Home isn't a place; it's a person.

Just the title of this book resulted in a long life on the "books I should read" shelf.  I really wasn't excited about reading it, but I needed a easy, lighthearted book to read for my weekend in bed with the flu.  Anna came to the rescue.

This book is entertaining when it is not annoying.  The "stupid girl" stereotype is prominent throughout the novel.  Of course, I was hoping for an ending that killed the stereotype; to my dismay, I was left unfulfilled.  The setting of this story is what enticed me the most.  An American School in Paris where all the great sites of the city are highlighted and described - loved every moment of that!  Anna is sent to France for her final year of high school.  Anna is not at all excited about this moment, but she finds that life in Paris isn't too bad after all.  The book exemplifies the choices and feelings that teens may struggle with in a place where parents are thousands of miles away and people are what really matters in life.  

Play Nice

I couldn't wait to get the third book in this series. Although I couldn't really remember the story line as I read the books over the summer, it only took a few pages for the story to come back to me.  Once again, a baseball story that really isn't about baseball.  It's about people - their struggles, their misconceptions, their laughs, their tears, and their hopes.  

Ashley, the mean girl in the first book, is back to tell her story.  Everyone is advised to stay away from her, but Hayes realizes that there might be more to Ashley than her mean exterior.  

Read it; you won't regret it!

Under the Lights

I guess it is time to admit that I pre-ordered this book on Amazon, and I had it read by the end of the weekend.  Thanks to the hot Phoenix weather, I also got a nice tan.  Oops, I digressed...

The characters are what I love most about these books.  The plot isn't as developed as the characters which is a nice twist to teen novels.  I loved Willa and Gunner and Brady and pretty much every other character in the book. It isn't as much about football as the cover and title allude; it is more about how these normal teenagers cope with the lives they have been given: money doesn't always mean happiness, parents aren't always good people, friends aren't always forever, everyone has a dark secret, but hope always exists.  Although it is a sequel to Under the Lights, it follows a new story. They can definitely be read together or separately.

If you like the Hundred Oaks series or the Play series, you will love this one.  I just wonder when the next book will be released.

Until Friday Night

Thanks to Microsoft for the book grant last fall! I still have about 15 books to read to add to the RC list.  I was inspired to read this book because I love football, and I am ready for it to be football season (2 more weeks!).  

I must admit...I wasn't in love with the synopsis of this book, but I decided to give it a try anyway.  I loved every moment of it.  It's not your typical high school football player/cheerleader combo.  The author does a great job of developing the characters and adding intensity to the situation through minor characters.  

The scenarios are a bit extreme - father dies of cancer/father kills mother, but the focus is not on the incident rather how people cope with situations and how important relationships are. I also must admit that I did cry at one point in the novel; it was worth every tear. 

Go - read - set a watchman

This was one of my anticipated reads of the summer. I haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird since middle school.  I was never a big fan of Atticus to many people's dismay.  Perhaps this book was written for people like me.

Scout - who now goes by her real name, Jean Louise - is in her 20s, and has come home for a visit.  Although not a lot has changed, Jean Louise finds that she has changed, or maybe those around her have changed.  It's not a happy go lucky every one is perfect story; it exposes who people really are and how perspective can be as innocent as a childhood.

I loved every moment of this book; I actually wasn't quite ready for it to end.

Play Safe, then Play Hard

This is a new series that I received from the Microsoft grant.  I am informed that there is a third in the series; I will add it to my read list.  

The synopsis on the back of these books summarizes it best:

Play Safe - "I always thought that when I fell in love it would be easy, like catching the perfect pitch.  The right girl would slide into my life as seamlessly as a ball into my glove.  That's what I wanted.  A typical boy meets girl, girl falls for jock story."

Play Hard - "I work hard. I study hard. I play hard."

There is nothing special about these books, but they were fun, easy reads.  They made the plane ride go by quickly, and I enjoyed each one of them.  If you like the Catching Jordan series, these are great books to read.