The Host Tour

So today was the day that Stephenie Meyer's newest book The Host was released and to kick off her tour, her first stop was at the Mall Of America in the Twin Cities, Minnesota-where I live. You can imagine how excited I was that she was coming. Also, all the other places that she's going are ticketed except for this one and so I was expecting quite a huge crowd.

(The lines)

And of course, I was right to expect that. They officially started lining people up at 8 AM, which means that a ton of people were ahead of us even after I had gone there straight from school and got there about two hours early. By the time we got there, the roped off line sections were almost full, but thankfully we got a spot in front of the stage. There were a bunch of people that came after us and had to be lined up down the halls of stores. It was really full.

(All the people!)

And finally Stephenie came out at around six to a crowd of screaming fans. She spoke for about fifteen minutes, answering some of the questions people who got there early had submitted. She talked about everything from her inspiration for the story, to the Twilight movie, to her family. She had to keep it brief though so she could actually sign all our books before the mall closed!

(Talking...)

And here's my funny story: I went to the signing with my cousin who has a small baby and so after we had waited in line for about a half an hour into the signing, a guy who was doing management for the event pulled us out of line and let us budge everyone! So I got to get my book signed pretty quickly and my baby cousin got to come up with me. So I thought that was a pretty cool thing. At least we didn't have to wait in line super long!

(Stephenie signing books)

So, overall, the whole book signing event was very fun and I think the excitement of the atmosphere was one of the things that made it the most memorable. It's a once in a life time experience to be able to see such a high-profile author! There were people there with homemade shirts for Twilight and the Host and most surprisingly there was even a guy or two. :) I am now reading The Host and I hope to get a review up soon!

(Sideways view of my book)

One Whole And Perfect Day by Judith Clarke

Lily has always been the sensible one in her dysfunctional family. What she finds annoying is that that is all that people expect of her. She always gets stuck with the jobs and never gets to have any fun. And to add to that, her family never gets along. Whether it be because her brother doesn't know how to handle his life or because her grandma is talking to her imaginary friend, Sef, again, things never seem to work out or go as planned. So Lily decides to break out of the mold and do something unexpected. Perhaps, she thinks, she should fall in love. But when her grandfather and her brother write each other off, Lily has to put her plans on hold and put the pieces of her family back together again. But will Lily ever get some time to spend on herself or will she be left doing the dirty work once again?

I kind of have mixed feelings about this book. I'm going to get my complaint out first. I wasn't really able to fully get into the book. I thought it was a great story line and everything but nothing in it ever grabbed me and made me want to keep reading. I think if I had to, I would be able to put the book down and not really care about the ending. It just wasn't the kind of book that made you want to flip pages. Other than that, I don't have very many things against it. The thing I really liked about the book was how in depth the characters were and yet the story still had this laid back, sunny feel to it. It kind of seemed like you were getting to know all the people the family as you were sitting in their backyard drinking lemonade. But I also liked how despite the laid back feel, you still got a really good insight into all the aspects of their lives that you wouldn't normally be privy to. It was also just a sweet and simple plot line that had all these nice, but meaningful aspects to it. I think the best thing about the plot was the way it tackled racism. It was deep and yet you didn't feel as if it was bogging the story down. I also liked the way we got to see all the family ties. And I think my favorite part would have to be the cute little twists at the end in which everything turns out happily and every little thing gets resolved. So although it wasn't the easiest book to get into, I'd still recommend One Whole and Perfect Day because it really is just a great, feel-good kind of story.

Say What? A Meme?

I have been tagged by Ambeen from Ravenous Reader Reviews!

So, here are the rules for this super fantabulous meme:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.

Ooh! Fun! The closest book to me is the one I'm currently reading; One Whole and Perfect Day. I actually haven't gotten to page 123 yet, but here are my sentences, nevertheless:
After the shock he'd experienced-the place where he'd grown up vanished while his back was turned-Stan felt he needed meat. Meat of some kind anyway. "Got any Chiko Rolls?"
Huh? Does anyone know what Chiko Rolls are? I think the book is set in Australia so that might explain why I'm kind of out of it. :D Those are cool sentences though!

And here are the five people I tag:
1. Dominique from The Book Vault
2. Jordyn from Page Numbered
3. Cyndi from The Page Wanderer
4. Chelsie from Read, Read, Read
5. Kelsey from Reading Keeps You Sane

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The most exciting thing in Miranda's life was the fact that an asteroid was supposed to make contact with the moon and be visible from Earth. No one thought that it was going to be a big deal; it was supposed to just be something that would be neat to see. But due to some miscalculations, the asteroid knocks the moon out of its regular orbit and closer to Earth, causing massive problems. Tides are going berserk washing away cities, islands, and miles of coast line. Then volcanoes start errupting and pretty much everything takes a huge turn for the worse. Gas prices skyrocket and you never know where you're going to find your next meal. Just surviving the winter is Miranda and her family's biggest concern. And one thing's for sure. Life as she knew it will never be the same.

I'm still kind of shell-shocked from reading this. I had heard many good reviews about it and I think that it really lives up to all the hype, but in a creepy way that's bound to send shivers down your spine. I've never read a book that's based on the end of the world before so I was a little nervous going into it. You know, I didn't want it to be hugely morbid or preachy or anything like that. It turns out that it had the perfect balance of every thing that a book needs to keep you hooked. First of all, the plot was amazing. I was completely drawn in which was wierd. I've never thought of myself as a person who would find excitement in reading about civilization's demise, but I did. Sadly. The story was just told in such a way that you couldn't help but be completely and utterly absorbed. And it really puts things in perspective. I mean, what if something that drastic actually happened? This book definitely made me think about that kind of stuff and it really made me appreciate my life as I know it. The second thing that made this an amazing book was that the diary format was the perfect way to tell the story. I, for one, have never been much of a diary book person but I think that that was pretty much the only way to tell the story successfully and it made it that much more personal to read it from the point of view of someone you can relate with. And the last thing that I loved about the book was how in depth it was. You could really tell that the author put a lot of thought into what she was writing about and it wasn't just a random story. There was a lot of perspective and insight that really helped give the story more meaning. So if you're looking for a book that will quite possibly change your outlook on life as well as keep you glued to the pages for a good couple of hours, you'll definitely want to pick up Life As We Knew It. I know that it is going into the stack of my all time favorite books and that's saying something because books don't get put there very often. :)

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Kate's life is pretty much ruined. Her dad quit his regular job to sell vitamins from a booth at the mall. Her grandma who everyone hates, moved in to help them out because Kate's dad isn't making any money with his new "job". Her 23 year old brother Todd moved back in. And, Kate's best friend acts like she doesn't exist. The only thing that shines a little light into her horrible life is Will; the adorable boy who is notorious for hooking up with anything that breathes. Kate's hoping though that their relationship isn't like that for him, because she really truly likes him. But how can you tell when the only way you ever talk is through sarcasm? To get away from her life, Kate starts to close herself off and doesn't realize that the only way to be able to appreciate the good things is to live through the bad. And maybe, just maybe, everyone might have a little good in them somewhere.

I think that they picked the perfect blurb for the cover of this book. Melissa De La Cruz says; "I absolutely loved this book! It's funny, sad, and wise, and will make your heart ache in the best way." I totally agree with her. Perfect You was a completely refreshing and heart-warming book. I've decided that Elizabeth Scott and Sarah Dessen have a lot in common. In their books, they both tell about people who live with or go through difficult situations and they manage to do it with humor, integrity, and relatability that really makes their books totally readable. One of my favorite parts about this book was the characters. I think for me to love a book, the characters need to be well written and I need to be able to relate to them. Both things were true in this case. I felt that I was able to get really close to the characters and understand what they were going through even though I have never been through their situations myself. I also liked the dynamics of Will and Kate's relationship. They both had such a great sense of humor that I found myself laughing out loud more than once. I think one of my favorite characters though was one of the more minor ones; Todd. I loved how he went through his own set of struggles in the background of the book. It's nice to see a side character get some glory. So, all in all, I would definitely recommend that you read Perfect You. It's adorable, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny. And I myself can't wait for Elizabeth Scott's next book, Stealing Heaven which promises to be just as good.