Review - The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur

Description from goodreads:
"Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do? Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with Gregory, the guy she loves to hate...Evan , the guy she'd love to forget...Clint, the guy she'd love to love...and Matt, the guy she really should love...all vying for her attention.But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?"


This novel reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl with all  its drama. I was surprised at how much the characters in The Ivy focus on their social life versus their studies, but I suppose it would be boring to read about people studying. 


I didn't really connect with the main character, but I did have fun reading about her complicated love life and her attempts to fit with the elite crowd at Harvard. There is enough scandal and drama to keep readers interested, and the cliffhanger ending will ensure that people keep reading as the series continues. The Ivy is an entertaining read that is more appropriate for older teens due to some of the content. 


Thanks to Good Golly Miss Holly ARC Tours for lending me this book. 

Reflecting on 2010 and Making Plans for 2011

Wow, what a great year 2010 has been! One of my goals for the year was to read more, and I definitely accomplished that.  My final number of books read for the year was 111. I originally set out to read 75 and then upped the goal to 100, so I surpassed both those goals! Starting this blog in May and listening to audiobooks on my long commute definitely helped me reach my goal. 


In 2011 I plan to read at least 111 books if not more. I've signed up for several challenges, and I think I will finish more challenges this time around since I am starting from the beginning instead of joining halfway through the year. 


My plan is to read and review:

• one debut YA/MG novel a month
• one novel by a local author a month
• one YA/MG award winning novel a month
• one Harry Potter novel a month (until I finish the series)
• one YA historical fiction novel every other month
• one classic novel every other month

Another big goal of mine for 2011 is to finish grad school and graduate with my MLS degree! I only have 3 more classes to take, and since I've taken all my required courses, I chose some interesting electives. I'll be taking Adult Readers' Advisory, so you will probably see some more adult fiction reviews than usual on here. I'm also taking Youth Services and Electronic Materials for Children and Young Adults. All of these classes will help me in my current public library job. I work at the adult reference desk a lot, and I help the YA librarian with programming and updating the teen blog and website. So I'm really excited to learn some things I can actually use. Plus one class is taught by a favorite professor of mine, and I've heard great things about the others from former students. :)


At some point in 2011 I'll need to secure full-time employment (darn bills and students loans!) and plan a wedding. Who knows - by the end of 2011, I may not have Super as a last name anymore! My fiancee and I have talked about buying or building a house soon too. So many changes ahead - it's going to be a busy but exciting year for me. 


Happy New Year!

Five Best Reads of 2010 (YA and Adult)

I'm participating in Persnickety Snark's FIVE Challenge for 2010. Today bloggers are sharing their picks for Five Best Titles of 2010. 


Here are my picks for YA I read in 2010 (some were released prior to 2010):


Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan



Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins



Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins



The  Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey



The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie



And here are my picks for the five best adult titles I read in 2010: 


Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty



Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler



Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster



Insatiable by Meg Cabot



The Help by Kathryn Stockett



What were your favorite reads of 2010? 

Five Great Miracles that Occurred to Get Me Reading More Fantasy/Sci-Fi

I'm participating in Persnickety Snark's FIVE Challenge for 2010. Today bloggers are sharing their picks for Five Great Miracles that Occurred to Get Me Reading More (insert genre here). 


Growing up, I mostly read contemporary/realistic fiction, but in the past few years I've expanded my horizons and tried out different genres. I was most reluctant to try fantasy/sci-fi, but it turns out that I really enjoy it! Here are my picks that got me reading more fantasy/sci-fi in 2010: 


The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

When I first started working in a library, the teen librarian recommended these books to me. I devoured the first two and anxiously awaited the third book! If you haven't read these books yet, what are you waiting for? 


The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I read this for my Young Adult Literature class over the summer. It was a very unique story, and the action really sucked me in. This is the first book of a trilogy, and I plan to continue with the series. 


Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I read this for my Materials for Youth class this fall. It was a fascinating and thought-provoking read. 


Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This was another book I read for my Materials for Youth class. I loved the smart, funny heroine and I couldn't help rooting for her. (Skip the movie, though-the book is a lot better!)


Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

I read this for - you guessed it - my Materials for Youth class. The richly detailed setting and the wonderful characters kept me reading.