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*TBT Tribute* The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

2/18/2016

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Synopsis

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

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That's right! I'm going old school. This is the book where I can trace my love of "guys in leather, bad boys with criminal like appeal, and hearts of gold" to. The Outsiders was release in 1967 and is still considered a classic. I was shocked though, when a recent trip to the bookstore with a good friend, revealed that she had never read it. The story and its underlying meaning still has a profound affect on me today. 

The book, although set in the late 50's, tells the struggles of two distinct groups - the Socs and the Greasers - told through the eyes of Ponyboy, as he writes a story detailing devastating events that have previously occurred.

The characters in both groups are judged by their peers on looks and social stature. The Greasers are thought of as the criminals, the bad boys to stay away from. The Socs have the money, the cars, and the girls. They are the "good guys", right? But as Ponyboy's story unfolds, we learn that everyone has secrets and sometimes peer pressure and life out-ways what a person knows is right. In one night, a cruel twist of fate will lead Ponyboy and his friend Johnny to learn that life is precious and to "Stay Gold".

This story was eventually made into a movie - which was freaking awesome! and introduced us to, well, some of the most gorgeous and famous bad boys at the time - but even without seeing the movie, it is still one of the BEST books ever written. The poem written in its pages, I can still recite by heart. It is as beautiful and meaningful today, as it was when The Outsiders was released.  

*This is not the official trailer, but according to Ms. Hinton, it reflects "a better snapshot of what the movie is about." - Dayreader Reviews is not the creator of this video, but it is really good!
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About the Author

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S.E. Hinton, was and still is, one of the most popular and best known writers of young adult fiction. Her books have been taught in some schools, and banned from others. Her novels changed the way people look at young adult literature. 

Her other works include Rumble Fish, That Was Then, This is Now, and Tex.

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*TBT Tribute* Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock

1/14/2016

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Synopsis:
In many ways, Carrie Parker is like any other eight-year-old—playing make-believe, going to school, dreaming of faraway places. But even in her imagination, she can't pretend away the hardships of her impoverished North Carolina home or protect her younger sister, Emma.

As the big sister, Carrie is determined to do anything to keep Emma safe from a life of neglect and abuse at the hands of their drunken stepfather, Richard—abuse their momma can't seem to see, let alone stop.

But after the sisters' plan to run away from home unravels, Carrie's world takes a shocking turn—and one shattering moment ultimately reveals a truth that leaves everyone reeling.
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Buy, follow, connect:

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DayReader Niketa's Review:

This book sucked me in immediately! I listened to this on an audiobook and the narrator did such a great job reading it! I loved her accent. Now this story is a wonderful tale!  You just feel so sorry for these sweet girls and you just want to help! Elizabeth Flock has a great way of getting you emotionally invested in this tale! Emma is the strong willed little sister of Carrie. Carrie is a weaker version of Emma but they are perfect together. This story is told from Carrie’s perspective, which I think really makes the story even better! Emma and Carrie have to live with their step-father who physically and verbally abuses them as well as their mother. As the story continues to worsen for Emma and Carrie, you are hoping Richard will get his and in the end he does….just not in the way you may think. I don’t want to give away the ending, so lets just say this is not a book to be overlooked! I loved this story and will sing its praise to all I know! I rate this story 5 rightful stars
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About the Author:

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Former journalist Elizabeth Flock reported for Time and Peoplemagazines before becoming a television reporter and anchor in San Francisco, California. After moving to New York, Flock became an on-air correspondent for CBS News covering breaking news both in the United States and abroad. Notably, reporting from Havana, Cuba, for Pope John Paul II’s visit with Fidel Castro; reporting from London following the death of Princess Diana; and reporting from Hong Kong where she covered the handover from the British to the Chinese.

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One for the Money

12/3/2015

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Janet Evanovich

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Synopsis

Pestered by her close New Jersey family, Stephanie Plum offers to catch high-school crush Joe Morelli, cop turned bail jumper, for her cousin Vinnie's company. She questions "working girls" to find the missing girlfriend of vicious prizefighter Benito Ramirez while Joe secretly watches her back. Ranger mentors her and supplies vehicles when hers explode.

Review for One for the Money

The Stephanie Plum series is probably the first series that I was really interested in. Stephanie is a clever, fowl mouth woman from Jersey! She is funny, and witty. I just love Janet Evanovich’s characters. Her characters range from scum bag to hooker to businessman, to suburban mom.  You have wonder if she has a Joe Morelli in her life or hooker friend like Lula. Each one of her characters has an attitude, or personality that you won’t forget. We all know a crazy old lady like Grandma Mazur, or a mother who wants to marry us off to a nice man.  When Miss Janet writes I feel like I’m in Jersey and living the life of a bounty hunter. In this series there are currently twenty-two novels. What Janet Evanovich has done is no small feat! She is a great writer, she is funny, witty, and has some pretty sexy scenes in her books. She writes books that make you feel good and offer you quick humorous escape from your real life. I rate Janet at $$$$$ for ONE FOR THE MONEY!
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*TBT Tribute* Desperate Measures (Barbara Holloway #6) by Kate Wilhelm

11/12/2015

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Synopsis
​Barbara Holloway is retained to represent a man accused of murder. Her father has been retained to represent a woman accused of the same heinous crime. When his client ends up dead, both father and daughter begin to suspect that there may be a third suspect, someone who will kill again to hide a dark secret....

REVIEW

First off I love a good mystery and a court case book. This is a rather long story, but it does have a great story of a disfigured man who is being blamed for murder. I didn’t realize this was a series…so it is a great stand alone novel. I would be willing to read more in the series. Kate Wilhelm does a great job of getting you to either love or hate her characters! For instance I immediately hated Gus…He is a religious fanatic, bully, and small minded. As easily as it was for me to hate Gus…I fell in love with Alex, Doc and Barbara just as quickly. She does a great job of painting a picture, wether it be about the scenery or the features of her characters you have a good mental picture, and that is important for me. This book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, but I was interested in how the case developed and what would happen next! I would rate this book 4 stars.
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Other books in the Barbara Holloway series:

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Book 13

About Kate Wilhelm

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Born in 1928, Kate Wilhelm the author of more than thirty novels including Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang and The Unbidden Truth. Her work has been adapted for TV and film and translated into twenty languages. She has been awarded the Prix Apollo, Kurd Lasswitz, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. In 2003, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Her short fiction appeared in landmark anthologies such as Again Dangerous Visions, Orbit, The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women, and The Norton Book of Science Fiction. A cofounder of the Clarion Writers' Workhops, she continues to host monthly writing workshops in Eugene, Oregon.

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**TBT Special** Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

11/5/2015

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1st book that started the phenomenon!
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10th Anniversary Release - told through Edward's eyes
About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn't know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.


In the first book of the Twilight Saga, internationally bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduces Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a pair of star-crossed lovers whose forbidden relationship ripens against the backdrop of small-town suspicion and a mysterious coven of vampires. This is a love story with bite.

It was the book that started the phenomenon
And had the nation divided -
Team Jacob or Team Edward 

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It was the first book in the series - three more followed 

And FIVE movies!!! 

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Whether you love them or hated them - the Twilight characters became part of the romance and paranormal landscape. One of our reviewers was so obsessed that her classroom was Twilight themed and she was definitely Team Edward!! Read her review and then tell us - Team Edward or Team Jacob!

Dayreader Joan's Review

Can you find your soul mate at seventeen years old?  Is it still true love if it costs you your life?  Those are the questions Bella Swanson is faced with once she decided to move to in with her dad in Forks River, Washington.   She meets the charming Edward Cullen's and his family, and can't seem to get him off her mind. What is even more intriguing about Edward is that he keeps  trying to push Bella away, but it doesn't work.  Even when everything Edward has told her coming true, she still wants to be with him and is even willing to die to protect him.
 
Twilight was such a refreshing novel with its light humor, slight adventure, air of mystery, and romantic love story.  The writing was superb in that I could visualize the scenes and it made me feel like I was a part of the story.  The way each chapter ended made me want to continue reading the next chapter; I had to know what was going on!  I would recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys a good love story. I wish I could give this story more than 5 stars!! 
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My Sister's Keeper

10/1/2015

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Jodi Picoult

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Synopsis

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

A provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, My Sister's Keeper is the story of one family's struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning parable for all time.

My Sister's Keeper Review

My Sister’s Keeper has many levels on which you must think and draw conclusions from. You are thinking about ethics, morals, family values and your own personal opinion and beliefs. For this story… there was no right answer. Jodi Picoult gave me false hope! It felt that the judge made the correct decision in the court case and it still didn’t matter in the end.
    I felt that Sarah Fitzgerald was a selfish mother, but what good mother isn't selfish about her own children? She did what she felt was right and she stuck with it, whereas the father had a few reservations but never did anything about it. Anna’s father was one of my favorite characters in the story because he wanted to let Anna think for herself and workout what she needed to. He was there for Anna in a way that no one else was, he listened.  As for Anna she seems well beyond her years of thirteen. She is smart, cunning, and caring. She stands up for herself in regards to her mother, and that has to be very hard to do after spending your life knowing that you were put on this earth just to be a donor. She felt as if she were letting her entire family down, especially Kate. Kate, Anna and Jesse have all suffered in this family. Kate has cancer and has to take donations from her little sister to survive. Anna sees her self as a walking donor without any hope of keeping Kate alive. Jesse gets lost in the shuffle of hospital visits, nose bleeds and other emergencies. It seems that Sarah’s one goal in life is to keep Kate from dying at the expense of her other children. This is a tough moral decision. So many more characters made this book astounding, but I will let you draw your own conclusions about them!
    I loved this book for the clever, caring and intriguing characters. I also enjoyed the fact that it made me have an inner moral debate. No one can simply put themselves in these characters shoes…unless you have gone through this yourself. I am glad I read this book and I have a greater respect for people who donate to keep their loved ones alive. It takes a true hero to do it! I rate this book 5 stars.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

9/10/2015

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Author: Stephen Chbosky

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Synopsis

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

This book is a hard one to review. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a moving book, not suspenseful, it just is what it is….and that is something you have to figure out for yourself. For me its sad. Charlie has a sad existence of stress, no friends (in the beginning), freshman, and clueless about life.  He just goes with the flow and does whatever will make someone else happy.
I found that the way the book was written was very interesting. Stephen Chbosky’s main character, Charlie is writing to an unknown person throughout the entire book, and you are reading those letters. I found it interesting that he never met the person he was sending these letters to, but it gives it a sense of truth to his feelings. I think that when you write to a stranger you tell the truth because you know it will never come back on you!  And why lie to someone you will never meet?
I also feel sad for Charlie because no one ever really tells him how important he is, or how much they love him. This is something that comes up in the book a lot. He has many people in his life that care and even love him…he just doesn’t know it. I wonder how many other boys feel like this. Perks of Being a Wallflower lets you see how sad someone can be without you really knowing until its too late.  This books isn't all sad. You will get in a few good chuckles. For instance  when the Ohio cousins come to visit. Charlie does make some really good memories and friends.
I rate this book 4.5 stars!
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The Notebook                     Nicholas Sparks

7/23/2015

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Synopsis

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Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned form the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.

Review of The Notebook

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I read this book for this weeks Throwback Thursday because I saw the movie and wanted to know if there was any big differences between the film and the book. Just so you know...there isn’t much difference! The movie does expand on their summer together.
    I really enjoyed the book. This is the kind of book that will lift your spirits; wether you are lost in love, or are feeling left out of love..The Notebook will give you hope! The imagery alone makes this a calming read. You have to take this story as it is. It is a sweet love story,  with no crazy twists, or suspense. The Notebook is a good bath and glass of wine read.
    Noah and Allie’s love is something that I think many of us strive for. Their love was once  lost and found again...but will it continue. Allie has to face the struggle that an upper class woman sometimes has to face. Should she marry for true, soul shaddering love, or should she marry for status, and a comfortable life. Although she loves both men...she loves them differently.
    Noah has just the right amount of romanticism, and manliness. Allie is feminine and artistic. They are a beautiful combination of love, and deepness. Their love story is something that can be told over and over again!
    I rate this book a 4.


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Desperation

7/9/2015

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Written by: Stephen King

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There's a place along Interstate 50 that some call the loneliest place on Earth. It's known as Desperation, Nevada.
It's not a very nice place to live. It's an even worse place to die.
Let the battle against evil begin.
Welcome to ... Desperation...

Located off a desolate stretch of Interstate 50, Desperation, Nevada has few connections with the rest of the world. It is a place, though, where the seams between worlds are thin. Miners at the China Pit have accidentally broken into another dimension and released a horrific creature known as Tak, who takes human form by hijacking some of the town's residents. The forces of good orchestrate a confrontation between this ancient evil and a group of unsuspecting travelers who are lured to the dying town. This rag-tag band of unwilling champions is led by a young boy who speaks to God.

Desperation Review

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This book is scary! I think it is scary because it has a little bit of truth to it. I really enjoyed that Stephen King brought the element of God into this story. I just don’t read much about God in fiction books so that was interesting.  I actually read a lot of Stephen King and this book is different than the rest of his book. I feel that it has deeper feeling than most. I like to reread this book every couple of years. It makes me feel like there are people out there that can hear and feel God. I know it’s weird to feel that in a Stephen King book, but it’s true!
    This book has so many great characters! David the boy who owes God a favor, the writer aka the skeptic, Collie Entragian the man that starts it all, and so many more! This book is gory, and creepy.
    I like how each group of characters has their own story and then they converge into this horror. David and his family are on vacation. The writer is driving across America to write a new book, and his “roadie” is following behind with a hitchhiker. Paul and Mary are headed home from visiting family. There are also a few townies involved.  Get ready...lets see who can make it out alive!
     Desperation has all the makings for a great scary read, and really makes you wonder about curses and who or what is really out there. It makes you have faith in God and other gods who want to do us harm. I rate this book 5 stars.   


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Parable of the Sower

5/28/2015

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Octavia Butler

Synopsis

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When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos, not even gated communities are safe. In a night of fire and death Lauren Olamina, a minister's young daughter, loses her family and home and ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a flight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny... and the birth of a new faith.

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Review of Parable of the Sower

    Parable of the Sower is the first dystopia book I have ever read, when I was younger it didn’t have much impact on me. But now that the book is set ten years in the future and I am about 10 years older....that makes it a lot more real. It makes it so that I can relate to the story and  see what could happen to the U.S. It is such a scary thing to think about.
    Parable of the Sower is a book I have read many times and will read many more times. This a the type of book that each time you read it you learn something new about Lauren. I love reading the Earth Seed Verses it makes you feel closer to the character and what she stands for.  I love Lauren, she is such a strong character! She is knowledgable, trustworthy, kind, and isn’t perfect. She has her flaws like anyone else.
     I found her hyperempathy syndrome to be a very interesting aspect in the book. Here is a quote from the book. “They could kill if they had to, and bear the pain of it or be destroyed by it. But if everyone could feel everyone else’s pain, who would torture?” I love this quote because it is extremely true and I feel that this alone could stop wars and fighting.... Not only does Lauren feel others pain, but she also shares their feeling while they are having sex. So many interesting aspects to this story; it never gets old for me! I rate this book 5 Big Fat Gold Stars!

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