Review: A Shore Thing by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

It's a summer to remember . . . at the Jersey Shore.

Giovanna "Gia" Spumanti and her cousin Isabella "Bella" Rizzoli are going to have the sexiest summer ever. While they couldn't be more different—pint-size Gia is a carefree, outspoken party girl and Bella is a tall, slender athlete who always holds her tongue—for the next month they're ready to pouf up their hair, put on their stilettos, and soak up all that Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has to offer: hot guidos, cool clubs, fried Oreos, and lots of tequila.

So far, Gia's summer is on fire. Between nearly burning down their rented bungalow, inventing the popular "tan-tags" at the Tantastic Salon where she works, and rescuing a shark on the beach, she becomes a local celebrity overnight. Luckily, she meets the perfect guy to help her keep the flames under control. Firefighter Frank Rossi is exactly her type: big, tan, and Italian. But is he tough enough to handle Gia when things really heat up? cont'd

When I was offered this book for review, I hemmed and hawed a little about it, but I knew there was someone that just might be a better judge of A Shore Thing than I would be. So, I enlisted my friend Nicole into interning for me (if you want to call it that); she read Snooki's book and was happy to share her thoughts with me. I will admit to being surprised by what she had to say. Here are Nicole's thoughts about the book :
Jackie: Was A Shore Thing just like Jersey Shore?

Review: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

As readers of series starter City of Bones already know, teenager Clary Fray is a Shadowhunter, a demon slayer who has the gift (?) of spotting Downworlder werewolves, vampires, and faeries. She is also an adolescent in an abnormally dysfunctional family: Her mom is in a magically induced coma and her father is probably insane and undoubtedly evil. All of which places Clary in situations that would challenge even the most talented average American girl.

Having whipped through City of Bones and being left with uncertainties in a particular part of the story line, I was anxious to get some resolution in City of Ashes. This might explain why, initially, I found this one a slow starter. I just couldn't get passed that one element.

Fortunately, Cassie Clare's writing doesn't allow you much time to dwell over not getting the exact story line you want. Clare feeds you a little of

Review: Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton

In the south of Scotland, residents get their chimneys vacuum-cleaned. But in the isolated villages in the very north of Scotland, the villagers rely on the services of the itinerant sweep, Pete Ray, and his old-fashioned brushes. Pete is always able to find work in the Scottish highlands, until one day when Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices blood dripping onto the floor of a villager's fireplace, and a dead body stuffed inside the chimney. The entire town of Lochdubh is certain Pete is the culprit, but Hamish doesn't believe that the affable chimney sweep is capable of committing murder. Then Pete's body is found on the Scottish moors, and the mystery deepens. Once again, it's up to Hamish to discover who's responsible for the dirty deed--and this time, the murderer may be closer than he realizes.

Death of a Chimney Sweep  is actually the 27th book in the Hamish MacBeth series, and I'm sure by this time, Hamish has come across all manner of dark deeds and scheming criminals in his adventures. But, what I like in these books is that Ms. Beaton can continue to find interesting ways to blend old world elements (a chimney sweep, in this book) with the modern world.

The drawing factor for me has always been the Scottish ideals and lifestyle that are woven

Superstition in Fiction

Everywhere around the internet today, in particular, you'll find people mentioning Friday the 13th, accompanied by their own tales of bad luck that happen, be it this day or any previous Friday the 13th. It got me thinking about other supersitions that I've recently read about in books.

One of my current reads is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. As I was reading along last night, I came across mentions of the Knights Templar, which of course, have

And in Book Related News...

In 2009, one of my earliest reviews here was Jess Walters' The Financial Lives of Poets, a fun yet sad look at a down and out writer that gets caught up in a "business" (drug) far from his ideal (financial advice provided with the back drop of poetry and prose). It has been announced that Walters has penned the screen play for the film adaptation and will star Jack Black. This is an interesting casting choice, considering I pictured the main character to be a tall, lanky man...but I'm sure the filmmakers aren't concerned with my inner vision of the character. Read the Hollywood Reporter for more details.

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

It seems this year, that the biggest trend in YA books is the dystopian genre, and within this field, there are quite a few books receiving some extra attention. Wither by Lauren DeStefano is one of the many touted as superior in dystopian fiction for 2011, Having read the great things about it certainly outweighed my reluctance to read this type of book; the kind that generally makes me more angsty than usual.

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does. cont'd

Last year, when the first book in the Curse Workers series was released (White Cat), it was my first exposure to Holly Black's writing. Since then, I have become a huge fan of her work (though I still have to get her older books and read Ms. Black's entire library...it's on the to do list!) What I like is that she is dark, slightly twisted, and a very good story teller.