Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier AND New Girl by Paige Harbison

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks (abridged)
Publication date: 1995 (originally published in 1938)
Length: 3 hrs, 18 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Classic Double Challenge

New Girl by Paige Harbison
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 320
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Classic Double Challenge

Summaries:
Rebecca (R):
When Mrs. de Winter arrives at her new home after a whirlwind romance with Maxim de Winter, she is immediately haunted by the presence of Maxim's first wife, Rebecca.  She seems to be everywhere, from the mysterious beach house to the menacing presence of her personal maid Mrs. Danvers.  Will Rebecca rule Manderley forever, even from the after life or will she ever leave Maxim to his new wife?

New Girl (NG):
When her parents send her to an elite private school in New England for her senior year, the "new girl" as everyone calls her is definitely not happy.  Not only did she have to leave all her friends behind, but she is taking the place of the larger than life Becca, a student who mysteriously disappeared.  Despite her best efforts to make it through the year and enjoy her time, Becca overshadows her every interaction, from her former boyfriend Max to her creepy best friend, Dana.  Will she ever feel like she can live her life free from Becca or will a return from wherever she went oust her from this new life forever?

The characters:
I like how in NG, Harbison incorporated nearly all the important characters from the original.  Especially the creepy obsessed roommate, Dana as Mrs. Danvers.  The two boys that Becca toyed with were also really well drawn - Max and Johnny (aka Jack Favel from the original).  Becca herself, I think, is the most different between the two books.  She is a lot more sympathetic in NG, though we see a lot more of the vile things she does (in vivid detail, unfortunately).  There are quite a few chapters from her viewpoint throughout the book, which I think is both good and bad.  I think this eliminates the mysterious aspect of the original, but also allows us greater understanding of the enigmatic Becca.  I suppose when you're doing a retelling, you can't truly recreate that suspense, so you go other directions.  But I think it is what keeps this one from being really good.  It doesn't have the same feel, because we know quite early on just what Becca is like and who she really is. 

The story:
NG keeps a lot of those stay with you images: the beach house, the costume party, the creepy display of Rebecca's things *shudders*, but it definitely changed the ending.  There is no trial and there is no reversal of our opinions of Rebecca.  We see exactly what she does from the beginning and where she ends up and how, because we are told from her viewpoint.  I like a good retelling that can change the story, but also keep those most important scenes from the original.  This one nails many of those scenes, but I loved the ending from Rebecca because it is so surprising and suspenseful.  Not to mention those last lines - just not an image you forget easily!
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Things I Liked about R:
The book has just the right amount of mystery and hints of creepiness that you are sucked in from the first, trying to figure out what it was about Rebecca that made everyone love her.  And Mrs. Danvers has to be the most disturbing person in all of fiction.  I love the changes that our main character experiences over the course of the book, mainly because she tends to grow up and get a spine already.  She's so annoyingly timid at first that you want to smack her, but she does change.  It's almost like a coming of age story for her.    This is just truly one of the best Gothic books set in such a vivid place you almost feel like you are at Manderley.  And like Rebecca is looking over your shoulder.  And oh, the ending!  I listened to this one on audio and was unhappy to discover that it was an abridged version, which is too bad because the narrator, Harriet Walter, did a really great job with the voice of Mrs. de Winter.  I still need to do a full reread, though, because this is just such a great book!

Things I Didn't Like about R:
The main character is just so timid and ridiculous, she lets everyone walk all over her!  She did it to such extremes, sometimes, that I wanted to reach in and give her a good shake.  Also, Maxim is not at all attractive.  I can see how he'd be charming to her, but he just seemed aloof and kind of like a jerk.  Interesting how I don't particularly like any characters, but this is such an unforgettable book!  The image of that costume party has always stuck with me, even years after my first read.  Good mystery, good creepy tale. 
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Things I Liked about NG:
Rebecca is a glorious story that made me so excited for a revamp.  It was a clever idea to set it in a New England boarding school with a disappeared girl who left a huge legacy behind.  The main character is confused and shunned and has no idea why all of this happens to her.  As I mentioned, I thought a lot of iconic scenes from the original were really well done.  They translated well and kept enough of the orignal but with a delightful new flavor to make them interesting.  She definitely made the story her own, since there were numerous changes and differences.  I liked our main character slightly more than in the original, because she isn't quite such a sucker.  We get to know Becca very well and not just through what other people thought of her, which was an interesting change for sure. 

Things I Didn't Like about NG:
It definitely didn't hold the creepiness or fabulous setting details of the original.  With the way the story is told from Becca and the new girl's perspectives, there was little to no mystery about Becca's relationship with Max and Johnny.  As I mentioned above, one of the things I liked most about the original was the ending, which was changed.  This new version spells everything out and makes it rather convenient for all involved, especially Max.  I didn't like Dana's character either; it didn't make sense the way she was portrayed, her motivations, and the things she said/did.  I think it was a good idea, a good try, but lacked most of what made the original tale so interesting.  Not to mention it was so full of swearing, mature romantic garbage, and rampant drug use I almost had to stop reading.  (Speaking of which, where on earth were the adults at this boarding school?  Yes, I'm sure stuff like this happens, but to this level and no one figures it out?  Unbelievable.)  Too much described instead of implied.  Definitely for older teens.

Read-alikes:
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (for R)
Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld (for NG)
Private series by Kate Brian (for NG)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS for R:
s-factor: ! 
a few mild invectives

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: ->
not described, but it is rather disturbing at times

Overall rating: *****
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BOOK CONTENT RATINGS for NG:
s-factor: !@#$ 
numerous f-bombs frequently scattered

mrg-factor: XXXX 
quite a lot of stuff goes on, some very descriptive

v-factor: ->
just a little bit, also has a LOT of underage drinking and drug use

Overall rating: **

Whew!  If you made it through that, congrats.  What do you look for in a retelling?

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Book Review: Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication date: September 2011
Pages: 480
Source: e-book from Library
For: Dystopian Challenge (I count apocalyptic stuff)
Series: Ashes series, Book 1

Alex is hiking alone in the woods when an electromagnetic pulse races across the land and destroys all electronic signals and kills a lot of people. Stuck with a bratty girl whose grandfather was killed, Alex tries to keep her and Ellie alive, while figuring out just how much damage her world has suffered. But when they discover there are more frightening changes to the human race than they thought, it becomes a very fight for their lives.

Things I Liked:
For one thing, this story felt very very real.  Like it could happen and there was no glossing over of what would happen to people.  There were no happy parts, really, just parts that didn't suck as much.  It was so realistic and chilling and I pretty much couldn't look away.  I loved the survivalist parts at the beginning - being a big fan of camping with less (though, not quite that little), it was interesting to think about what I might have done or tried to do to survive.  While I had a hard time grasping and believing some of the effects of the zap, I think some of it makes sense.  The story is so intense and the action seems to come at a non-stop pace and it left me reeling.  This is very good apocalyptic (and dystopic, horror, sci-fi, etc) lit that doesn't make survival sound easy.

Things I Didn't Like:
As I mentioned above, I struggled with some of the explanations of what happened - it was never fully explained, which made sense because they would have access to limited information - but I still wanted more.  I found it hard to believe in what happened to the "changed," but most everything else made sense (well, except for maybe what happened to Alex too).  When Alex arrived in Rule, however, I kind of lost interest in the story.  It slowed down, naturally, and she seemed to change while she was there.  Then suddenly the action picks up right at the end again.  I will definitely be reading more in this series, as the action was realistic and heart-pounding and the ending left me eager to read more (ie, total clifhanger).  Hand this to your older teens not afraid of some grit and gore.

Read-alikes:
The first part reminded me of Gone by Michael Grant
The second part reminded me of Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
plenty throughout, a few f-bombs

mrg-factor: none 
though there is kissing and pining and what not

v-factor: ->->->->
the biggest detractor for me - so much really gory stuff

Overall rating: ****

What helps you suspend your disbelief?

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Perfect Prom Date: A Prom Books Giveaway

As promised on the giveaway post, I thought I'd share an...interesting photo from my prom years.  My friends and I had a lot of imagination and not a lot of dates.  So, we decided the best thing to do was create the perfect dates.  Check these dream boys out:

They may not say a lot, but they sure won't break your heart!

So,  now that you've seen the embarrassment of my own prom dreams (ok, I did go and my date looked better than this one), don't forget to enter the giveaway for four fabulous prom books. 

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

Check out the giveaway post for details - you still have a few days to enter!

What embarrassing things do you have photographic proof of?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: February 2011
Pages: 336
Source: e-book from Library
For: Fun
Series: Wicked Lovely, Book 5

*Spoilers for the first four books in the Wicked Lovely series are inevitable*
With Keenan missing, Aislinn is struggling to run the summer court by herself, all while longing for Seth. Donia is working to strengthen her already strong winter court, against the coming war with Bananach. With the dark court in turmoil and no one quite sure what is coming next, will Bananach defeat all and turn the world to chaos?

Things I Liked:
I can't seem to get away from this series.  I usually have mixed feelings about them, but I can't seem to give them up.  I'm glad I got to the last in this series, because the ending was surprising and satisfying.  Marr has a skill with words and descriptions that can paint an entire world so vividly.  I loved how things progressed to the point that we wonder how she will extricate her characters, and then she does it in surprising ways.  It is a smart, beautiful, complicated series. 

Things I Didn't Like:
I don't care much for several of the main characters, notably Keenan and Aislinn.  I was more interested in what happened to some of the minor characters.  Still, I found it satisfying, if not mind-blowing and amazing.  A really good faery series that has an interesting and unique faery world.

Read-alikes:
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
plenty, some f-words

mrg-factor: XX 
mostly sensuality and off-page action

v-factor: ->-> 
quite a bit of gory fighting

Overall rating: *** 

What books can't you stay away from?

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Book Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 416
Source: Review copy from publisher
For: Review
Series: Unearthly Series, Book 2

*Spoilers for Unearthly are inevitable*
After failing at her purpose, Clara is unsure what to do with her life. Her whole life seemed to lead up to that event, but now she's left without any, well, purpose. Her boyfriend, Tucker, is confused as ever and her mom is just as enigmatic about what she should do now. But when Clara starts seeing another vision, she is about to discover just what is most important in life.

Things I Liked:
I enjoyed the emphasis this book placed on Clara's relationship with her family - her mom and her brother especially.  It was nice to see the focus where it should be during difficult times.  Clara's conflict between the two guys vying for her was pretty well portrayed - it was hard for her and she didn't want to make any quick and thoughtless decisions or be cruel to them (though, whether she succeeded in that is another story).  I was impressed with how Hand ended the book, doing what I thought was pretty gutsy, though it wasn't exactly what I wanted for Clara.

Things I Didn't Like:
Honestly, I got bored with the book.  Nothing much seems to happen, though there are some interesting twists that surprised me near the end.  Most of the book goes on and on about Clara struggling with feelings and Clara wanting to do things, but not doing them.  It was just so slow moving.  And it never really picked up momentum, despite having some surprises and a little action.  I was also disappointed in the direction the love triangle went, mostly because she ends up with the boy I like least, so it might be a personal preference.  Basically, I think this book just disappointed me, because I wanted so much more from it.  I guess I'll be interested in reading the next book, but not anxiously awaiting it.

Read-alikes:
Start with Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan James
Halflings by Heather Burch

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: X 
a bit of heavy kissing

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ***

When you're disappointed by a sequel, do you still tend to read the next book anyway?

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Book Review: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication date: April 2008
Length: 11 hrs, 14 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun

Ruby is used to her mom disappearing for a while. It's just been her and her mom ever since her older sister Cora left and never looked back. But when her mom disappears permanently, Ruby finds herself sent to live with Cora and her husband. She isn't sure what to do with this new life; she's ready to leave it all behind, until she begins to understand just what she wants and what she might be able to do for the people around her.

Things I Liked:
I liked the story.  I like how Ruby just acts a certain way and believes certain things because of her past and how things have been in her life.  She doesn't trust people and she doesn't plan to stick around.  But as the book progresses, she learns and meets people and discovers there are things she wants to change, only she isn't sure how.  But she does change.  I think Dessen does this well, describing the way a person can change both their circumstances and the way they act.  The story has heart and you feel it plucking at your strings and you want to hug the characters and make it all better.  It's real and it's good.  And now I know why people like Sarah Dessen.  I listened to this one on my interminable commute and the narrator, Rebecca Soler, did a spanking good job portraying the so-don't-care teen voice - she was spot-on for Ruby.

Things I Didn't Like:
It moved rather slowly at times, so much that I almost gave up.  I wondered where it was heading, after she kind of gets in a new rut in her new life.  It seemed like there wasn't anywhere else for her to go.  But then it picked up again and I enjoyed it.  I'm sure I'll pick up another Dessen, though I'm generally not a fan of this kind of book.

Read-alikes:
Um, pretty much all Sarah Dessen books, from what I understand

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$ 
plenty, though no f-bombs

mrg-factor: XX
a few incidents, nothing too descriptive

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Is there a Sarah Dessen book I simply must read?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Prom and Other Terrors - A Giveaway!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I've got a fun spring giveaway for you.  April brings to mind flowers and showers and best of all - prom!  That crazy, fun, romantic, scary, depressing, you-name-it-emotion high school rite of passage.  I remember worrying so much every year about whether I'd go to prom.  It's amazing the feelings that still come when someone says the word "prom."  The anticipation, the worry that you won't get asked, the worry over dresses and boys and whether or not you'll get kissed (what can I say, prom for me was pretty innocent). 

And to celebrate this experience, HMH has four prom books to give away to one lucky reader!  You can find HMH on Facebook and on Twitter - go check them out.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

The contest will end on April 22 and I'll announce a winner on the 23rd.  HMH will send the prize directly to the winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me one good or bad thing about your own prom experience (or lack of experience, as the case may be).  Then just fill out the form below.  US addresses only and you must be 13 or older to enter.  And if you're very lucky, I'll post a nice photo of my friends and myself dressed up with our "dates" (that ought to keep you intrigued for a few minutes anyway).  Good luck!

So, tell us your prom experiences!  The good, the bad, the ugly. 

Contest closed - winner was Ashley of Bookcase Siren!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Celebrating Libraries and Reading!

It's National Library Week...and I've got no planned celebrations.  Boo.  But, I thought I'd tell everyone to head out to a library this week.  Appreciate the services offered by them (and, you know, the librarians, cause they are awesome too :).

If you're looking to find out what great libraries are near you, check out these links from Find the Data to find and compare local public or academic libraries.  It's kind of fun to look at stats of the libraries nearest you.

Anywho, get out and celebrate libraries and reading, because it's Support Teen Literature Day today!  So if you want to Rock the Drop (ie leave a book lying around for someone else to enjoy) please do!  I think I'll take a few ARCs and leave them around my town for someone to discover.  Lots of great things to celebrate this week!  (And I have a giveaway coming up later today - be sure to come by later to find out more.) 

What do you plan to do to celebrate National Library Week or Teen Literature Day?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: February 2012
Pages: 304
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Fun (and review...and Debut Author Challenge)!

Will Scarlet is a member of Robin Hood's secret band of thieves, though most people don't know he's actually a girl. Scarlet is a tough girl hiding from a secret past that might just catch up to her when someone from the past shows up in Nottingham - looking to take down the Hood and his band.

Things I Liked:
I am in love with great historical fiction.  I know it doesn't seem like it, when I review so much fantasy, dystopian, and paranormal, but a really well-written, well-researched HF hits just the spot in my reading itch.  I loved the details and the language and Scarlet most of all.  She felt real, she was not glorified or perfect or even nice most of the time.  I honestly started saying "I were" and "it were" sometimes because I was so immersed in the story and the way it was written.  I'm also a big fan of the girl disguised as a boy thing, but I think this one did it better than many.  Not only was she not fooling those closest to her, she wasn't trying to.  I think it's much easier to fool the masses and people you don't interact with regularly and nearly impossible with those you live with every day.  And it doesn't hurt that it had a fabulous Robin Hood that I fell in love with.  There's something so fascinating about his stories and his legend.  Makes me want to read The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley that Suey and Angie have raved about.  Great stuff!

Things I Didn't Like:
The only thing I want is another story, a sequel (I know, great stand alones should be left that way).  Truly, though, I liked how it ended and things weren't instantly fixed.  But I want to know when and how they do get fixed.  I think people might not enjoy the story if they are annoyed by (intentially) poor grammar or if they don't like historical fiction in general. 

Read-alikes:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
A bit like StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@ 
most of it was religious exclamations

mrg-factor: X 
implied, but nothing described

v-factor: ->-> 
some action fighting and rather horrific stuff, but not truly gory

Overall rating: ***** 

Who's your favorite swashbuckling hero/heroine?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Unexpected Books

This week's is Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is the Top Ten Books that Deceived me, or I've interpreted it as books that were Unexpected, either good or bad when I expected the opposite.  I would like to note that often, this expectation was an incorrect assumption on my part, not necessarily the book's fault.  But that happens too.  Here are a smattering of those books:

Drought by Pam Bachorz 
This is one that I expected to be a sort of dystopian society that was dealing with a scarcity of water, but turned into a kind of paranormal something.  A case of me expecting it to be one thing and it being another.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke
I was pretty disappointed by this one, simply because the premise sounded like a fun middle grade fairy tale kind of book.  Turned out to be about an adult and not so fun in the fairy tale department.  A little misleading in its labeling, I think.


It Started with a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech
This one actually was deceptive in its cover, which gives off a happy fun vibe.  The story is actually really kind of dark and twisted.  Definitely not what I expected, but then again they say not to judge a book by its cover :)

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
I was really excited to read a sci-fi story about this intergalactic society and an elite school for geniuses.  Definitely didn't deliver on that, since there was ridiculously little mention of anything space-like or sci-fi.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I think this book came with so many expectations that it was inevitably doomed to not deliver on them all.  Also, the soft blue of the cover and the free bird seemed to imply a lighter sort of story than it gave. 

Sleepless by Cyn Balog
This book just didn't deliver on an interesting premise.  I thought it would be so cool to read about sandmen and the afterlife.  Instead, it was weird and had not enough detail to make it stand up.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
This was surprised me with how good it was.  I expected to have the typical paranormal romance that was ridiculously overdone in the genre.  Much to my surprise, the heroine made interesting choices and I was happy to enjoy it.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Just reading that title, doesn't that give you certain ideas about this book?  It's a mobster book, right?  So. Much. More.  Loved it from beginning to end, even if it was totally not what I expected.


Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
This book was also not what I expected from the description and cover.  I thought that it would be a fairy tale through and through.  I mean, it's a fairy tale retelling, right?  So when the first half of the book discussed realistic problems in a real world, I found myself a little let down.  Still a fabulous book, though.


Plain Kate by Erin Bow
This is another that I had an impression of based on the cover and maybe even the description.  It looked kind of like a light-hearted fairy-tale-esque story, featuring a cat.  It had most of those things, but turned out to have a depth and sincerity to it that made me fall madly in love with it.  So happy to report it exceeded my expectations.

What books were unexpected for you?

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Listless Monday: Framed Books

Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature.  Be sure to check out their lists!

I wanted to do a Name That Book, but I haven't got the time or energy right now for it.  If you are wanting more puzzles like Name That Book, might I suggest you check out Mrs. Stakey's 6th grade class blog.  They decided to do some Name That Book puzzles and they are so awesome!  I love seeing other people's puzzles, so if you decide to do one, let me know and I'll link to yours (do link back to me, please). 

So, I simply decided on a whim today to do a Listless Monday featuring books with frames on the cover.  It's not really a common thing, but one that is unique and can make an interesting display. 

Framed Books

I'm completely open for suggestions!

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