Friday, March 29, 2013

Retro Friday (1)



Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville, and it focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.



Title: To Catch a Pirate
Author: Jade Parker
Published: 2007 by Point
Obtained: Purchased

When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing.
A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him. But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.

Once upon a time while surfing around Amazon, I found this book. The synopsis caught my eye and when I read the first few pages, I was hooked. Unfortunately, my library did not own it, so I had to request they purchase it (which they did. I’m so proud of them). Then later, I ended up buying it myself.

Anyways, this book is a little treasure (pun intended). With only 230 pages, the storyline does lack some depth, but what is there is good enough.

Annalisa Townsend was sailing on a merchant ship with her father, when they got robbed by pirates. One young pirate, named James Sterling, finds Annalisa hiding in the hold. He doesn’t steal from her or report her location. Instead he kisses her. Appalled, Annalisa later decides to track down this man to get back her father’s treasure (and to have the upper hand with him). Suffice it to say, the journey is more complicated than anticipated, and Annalisa and James start to fall in love throughout the whole adventure

I love the simplicity and adorableness of this story. James and Annalisa are desperate to hate each other and do not relish working together, but eventually they begin to see how to communicate properly to each other and how they are useful to each other. James is overly cocky and Annalisa is overly determined and it takes quite a while for them to see each other clearly.

Since purchasing this book, I have read it multiple times. Because it’s so short, it is easy to pick up and read in a few hours. If you like pirate-themed adventures and cute love stories, then you will love To Catch a Pirate.

Content Warning: Kissing, possibly some mild language.

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

List of Weekly Memes


All righty then.
I’m really doing this. I’m getting a bit more serious about keeping this blog going and posting regularly.
Now, keep in mind that with college this is hard, and I’ll probably mess up a lot, but I’m going to try my hardest to keep up! :)


Mondays:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books.

Tuesdays:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Wednesdays:

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Thursdays:

In My Mailbox is a weekly (or however sporadically you feel like it) meme in which bloggers list the books they’ve recently received to review. This was instigated by The Story Siren.
I will also incorporate books I’ve recently obtained, whether through purchase or the library.

Fridays:

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville, and it focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.


Now that I have just set myself an extremely demanding schedule, it’s time to sort out my priorities and get on this for this coming week. I might start out slower and only do a few a week, but eventually I will post something everyday. :)

Obviously, I will also post reviews in addition to all of these book-related memes.

Happy Easter!!

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Review: Girl at Sea


Title: Girl at Sea
Author:  Maureen Johnson
Published: 2007 by HarperCollins
Version: E-book
Obtained: Library Download

The Girl: Clio Ford, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-store crush, not stuck on a boat in the Mediterranean. At least she'll get a killer tan.

The Mission: Survive her father's crazy antics. Oh, and also find some missing underwater treasure that could unlock the secrets of civilization.

The Crew: Dad's wacky best friend Martin, his bizarre research partner Julia, her voluptuous daughter Elsa . . . and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant assistant.

What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway?

As Clio sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her most surprising discovery is that there's something deeper and more cryptic than the sea-her own heart.

First Sentence:
Lightening flashed over Big Ben, and a bruise-like darkness draped over the dome of St. Paul’s.” (Prologue)


Maureen Johnson is perfection. While this story did not have as quirky of characters as her Suite Scarlett series, the amazing creativity of Maureen Johnson is still there.

Clio had her summer all planned out. She had a new job and a possible future boyfriend. Instead she gets shipped off to her dad. Since her parent’s divorce, she hasn’t really liked her dad, and she is sick of his impulsivity. So to be stuck on a boat with him and four other random people for weeks does not sound like her dream summer.

This story about a modern day treasure hunt, even though Clio doesn’t know it yet. Clio’s dad is trying to find a precious stone that was sunk in a shipwreck years ago. Clio has to figure out what her dad is trying to do, and finally whether or not she wants to help him. After being let down so often by him, she is hesitant to agree with anything he plans. Slowly, through learning to give him another chance, she realizes that sometimes people make mistakes and they need second chances.

I really appreciated Clio’s growth as a character. In the beginning, she was so bitter, upset, and negative. She thought she knew best about everything, and she did not want anything to do with anyone on the boat. But slowly, she let herself relax and really invest in other people’s lives. By the end of the book, she’s almost a completely different person. She isn’t so obsessed with finding perfection, which will always escape her, and she sees more joy in simple life. She takes advantage of the opportunities presented to her instead of waiting for everything to be perfect.

Literally, Maureen Johnson is amazing and sometimes I can’t handle it. Definitely read this book, because you will never regret it!


Content Warnings: Some language and kissing

Rating:
4 Pigs

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