Nook for some of these ideas, by the way.

Sometimes I will get bored and not post just reviews. I will also do other things. For instance, every Monday I'm going to post some information about a book I really want (hence, Must Have Monday.) Fridays will be quotes (see below for Quotes on Friday), YMR--You Must Read--will be on Wednesday (WYMR), and Sunday will possibly play host to (really crappy) contests. (More on that later.)

For now, enjoy this quote from my fifth-favorite book of all time...

Quotes on Friday

THIS WEEK'S BOOK: Looking for Alaska by John Green

PAGE 64

"I am suffering from the nausea and dizziness typically associated with a mild concussion," I recited. While Takumi went to go get the Eagle and Lara changed pants, I lay on the concrete sidewalk. The Eagle came back with the school nurse, who diagnosed me with --get this--a concussion, and then Takumi drove me to the hospital with Lara riding shotgun. Apparently I lay in the back and slowly repeated the words "The. Symptoms. Generally. Associated. With. Concussion."

Ah, a classic. If you haven't read Alaska, you really should--it's even better than Bermudez Triangle. And that's saying something.

JAH