Book Review: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

I really enjoyed this book. It has been on my to be read book list for a while now. Once I seen that my sister had owned the book I took it and started to read it.

I enjoyed the story line, the character development that Conrad put into the story. I think that she made the two main girls Jane, and Scarlet very well developed.


The book is about two main girls who move to L.A. to live and go to work/school. Jane works for a party planning company and Scarlet goes to U.S.C.

One night out they meet Trever and he tells them that they have the chance to be on a television show. At first they think he is kidding. But, then they find out it is real.

They do get on the show and meet some people from the show.

During the whole experience we have a love life, school work, someone who hates the camera people, parties, parties, and more parties. and much more.


Overall I got give this book a 4.5 out of 5




I hope that you will pick up the book and read it. Also if you do don't forget to check out the second and third book that are out.



Hope you enjoy

Michelle

Kindle Giveaway at sparkling reviews

This blog is about the book blogger http://www.sparklingreviews.com/. Till the 18th of November you can enter to win a Kindle. She got 500 subscribers. Which I think is a great thing. It shows people love what you write about.

Also, if she gets 1000 she is adding more prizes. She is at about 700ish right now. So people check out her page and follow her.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Book Haul 11/8/10

This is only a two book haul. But, I decided to post about it anyways.

The first book I got is titled The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty.


I won this book from Karen at ocdofbooks on youtube and she has a blog. Here are her links to both places

http://ocdaboutbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/ocdofbooks

So check her out!

A little about the book.

"This incredibly nuanced, beautifully written novel treats moral dilemma with the riveting, character-driven plot of a Jane Hamilton or a Jodi Picoult. This novel looks at one incident and how it changes everything for Leigh, the mother of a pretty, popular high school senior, and their entire family. It's a novel about mothers, daughters, sisters, and female friends, and the ripple effect that an accident has upon all of these people. Like so many great novels, it makes readers ask the question, ???What would I do if this happened to me????"

I took that quote from google.com

So I am really exited to read that book.

The second book I got is titled Low Country Summer written by Dorothea Frank. I won this book fro librarything.com a while back so I am glad to finaly get that book.

Here is the cover and some about the book.



"Dorothea Benton Frank is a native of the South whose novels vividly capture the wild beauty, laid-back atmosphere, earthy characters, and charming eccentricities of life in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Written with compelling honesty and emotional depth, her stories have touched readers from coast to coast, and propelled her to the top ranks of bestsellerdom nationwide.




Now this remarkable writer revisits some of her most unforgettable characters in this enchanting new story sure to make you laugh and cry. Return with her to Tall Pines Plantation in this long-awaited sequel to her beloved bestseller Plantation. . . .



When Caroline Wimbley Levine returned to Tall Pines Plantation, she never expected to make peace with long-buried truths about herself and her family. The Queen of Tall Pines, her late mother, was a force of nature, but now she is gone, leaving Caroline and the rest of the family uncertain of who will take her place.



In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals, and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise along the banks of the mighty Edisto River.



Wonderfully evocative, infused with humor and poignancy, and rich with the lyrical cadences of the South, Lowcountry Summer is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank, a deeply moving novel you'll want to savor and share. "

(Quote from Google.com)





I hope you enjoyed this small blog post. and look out for more coming this week.

A thanks for you guys.

I have been seeing more people subscribing to my blog. I am sorry that I have not keep up with it. I have been very busy with school work. I still post video every once in a while on my youtube page (www.youtube.com/miamismartgirl) If you want to see what I have been up to visit me over there. I might start posting my hauls of books on here in pictures before I post them in the collective haul at the end of the month. Also I have some projects in the craft department that are going to be coming out. I am making bibs for someone. You read that right. Bibs. I am using a pattern I found online to make the pattern then I am going to cut the fabric and sew them together. Also, for the baby shower I am making a mini book. Which I am going to do some videos on that also.

Thats all that has really been going on sense the last post. I hope that you guys enjoy reading my diffrent posts. and I hope that you have a  great day.


Another thing. The last post I made was for a book contest. I won that contest. You can see the books I won in my September collective haul on my youtube channel.

Book Giveaway at The Bodacious Pen

The Bodacious Pen, is so nice to be giveing away some books off their book shelf. I hope you guys find time to go and look at the contest and enter.

http://tarawriter.blogspot.com/2010/08/shelf-clearing-contest.html

More, Return The Heart.

Today, I was reading the blogs that I needed to catch up on, and I was reading the blogs that were a part of the Return the Heart Book Tour, when I realised I kinda did mine wrong. I guess there is no wrong way. But, I did not even tell you what the book was about. So, that is what this post is about. I am going to tell you what the book is about.

Return the Heart is the debut novel from T.K. Richardson.

Here is a summary of the book.

"To a casual passerby, Lilly Paige is anything but special. As a seventeen year old, she is faced with all the complications of a teenager, but deep down there is much more. Lilly has a gift, though sometimes it seems to be a curse.




Lilly can peer into the hearts of others – their deepest, darkest secrets are there for Lilly to see – but to what end? Raised by aloof parents, Lilly has been independent her whole life, but soon she will need to rely on her friends to evade an evil that has sold her gift to the highest bidder on the black market. Lilly and her four closest friends are immersed in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, that will not only reveal more about Lilly’s gift, but also her link to an old Russian prophecy.



Can Lilly and her friends escape the danger that is so close they can practically feel it? Where will their perilous journey lead them – to darkness or light?"

I used this from another book bloggers post about the book, because I could not find any good ones.
The book blogger I used it from you can visit here: http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/in-which-we-welcome-young-adult-author-t-k-richardson/


The book is Young Adult. So, if you are in love with YA, I hope that you will put this book on your book to read.

Return the Heart Book Tour.

If, there is any thing I have forgot to put in this, please email me at michelleconner23456@hotmail.com. I will try to post a comment, once, I fiqure out who is next, so you guys can view that page.

For the tour, I decided to do an interview questions. Thank you to the author, and Alex for the great time, i cant wait to see all the other blog posts.

Here are the questions and answers.



1.) Was it hard this being your first book?




Return the Heart is my debut novel and is was not hard to write. In a way it felt like it was always there just waiting to be written. The story just flowed and the characters sprang to life, which made it easy. Editing the book was definitely more difficult because there were so many ‘layers’ of edits, but I’m very happy with the result.



2.) Are you happy with the outcome of the book, including the cover, etc.?



Yes, I am very happy with the outcome of the book. The cover took my breath away when I first saw it. I am so grateful to the design team who created it. I believe it captures the main character, the intrigue, and the mystery perfectly.



As far as the story, yes I’m happy with that, as well. I did have to cut many scenes that I wanted to leave in the book, but they didn’t advance the plot, so I had to remove them. Maybe someday I will post those deleted scenes on my website. It might be fun for people to see what didn’t make it into the book.



3.) What is your favorite part of being an author?



I wrote Return the Heart for my children. Seeing them hold the book in their hands and staying up late into the night reading it is the best part of being an author for me. I also really enjoy the doors it has opened. I have been able to meet so many people through blogs, book signings, interviews, etc. and I have found some wonderful new friends in the writing community.



4.) How many publishers did you have to go through to get the book published?



After I finished writing and editing Return the Heart I began to search for representation and started researching different publishers. It was a long and painful process, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. During that time I learned more about the publishing industry and I feel it prepared me for the publishing process. It also gave me the tools and information that I needed. It was definitely worth the wait because I am very happy with the book and very happy with my publisher.


A note from the author.


Thank you again for having me as a guest today. I hope you enjoy reading Return the Heart!

Enter for a chance to win a ARC of a book.

Click the link below, to find out how to win an awsome ARC.

http://pjhoover.blogspot.com/2010/07/beautiful-darkness-arc-giveaway.html

Another blogger giveaway.

I know you are probley tired of seeing contest, but, I love to try to win things and you can get extra extries by posting bloges and twitters, and other things.

This one gives you a chance to win a $50 give card to CSN store (they sell bookcases)

http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/2010/07/contest-50-gift-certificate-to-csn.html

Check out this book giveaway

Tons of new books are being given away at The Bodancious Pen blog. here is the link.

http://tarawriter.blogspot.com/2010/07/big-honkin-contest.html

Book Review: Fang by James Patterson

Fang is the sixth book in the Maximum Ride Series. The book was published on March 15, 2010 by Little, Brown Company. 

I loved this book and personally think that this is the best one of the series so far. (Next one called Angel comes out in 2011) I like how James Patterson gives you details that were in the other books, so, if you just happened to pick this book up in the library or a store, and you did not know it was a series, you could just read this book and catch one pretty quick. I would read the other books in the order that they are produced, so you get the whole story. If Patterson could put all the details into one book then we would not be on the sixth book.

If you have not heard of the books before. Here is a summery of Fang from Goodreads.com:

"Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the Flock makes her fear the worst. And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die. Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?"

Why the name Fang for the title some of you might ask. Fang is one of the main charators in the book, and second in the main group of six winged children.

Overall I would give this book a 5 out of 5. I dont see how it could get much better. The chartors are told about and you get man details about them trought out the book series. The other details of the books are very detailed to. If they are fighting then you get details of them fighting, and sometimes you might even seem like you are a part of the fight.

So, I hope you enjoyed this book review. If you have any ideas for helping me become a better book review then send them to my email (michelleconner23456@hotmail.com)

Changes

I thought it was time for some changes around here.

 So I changed my background to my blog.
I finally found out how to put stuff in the sidebars. (So, if you have something you want in the sidebar. Let me know)

Also, I changed the URL to my blog. If you were allready subscribed then you are still subscribed.

The new URL if you have told any one is

http://www.michellemylifemyblog.blogspot.com/

I changed this because I also changed the header to say Michelle's Life. and then the information below it.

So, I hope all this changes are not at a shock to any one.


Also, I have been posting videos on youtube a lot this week. so check that out.

More Book Contests

This one is at http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/

You can win 5 great books. That sounds awsome. Also, with the books you can win 5 Packs of 5 Gum.


So, if you want to win, travel over to http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/
and enter today

Another Book Giveaway (at someone eles place)

Mallory, at The Teen Bibliophile is giveing away a Signed Copy of Salvaged by Stefne Miller.

Here is what Mallory put on the post about the book.

"'My body was being torn apart, and my stomach felt as if it exploded. The pain was excruciating, and I was aware that I was dying... 'Mom?' My vision was murky, but I could see her face. It was bloody, and her eyes were large and full of fear. Her voice calmed. 'Get out of the car, Attie.' Her words sounded crisp and clear. I looked into the backseat in search of Melody and found her lying covered in blood in a twisted heap on the floor. I turned my attention back to my mother and out of the corner of my eye saw fire. 'Get out, Attie!' 'Mom?' Everything went dark.' Attie Reed should have died in the wreck that stole the lives of her mother and best friend. But her life was spared. Why? When Attie moves to Oklahoma to stay with the Bennetts for the summer, she hopes she has left her nightmares behind. But her battle is far from over, and Riley Bennett steps forward to help her fight the nighttime monsters. As the battle wears on, Riley begins fighting monsters of his own: his feelings for Attie. And Attie realizes she must begin to face the monsters of the night herself if she wants to conquer them for good. Can Attie's life be Salvaged?"

Only one person can win. So, if you want to win. Travel over to this place

http://teenbibliophile.blogspot.com/

July Challege #5

This challenge was to go throught are pictures and find a picture that brought back memories. This picture was from Sea World back in the 1990's

July Challenge #5

The page was for the july challenge #5 at thescrapbeach.ning.com

The challenge was to use clear dimensional glaze such as Diamond Glaze, Glossy Accents or Triple Thick.

I did not have those, so I used Hot Glue.

Here is the page.


and a close up

July Challenge #2

This is for the challenge #2 at thescrapbeach.ning.com

I hope that this is right. I made the tag, out of paper. I hope you enjoy.


The paper is from the Karen Foster year paper pack #3. I dont know the exact name. But, if you want to know, leave a comment.
The larger stickers are Making Memories
The smaller ones are from Wal-Mart.

Free Books?

Travel Over to 21 Pages Book Review Blog and you will see how you can win ARC books before they come out in stores.

http://21pages.x10hosting.com/2010/07/arc-giveaway-clockwork-angel-paranormalcy-and-more/

July Crop Challenge #4

This is my layout for the 4th challenge at thescrapbeach.ning.com


Hope you like.

I have been saving this paper sence i got it, and have not used it.


It is a simple page, but I like it, and I used my new Making Memories Tag Maker that I recived to make the tag, in the corner.

The paper I got in a swap so I dont know who it is by.
The letters I have had forever, but think you can get them at most any craft stores.
The tag I made.

July Crop #1 Challenge

This page is for the July Crop #1 Challenge. over at thescrapbeach.ning.com

Hope you enjoy.


I did this page because during the summer is when i get most of my reading done, during the school year, I was more worried about school work and reading the books that had to be read during english class and the projects that had to be done.

I took the idea for reading from Kathryn because when she was doing her page during the live Ustream show, I thought of the picture I used for this page.

The paper is from Target, I think it came 4 pieces in pack for a dollor a long time ago.
The letters were from Big Lots.
The flower I made.

Book Reviews To Come

This week I finished Fang by James Patterson.

Then I finished Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

 

So, those are two things you guys can look forward to this week. I also, got a few books this week. I will share those on Tuesday, in a video and in a post.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend so far.

BLOG CANDY

I am following an awsome person who posted about this blog candy that some one eles posted. The prizes include:

64 sheets of 6x6 DP, 2 pkgs. metal embellishments, 2 pkgs. pearls, mini album, felt ribbon, misc. die cut shapes, swirly bling and a 'cute' stamp, Stamped Tilda ( I copied that from her blog.)

So, if you want to be able to win this blog candy go over to the blog at the link below

http://justsoducky.blogspot.com/


Also, i know I have not posted anything for a few weeks. But, i have been posting videos. So, check them out. User Name is miamismartgirl on youtube.

6/21/2010

So, I am starting this blog on 6/21 but might finish it on 6/22. Depends on how long I take in typing this post.

I still need to finish my list of books to read. Hope to do that tomorrow. Then tomorrow I hope to tape a lot of video for YouTube and get those up. I might pre record a lot of videos and put them up during the night and what not.

I also, might do the 30 days vlog along with the other videos because i have been watching people do these, and they seem fun.

Today, June 21st was my 18th birthday. I did not get much for my birthday from my parents. But, I did get some books and my mom, sister, and I went out to dinner at TGI Fridays. My dad did not feel good. So, he could not go.

I did not want them to sing, but, my mom and sister made them. Before they come to sing to me, they did it to someone else. So, that was interesting that it happened to be to peoples birthdays in one day.

My cat had four kittens on Saturday night/ Sunday morning.

I have a lot to do tomorrow, so I am going to get off here. But, one last thing. Is I posted a new video on my YouTube. So, here is the video. Hope you enjoy.

Books I want to read.

This list is going to be all of the books that I would like to read. Most of these I do not own. But, would love to have a room that is just full of books. If I do own the book then I will put a notation beside that title. More for me to keep track.
* = Own
If the book is not out yet I will put the day it is to come out in paratheses next to the title.

1. Lock and Key- Sara Desson

2. Need- Carrie Jones
3. Once Dead Twice She- Kim Harrison
4. Love You Hate You Miss You- Elizabeth Scott
5. Cracked Up to Be- Courtney Summers

Poison Study Series- Maria Snyder
6. Poison Study
7. Magic Study
8. Fire Study

Mortal Insruments Series- Cassandra Claire
9. City of Bones
10. City of Ashes
11. City of Glass
12. City of Fallen Angels (March 27, 2011)
I’d Tell you I love U but, Then I’d Have to Kill U- Ally Carter
13. I’d Tell you I love U but, Then I’d Have to Kill U*
14. Cross My Heart and hope To Spy
15. Don’t Judge A Girl by Her Cover

Maximum Ride- James Patterson
16. Fang
17. Angel (2/2011)

18. Lovely Bones-Alice Sebola

Gemma Doyle Series- Libba Bray

19. A Great and Terrible Beauty
20. Rebel Angels
21. Sweat Far Things.

22. The Host- Stephenie Meyer
23. Fallen- Lauren Kate

Hunger Games Series-Suzanne Collins
24. Mocking Jay (8/2010)
25. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies- Jane Austen
26. Wicked- Gregory Maquire

Witch Season Series- Jeff Marlotte
27. Fall
28. Winter
29. Summer
30. Spring

31. Kissed By An Angel- Elizabeth Chandler

Sweep Series- Cate Terman
32. Book Of Shadows
33. Coven
34. Blood Witch
35. Dark Magic
36. Awakening
37. Spell Bound
38. The Calling
39. Changelling
40. Strife
41. Seeker
42. Origins
43. Eclipse
44. Reckoning
45. Full Circle
46. Nights Child

47. Incareron- Catherine Fisher

Ghost Series- Tonya Hurley
48. Ghost Girl
49. Ghost Girl: Homecoming

50. The vast Fields of Ordinary- Nick Burd
51. Grazy Beautiful- Lauren Baratz-Logsted
52. Another Faust- Dina and Daniel Nayeri
53. Elsewhere- Gabrielle Zevin

Immortals Series- Alyson Noel
54. Evermore
55. Blue Moon
56. Shadowland
57. Dark Flame (6/22/2010)

58. Shapeshifters- Holly Bennett
59. The Awakening- Kate Chopin
60. What they always tell us- Martin Wilson
House of Night- PC. and Kristin Cast
61. Marked
62. Betrayed
63. Chosen
64. Untambed
65. Hunted
66. Tempted
67. Burned

68. Impossible- Nance Werlin

Darkest Powers Series- Kelly Armstrong
69. Summoning
70. Awakening
71. Reckoning
72. The Gathering

Beautiful Creatures Series- Kami Garcia
73. Beautiful Creatures
74. Beautiful Darkness

Vampire Academy- Richelle Mead
75. Vempire Academy
76. Frostbite
77. Shadowkiss
78. Blood Promise
79. Spritbound
80. Last Sacrifice (12/7/10)

81. For Keeps- Natasha Friend
82. The Forbidden Sea- Sheilla A Nielson

Heir Serier- Cinda Williams Chima
83. Warrior Heir
84. Wizard Heir
85. Dragon Heir

Shifiters- Rachel Vincent
86. Stray
87. Roque
88. Pride
89. Prey
90. Shift
91. Alpha

Wings Series-Aprilynne Pike
92. Wing
93. Spells

The Series of the Immortal- Micheal Scott
94. The Alchemist
95. The Magician
96. The Sorceress
97. The Necormancer
98. The Warlock
99. The Enchantress

100. Glimmer Glass- Jenna Black

The Forest of Hands and Teeth Series- Carrie Ryan (I dont even know if these are a series But, I think they are.)
101. The Forest of Hands and Teeth
102. Dead Tossed Waves

103. Heist Socity- Ally Carter

The Mediator Series- Mag Cabot
104. ShadowLand
105. Ninth Key
106. Reunion
107. Darkest Hour
108. Haunted
109. Twilight

Hush Hish Series- Becca Fitzpatrick
110. Hush Hush
111. Crescendo

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series- Rick Riordan
112. Lighting Thief *
113. Sea of Monsters
114. Titan's Curse
115. Battle of Labyrinth
116. Last Olympian

117. My Invisible Boyfriend- Susie Day
118. Forgive My Fins- Tera Lynn Childs
119. The Year I Turned Sixteen- Diana Schwemm

Gone Series- Michael Grant
120. Gone
121. Hunger

123. Graceling- Kristine Cashore
124. Clair de Lune- Christine Johnson
124. Chasing Brooklyn- Lisa Schroeder
125. A Match made in Highschool- Kristin Walker

Wake Series- Lisa McMann
126. Wake
127. Fade
128. Gone

129. Clockwork Angel (Prequal to Mortal Instruments) (Sept 2010)
130. The Catcher In The Rye- JD Salinger

Vaampire Diaries Series- L. J. Smith
131. In the Awakening
132. In the Struggle
133. In the Fury
134. In Dark Return
135. In The Return: Nightfall
136. In The Return: Shadow Souls

137. The Book Theif- Markus Zusak
138. Iron King- Julie Kagawa


This is part of the list.  I will finish the list tommorow.

Hope you enjoy.

6/15/2010

What have I don't today.

When I woke up today, I let me dogs out, did normal stuff and got online to watch some YouTube Videos.

Then I started to clean my room and moved stuff around. But, got bored quick. So, I went back to watching videos. As the videos loaded, I did clean some of my room here and there when I wanted to.

I worked on my swap for http://www.yourpaperpanty.ning.com/. I have to make 12 ATC's or artist trading cards.

I ate lunch. Posted a blog earlier today.

I have not gone anywhere. Or done anything that is really interesting.
But, I did learn that one of my cats is pregnant. My dad acted as if I knew that she was. But, this was news to me.


Later today, I plan on posting another blog with my books I want to read. But, that one will take a lot more time to type and post. So, that might be up today, or tomorrow. When ever I finish typing the post.


So, I hoped you enjoyed this post and you guys have a nice day.

Love,
Michelle

Books read 2010

I am going to start keeping track on the books I read 2010.

1. All is Fair in Love and Highschool- Janette Rallison
2. Prom Anonymous- Blake Nelson
3. Witch and Wizard- James Patterson
4. Withering Heights- Emily Bronte
5. Before I Fall- Lauren Oliver
6. Maximum Ride #1-The Angel Experiment- James Patterson
7. Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
8. Cathching Fire- Suzanne Collins
9. Maximum Ride #2- Schools Out Foever- James Patterson
10. Maximum Ride #3- Saving the World and other Extreme Sports- James Patterson
11. Maximum Ride #4- Final Warning- James Patterson
12. Maximum Ride #5- MAX- James Patterson




Once a month I am going to be reposting the whole list. But, I will keep this updated more than that. If you want reviews on the list, or ideas on books you should read, let me know and I will see what I can do.

I might also, do an list of books I want to read later on.

Im Back

I am back. I have not been using this blog for a while. I want to get back into writing blogs and keeping track of what i do for the summer.

An update. This will not be everything i have done for a little over a year (June was my last real blog I posted). But, some of it.

I attented my senior year and graduated.
I finished highschool missing no days.
I am starting to read more.
I am attending college in the fall at Wright State Univeristy.
I turned 17 and am about to turn 18 on June 21st.
I did ask someone to prom with a video on Youtube.com (Miamismartgirl is my username) He did so no. But, we are still good friends.
My gerbill died. But, I got a hamster thats name is Houdini.
I did see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at Midnight when it came out.
The only other movie I have got to see in theaters is Sherlock Holmes.

I applied for my first job about a week ago at Kroger.

Thats all the update I can think of. If I think of any more I will make a new post.

I am going to try to post a new blog everyday.