Search This Blog

Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Monday, January 25, 2010

Book Review #1: Secrets of My Hollywood Life 2: On Location

[this post was from a year ago]

So, approximately 13 minutes and 3 seconds ago, I finished the book Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location by Jen Calonita. I just bought it yesterday from Barnes & Nobles in paperback for $7.99 because i had and $85 card. (I also bought 3 other books which i will probably finish and review by the end of this month.)

For some reason, Amazon claims it is 256 pgs, except my book only has 228.5.

Official synopsis:

" It seems like the summer of dreams come true for Hollywood princess Kaitlin Burke: the media loves her (again), super-cute and funny Austin Meyers is finally her boyfriend, and she's starring in a movie by her all-time favorite director Hutch Adams. What could be sweeter? But life on set is not as perfect as the makeup and costumes. And with an old love and a scheming new publicist on the scene, it's about to get a whole lot messier. "

My review:

Even though I didn't read the first book, Secrets of My Hollywood Life, there was no problem understanding what was going on, unlike The Clique. The book is somewhat girly and cliche and unimportant, but it's like a little treat that can do you no harm. The main character, Kaitlin Burke, is a famous Hollywood actress who, apparently pretended to be a normal high school girl in the first novel, but caused a huge fiasco when her arch nemesis, Sky Mackenzie hijacked her Sidekick and betrayed her. Kaitie finally got the lead role in a new movie directed by her favorite director, but when her backstabbing, creepy ex- boyfriend is cast as her partner role, things can't be worst. Until the crazy director decides to cast the evil Sky as Katie's "best friend". Chaos comes back to Kaitie's life when Sky and Drew (the ex-boyfriend) team up to make her life miserable, and someone keeps leaking secrets about Kaitie to the press. It doesn't help that Kaitie and her adorable boyfriend Austin start fighting as well.
But with the support of her best friend and loyal assistant, Kaitie is sure to make another comeback, right? Read to find out!

3 Stars out of 5

Complete overview:

  • 229 pgs.
  • $7.99 (paperback) in stores, including Amazon.
  • $16.99 (hardcover), $12.74 on Amazon
  • Genre: teen/young adult/chic flick
Buy the book:

My Infamous list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

WARNING: This list will be updated frequently.

i was basically just surfing amazon for interesting books, when i saw this one book that was called 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. i looked at the synopsis, and it gave a couple of examples of books and authors. i've never even heard of any of those books or names! so i decide that i would start a list of my own. I know that you and I probably don't have the same taste in literature. These are mostly chic-lit, with some meaningful ones (Sharon Creech books) and some that are loved universally (Jerry Spinelli) i will continuously add on books, as my knowledge of them grows. This is in no specific order. let's begin:

  1. Kate's Turn by Jeanne Betancourt
  2. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  3. The Princess Diaries III: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot
  4. The Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
  5. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
  6. Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
  7. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
  8. The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech
  9. Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
  10. Bloomability by Sharon Creech
  11. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
  12. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  13. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
  14. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
  15. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
  16. The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson
  17. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
  18. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
  19. Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
  20. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
  21. The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
  22. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
  23. The Tail of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
  24. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
  25. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
  26. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
  27. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
  28. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  29. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
  30. A Dance of Sisters by Tracey Porter
  31. Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
  32. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
  33. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
  34. Olive's Ocean by Kevin Hankes
  35. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  36. So B. It by Sarah Weeks
  37. Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
  38. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
  39. Love Walked In by Mariso De Los Santos
  40. Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
  41. The Odyssey by Homer
  42. Wicked by Gregory Mcguire
  43. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
  44. The Gallagher Girl Series by Ally Carter
  45. Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund
  46. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Summaries of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse

This was from May, 2008, when I first caught Twilight Fever. This was before the overrated Twilight movie crap, when it still seemed mysterious and luring... 

I don't think i mentioned this before, but i have been in love with the best series on earth lately. it's called Twilight by Stephenie Meyers. the first book is called Twilight, where the main character, Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her dad, Charlie because her mother is traveling to Florida with her new husband. Bella makes lots of new friends at her new school, but most importantly, she meets Edward Cullen. Edward is the most beautiful person she's ever seen, and his marble skin is as smooth and pale as.. well, marble. Later in the book, she learns that Edward is a vampire, and but his family is what they call vegetarians which means that they only hunt animals, and not humans. However, Edward works 100 times harder to not kill Bella because she has the exact type of blood that is Edward's favorite. Soon, they fall in love, but many dangers cross paths with them. and it doesn't help that Bella is a danger magnet, and gets saved by Edward millions of times.
In an interview, Stephenie Meyers said that this book is about finding love.

the next book, New Moon is about losing love. After a disastrous birthday celebration at the Cullen's place, Edward convinces himself that he must leave in order to protect Bella. he believes that he has caused her too much trouble, but Edward doesn't tell the truth of his departure to bella. He, instead, tells her that he does not love her anymore, so there is no reason for him to stay in Forks, Washington any longer. Bella is heartbroken, and for months, she turns almost inhuman. she has no emotions, she can't hear people unless she is asked a direct question, and there is never any light in her eyes of color in her cheeks. she also starts having repeating nightmares, which cause her to scream every night. but almost all the misery ends when she starts hanging out with Jacob Black, which she thinks of as her personal sun. Jacob is an old friend of hers, who was actually the one to tell her that Edward was a vampire. but Jacob only thinks it's a myth. no one knows the truth, except, possibly, Jacob's dad, Billy, who is friends with Charlie (Bella's dad). Jacob is not really the mature type. he seems to enjoy risks and extreme sports. When he teaches Bella to ride a motorcycle, Bella discovers that she starts having strange, but pleasant hallucinations. She hears and sees Edward, the love of her life quite clearly, and he warns her with his velvety sweet voice not to do any dangerous stunts. Before Edward had left, he made Bella promise that she would not do anything dangerous or hurt herself. but Bella breaks that promise and so many others just to hear her pleasant hullucinations. but when Alice Cullen, Edward's fortune-telling sister sees Bella jumping off a cliff, Edward is convinced that Bella is dead, so he tries to kill himself as well. Things do not turn out pretty. but it's another happy ending.

the third book, which i just finished to day, was definently not my favorite. Edward comes back, yes, and Jacob is a werewolf. vampires and werewolves are enemies. they don't trust eachother, so they are basically fighting for Bella. oh, and Jacob is in love with bella. things do not turn out pretty, especially, with another evil vampire seeking revenge, and trying to kill bella, Edward and Jacob must, somehow, work together to save Bella. but that only lasts temporarily, until the war is over. oh yeah, and the Volturi, which are the royal vampires, basically are also determined to stop Bella's heartbeat, but not to kill her, only to turn her into one of them- a vampire. but that's exactly what Bella wants. she would give up her human life to be immortal, to be with Edward forever. but Edward disagrees. he wants bella to live her human life to the fullest because he never had. in this book, Bella also discovers the stories and opinions of many of Edward's siblings, including the most beautiful person -or vampire- on earth, Rosalie, and Jasper. Finally, Edward and Bella come to a comprimise. Of course, Bella could become a vampire as soon as she graduates from college because she has Carlisle's (Edward's "dad")promise. however, she really also wants to be turned into a vampire by Edward. Edward's only condition is that she marry him first. this book's ending is not all that happy because the epilogue is told from Jacob's point of view, and he goes berserk when he recieves a wedding invitation.
in my opinion, Jacob should die and leave bella and Edward alone.

sorry, i don't know if my summaries of my favorite book's bored you, but i recommend these books to everyone! actually, a movie of twilight is coming out December 12, 2008. on August 2, i think, the fourth, and final book is also coming out, called Breaking Dawn, and i'm excited to see if Bella finally turns into a vampire. i know she would be extroadinary.

Buy the books:


<--- this is to buy the hardcover SET. search on amazon for the individual books too.