About the book
The acclaimed author of the groundbreaking bestseller Schoolgirls reveals the dark side of pink and pretty: the rise of the girlie-girl, she warns, is not that innocent.

Pink and pretty or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast as a source—the source—of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages.

But, realistically, how many times can you say no when your daughter begs for a pint-size wedding gown or the latest Hannah Montana CD? And how dangerous is pink and pretty anyway—especially given girls' successes in the classroom and on the playing field? Being a princess is just make-believe, after all; eventually they grow out of it. Or do they? Does playing Cinderella shield girls from early sexualization—or prime them for it? Could today's little princess become tomorrow's sexting teen? And what if she does? Would that make her in charge of her sexuality—or an unwitting captive to it?

Those questions hit home with Peggy Orenstein, so she went sleuthing. She visited Disneyland and the international toy fair, trolled American Girl Place and Pottery Barn Kids, and met beauty pageant parents with preschoolers tricked out like Vegas showgirls. She dissected the science, created an online avatar, and parsed the original fairy tales. The stakes turn out to be higher than she—or we—ever imagined: nothing less than the health, development, and futures of our girls. From premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is undeniable—yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter is a must-read for anyone who cares about girls, and for parents helping their daughters navigate the rocky road to adulthood.

My Take
Well after reading this I am glad I have a little boy! This is a really interesting read, no doubt about it. Orenstein forces us to take a look at our little girls these days and ask, "How did we let this happen?". In addition to pointing out the errors of our ways, she suggests ways that we can change and prevent the downward spiral of little girls in the future. Even if you don't have kids this would be an interesting look into the culture of little girls and how it has changed, as well as why.

About the book
'My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate.' - Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang It's no lie: Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out 'dumbassness,' the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense. Friends, family, co-workers - they've all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools. Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the very first time, write about them.

My Take
The stories in the book are written by the people closest to Chelsea and the most battered by her never-ending pranks and practical jokes.
The authors include
Johnny Kansas- a Chelsea Lately producer
Stephanie Stebling- a close friend
Heather McDonald- comedian and writer for Chelsea Lately
Roy Handler- brother
Brad Wollack- comedian and writer for Chelsea Lately
Amber Mazzola
Josh Wolf- comedian and writer for Chelsea Lately
Shoshonna Handler- sister
Eva Magdelenski- Chelsea's assistant
Amy Meyer
Glen Handler- brother
Chunk- Chelsea's spoiled dog
There is also a hilarious chapter dedicated to the censorship emails regarding the show and what needs to be taken out. It was great.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny to hear stories from other peoples perspectives but overall Chelsea tells it better. The picture her closest friends and family paint of Chelsea is bittersweet. They a talk of how generous and caring she is, while at the same time ruthless and at times demeaning. I think she would be an impossible person to be around, but for some reason it works for them. They must have a good sense of humor.

Fans of other Chelsea books will like this one as well. It's a quick read with a lot of laughs. Looking forward to what Chelsea comes up with next!

The synopsis: 1968. The year Paris takes to the streets. The year Martin Luther King loses his life for a dream. The year Eleanor Maud Portman is born.

Young Elly's world is shaped by those who inhabit it: her loving but maddeningly distractible parents; a best friend who smells of chips and knows exotic words like 'slag'; an ageing fop who tapdances his way into her home, a Shirley Bassey impersonator who trails close behind; lastly, of course, a rabbit called God. In a childhood peppered with moments both ordinary and extraordinary, Elly's one constant is her brother Joe.

Twenty years on, Elly and Joe are fully grown and as close as they ever were. Until, that is, one bright morning and a single, earth-shattering event that threatens to destroy their bond for ever.

Spanning four decades and moving between suburban Essex, the wild coast of Cornwall and the streets of New York, this is a story about childhood, eccentricity, the darker side of love and sex, the pull and power of family ties, loss and life. More than anything, it's a story about love in all its forms.

About the book
With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

My take
I was somewhat bored with this book. The action segments were brief, predictable, and not very detailed. We learn a bit more about Sookie and her special gift, although the more we learn the more questions crop up leaving me still wondering what is going on with her. Eric still seems to be out of sorts in this book. He has changed so much from when we first met him that I no longer find him to be much of a vampire at all. He reminds me a lot of the Eric we met when he lost his memory, useless and mushy. I would really like less redundancy out of the series. It is falling into the same trap that the Evanovich novels fell into, which leads me to think this series might need to wrap it up on a high note and call it a day.

My thoughts:
Could not put it down. This series sucked me in, and I hate that there's an end in sight, and am actually very surprised that I adored this as much as I did. But the story is so fresh in a market so oversaturated with the supernatural and the unexplained. Darina is a hard girl to not love, and the pain of losing so many she knew is very raw. If you have the chance, grab this awesome series and settle in for a fantastic weekend where you won't need the TV, since these are so well written and creative - you can see the movie in your mind.

The synopsis: Coming-of-age can happen at any age. Joy Harkness had built a university career and a safe life in New York, protected and insulated from the intrusions and involvements of other people. When offered a position at Amherst College, she impulsively leaves the city, and along with generations of material belongings, she packs her equally heavy emotional baggage. A tumbledown Victorian house proves an unlikely choice for a woman whose family heirlooms have been boxed away for years. Nevertheless, this white elephant becomes the home that changes Joy forever. As the restoration begins to take shape, so does her outlook on life, and the choices she makes over paint chips, wallpaper samples, and floorboards are reflected in her connection to the co-workers who become friends and friendships that deepen. A brilliant, quirky, town fixture of a handyman guides the renovation of the house and sparks Joy’s interest to encourage his personal and professional growth. Amid the half-wanted attention of the campus’s single, middle-aged men, known as “the Coyotes,”and the legitimate dramas of her close-knit community, Joy learns that the key to the affection of family and friends is being worthy of it, and most important, that second chances are waiting to be discovered within us all.

My thoughts: Before reading this, or receiving it for review, I have to say something that makes probably zero sense. I was alternately pulled into and put off by the cover of this book. And it still perplexes me when I wonder why the cover puts me off. Normally, I think I would love this cover and yet. So I began reading this with trepidation. At the beginning, the narrator was off-putting. Incredibly so. Very snotty and guarded, it was hard to want to read from the perspective of someone who seemed to have so little regard for not only those not intellectually stimulating enough for her, but also her friends, who it's quite clear fall much closer to what one would normally deem the acquaintance category. And yet, because of the amazing imagery and the great fleshing out and descriptive depth of the secondary characters - I kept at it. I couldn't get enough of the fantastic drawings in my mind that Meier did such a great job putting there. And somewhere along the line, Joy became someone who I was curious about. And then I couldn't put the book down. There are moments in this book that drew my ire, and I can't say I loved the ending, but it is a book that will stay with me and that made me think.

About the book
Plucked from obscurity, beautiful Melody Ann Croft is making her way up the industry ladder. But Melody Ann is gone...in her place is "Mac" and with her looks, brains, and drive, she may well be on the brink of becoming America's top model. Suddenly Mac's seeing her name in the tabloids, being wooed by billionaire businessmen...and sharing intimate late-night dinners with movie stars. And she's discovering that the supermodel life isn't all fluff and glamour. It's long hours, hard work, and even harder choices—like choosing to starve or to never work again.

But does Mac have what it takes to be super? Because deep down—behind the perfect body and million-dollar smile—she's still the same hometown Melody Ann she's always been....

My take
Carol Alt obviously has experience in the industry enough to give this book authenticity, and that is in part what makes this such a delicious read! I felt like I really had a view into the life of a model. It was exciting, interesting and unlike anything I expected it to be. "This Year's Model" the first book was a great read, and the sequel was just as good. I would like to learn more about Mac Croft, our covergirl, but it appears that there will not be any more books in this series.

This is an entertaining light read that I highly recommend picking up.

About the book Haven still blames Ever for the death of her boyfriend Roman, no matter how hard Ever’s tried to convince her it was an accident. Now she’s determined to take Ever down…and destroy Damen and Jude along the way. Her first step is to tear Ever and Damen apart—and she has just the ammunition to do it. Hidden in one of Ever’s past lives is a terrible secret about Damen—a secret that illuminates new facts about her relationship with Jude, but that’s so dark and brutal it might be enough to drive her and Damen apart once and for all. As Ever faces her greatest fears about the guy she wants to spend eternity with, she’s thrust into a deadly clash with Haven that could destroy them all. Now it’ll take everything she’s got—and bring out powers she never knew she had—to face down her most formidable enemy. But in order to win, she must first ask herself: is her own survival worth dooming Haven to an eternity of darkness in the Shadowland? And will learning the truth about Damen’s past hold the key to their future?


My take
I am starting to tire of this series in general. It seems to drag at points and I find myself losing interest in the characters and the plot lines. I have always been a fan of Alyson Noels work and am looking forward to how she wraps this up in the final book Everlasting which will be on shelves soon.

Night star gives the reader some insight into the past lives of Ever, Damen and Jude. I found it interesting, although not that much of a revelation. What really captured my attention was the secret part of Summerland that Ever found and took Damen to. The book hints at Ever serving a greater purpose and that she was fated to be a part of this place somehow. I have no idea where this could be going but feel that it could give more significance to the series in general.

I will be reading Everlasting the day it comes out and I hope to really enjoy the way this story wraps up.


The trailer



Excerpt 
Chapter 1


Other books in the series 
Evermore
Blue Moon
Shadowland
Dark Flame
Night Star
Everlasting-coming soon

The synopsis: Top Twenty Reasons He’s A Slimy Jerk Bastard

Jessa:
To help you get over your trainwreck of an EX, I’ve enclosed 20 envelopes. Each one has a reason why Sean is a jerk and not worth the dirt on your shoes. And each one has an instruction for you to do one un-Jessa-like thing a day. NO CHEATING!
Ciao! -- C

When Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with Natalie "The Boob Job" Stone three days before her drama club’s departure to Italy, she completely freaks.

Stuck with a front-row view of Sean and Natalie making out against the backdrop of a country that oozes romance, Jessa promises to follow all of the outrageous instructions in her best friend's care package and open her heart to new experiences.

Enter cute Italian boy stage left.

Jessa had prepared to play the role of humiliated ex-girlfriend, but with Carissa directing her life from afar, it’s finally time to take a shot at being a star.

My thoughts: When I read Kim Culbertson's first novel, Songs for a Teenage Nomad, I knew I'd be on the lookout for her next book. She has stories to tell that strike a chord and resonate. So I was excited when Sourcebooks sent me this one, and I devoured it very quickly. While not nearly as heavy, I enjoyed this one more than the last. It's youth, vibrance, and connection to the audience are on point completely. And she completely captured so many of the friendships during high school, the pain of a young love gone awry, and the excitement of moving on with someone new. Overall a great, fun read with a fantastic message to young girls.