Huzzah! After weeks of interruptions, reading one chapter at a time, I can finally cross this one off one of my many reading lists.


First things first: No one - I repeat, no one - back then had bleach-blonde hair. I can almost garuntee you that. Also, I highly doubt that there were cotton candy pink or navy blue dresses, and that they would show that much back. However, they did get the style of the dresses right, for the most part, and the intricate hairdos. Sorry, I had to get this off my chest.

( After all, a carefully won marriage was far more important than affairs of state. )

I thought my earlier post today would be my only one for at least the next few days, but I feel compelled to write a little something about a phenomenon that has, in a roundabout way, made an impression on me. It's being reported that New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight series, is breaking all kinds of box office records: third biggest opening ever, #1 movie for two weeks, and "80% of New Moon tickets went to women." I am not here to either praise or denounce the Twilight series itself; it's that third statistic that caught my eye.

It amazes people, especially Hollywood execs and those whose job it is to predict how well a movie will do, whenever movies owe their success to the hoards of women who go to see them. They seem to think that it's an oddity or an anomoly. I remember people being surprised at how well Sex and the City did, surprised that - gasp! - women would turn out in droves to see a movie about - get a load of this - women (and clothes and shoes, but still). The thing with Hollywood is, they are convinced that their main target audience - the people most likely to plop down $10 to go see something their TV isn't currently showing - are men. Young men, to be exact. So they tailor their movies to appeal to the 18-49 age set: lots of action, plenty of babes, and brave men who end up saving the day. (I don't deny that some of my favorite movies have at least two of these elements).

It hardly occurs to the suits that women - old and young - would be another, perhaps even richer audience to tap. And when it does, it seems that it's only because it has a following in book or TV form: Sex began as a successful show on HBO, Twilight is - dur - a hugely popular book series. I can only think of a handful of movies geared specifically toward women (I'm not counting rom-coms in general, since they can be considered "date movies" with both men and women paying to see them). Juno is a good example; Julie & Julia probably even a better one. I recently saw Whip It!, an awesome female-centric film that got a lot of praise for being such.

New Moon, while also made with the loyal fan base in mind, is more or less a typical guy's flick (dick flick, if you will) made for girls. There's angst instead of action, sure, but Bella does end up saving the vamp she loves (otherwise there wouldn't be two more sequels) and there's some gratuitous half-nudity provided by the buff newcomer Taylor Lautner. A throwback to the bikini-clad damsels-in-distress of action movies? I don't know. But it's an intriguing coincidence.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is, if Twilight is what convinces the Hollywood suits that girls are willing to empty their wallets, then it certainly has my blessing. Then maybe they'll start making other, different movies about girls who save the day and kick ass - without having to look like Lara Croft. Or more low-key, thoughtful movies like J&J, which boast well-rounded female characters that women can relate to. Because, as much as I love them, I don't want Pixar movies and Austen adaptations to make up my entire movie collection.

(And Hollywood, when are we going to see a schlubby girl get the handsome, caring hottie? And do not just give me another Bridget Jones movie.)

To tide you over until I finish reading The Season - which is proving to be longer than I'd anticipated. I have vol. 5 already read, and will get it posted when I'm having my next dry spell.


I know I said this about the previous volume, but I think this one is my new favorite. I can't get enough of this series.

( You had a SEXY phase?! )

So I FINALLY got to this book, at least a month after checking it out. My goal of reading the entire body of work from Rachel Cohn is going slow but steady.


I must say, I really prefer these versions of the book covers instead of the ordinary stripes motif:


Total meh.

( Perhaps I am a sucky mean person destined to walk through life without Good Karma! Oh, well, I accept my fate. Could you all go away now, please? )

Today I found, through the all-powerful Google, an interesting blog that examines the different covers of YA and juvenile lit books. Along with being a great source for ideas for new books for me to check out, it offers opinions on the effectiveness of those covers - are they visually appealing, do they accurately reflect the theme/thrust of the book, would they pique the interest of a prospective reader, etc. The blogger is a former graphic designer, and judging from some of his/her past posts, the insights that are offered show that he/she has a good eye and a general interest in YA books. Every cover that he/she displays comes with a corresponding book summary. I can't wait to puruse the rest of the archives.

Yesterday I watched an intriguing and ultimately enlightening video about Lisi Harrison, creator and writer of The Clique series.

After watching this, I felt less guilty about reading one of the books and watching the movie. It was nice to have the clarification that the label-name-dropping and obsession with expensive, ultra-trendy things is meant to be satirical - even if it might not appear as such to the casual observer (i.e., me). Harrison comes across as level-headed, smart, and confident about what her books mean to her readers. I'm not about to change anything in my review of Bratfast at Tiffany's: A Clique Novel, but I will say I won't be as harsh on her in the future. And I liked seeing all the girls get excited over the books and that some of them - probably not all, though - get the "wealth isn't everything" message. After all, the books do a good job of showing that having money and power do not = a perfect life . . . even though they do promote awful spelling.

I still don't like Massie, though.

It's too bad I didn't pick this up last fall at a bookstore I'd stopped at - I would enjoy owning this (FYI, I did pick up Stargirl, SVH #3 Playing with Fire [the 2008 reissue], and The Veronicas' Hook Me Up).


On my copy, it says "scratch and sniff here" on the top of the cup. Unfortunately, I can't confirm the verity of that statement, since the cover is covered with plastic.

( Is love an STD? From what I've seen, it's harder to cure than herpes. )

After a couple of hectic days (had to put our old cat down and do some stuff for next semester), it feels good to post something.  Unfortunately, I think the book I'm reviewing deserves more time devoted to thinking it over.  And at the same time, I just want to do this and move on.


It really sucks when you finish a book and the first thing you can think of, regardless even of whether or not you liked it, is "At least I didn't pay money for this." Well, okay, maybe I'm feeling a bit miserly lately, but the point is I was disappointed in the direction this book took.

( It's the first time Iris has ever seen her stepsister look, for just a moment, as if she doesn't mind being beautiful. )

So.  I went over to my grandparents' for dinner tonight, along with an off-kilter combination of cousins and relatives, and got into my grandma's basement library in search of books.  Later, after engaging her in a dialogue about The Pillars of the Earth, and then reminding her that I'd read her copy of Gone with the Wind, she invited me to borrow/take some more of her books for reading. 

When she told me that there was a group of books she was planning to throw away - not donate, not sell, but toss out - I had a mild panic attack.  Unfortunately, I couldn't save all of them, but at least the ones I did take are now mine.  Sweet.

Little Women
Made in the U.S.A.
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
Eleven on Top - A Stephanie Plum Novel
Motor Mouth - A Stephanie Plum Novel
East of Eden

I like to think that such a list is more impressive in its range than perhaps its total (that is, if a list of books can have a value).  I'm happy to get my hands on a couple of classics, along with a couple of feel-good, Midwest-speed style of books.  Grandma didn't like the Stephanie Plum books at all, which is why they were on her "take out the trash" list.  But I think I remember seeing a few blurbs about them, good things, and decided to give them a try.  I'm excited to read Little Women and East of Eden first; however, for now this list is secondary to the couple of books from the library I have yet to read.

Review for Ugly Stepsister should be up soon.

I literally squealed with delight as I finished reading this. 


The title is so similar to How to Be Popular, I wondered if this was written as a response to that book.  And yet, it bears many more similarities to Stargirl.  On a different note, it's wonderful to see an original cover instead of some stock photo.

( Lunch at a new school is like the SAT of social tests. It determines your immediate standing. Whomever you choose to sit with tells people who you are, or who you see yourself as. )

Recently I was looking at EW.com's 40 Bad Romantic Comedies, not for the first time, and it got me thinking.  Now, I think I need to start trying to be more positive, but sometimes a good "Worst" list just helps you blow off some steam.  So in the interest of keeping the peace, I thought I'd do a little ditty about Some Romantic Comedies I Find Problematic.

You see, a lot of these are movies that I like to watch (maybe not pay moolah for them, but spend a couple hours watching them on TBS).  However, a part of my viewing pleasure comes from pointing out what I don't like - a plot twist, annoying characters, silly lines, or just plain predictability.  But I will acknowledge that there are people - in some cases, tons of them - who enjoy these movies and would rather not think about them too deeply.  Which is probably just as well.

Let's get it on:( There's 10 of them. It just worked out that way. )

This book is basically a non-musical version of Hannah Montana (and yes, it is sad that I know even one lyric from the opening song by heart). 


Jen Calonita has written for Teen People and Entertainment Weekly, one of which is my favorite zine and other something I never read when I was actually a teen.  Predictably, this is the first in a series.

( Work, work, work, Kaitie-kins. It will pay off. )

Back from another library outing, not quite as successful as the last.  Not only was Rumors not there, I spotted two other books I'd recently purchased on the shelves.  Aarrgh!  So I felt kind of silly.  This time around I noticed just how many fantasy series there are, not to mention how unappealing they looked to me.  I explained it to my mother thusly: "It's either books about rich people fucking each other [i.e., Gossip Girl et all] or vampires not fucking each other." I guess I'm applying a kind of if-you've-read-one-you've-read-them-all mentality here, but isn't there a bit of truth to that?

Get ready for another list:

Secrets of My Hollywood Life
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
How Not to be Popular
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Ironically, Hollywood Life is part of a Gossip Girl-esque series, replacing Manhattan socialites with a teen actress as a protaganist.  I'd seen it on Amazon.com a little while ago, so it intrigued me then: the teen actress wants to lead a more normal life, which is something that does appeal to me.  Triple Shot Betty looked different and fun, about a group of girls who work at a coffeehouse.  Popular sounds to me like the best of the bunch, with its protaganist eschewing her popularity.  Ugly Stepsister has been on my radar for the past couple years (I saw a rather well-done TV movie based on it); hopefully it'll renew my faith in Gregory Maguire, whose Wicked was only so-so.

Holy wow, am I really posting another book review two days in a row, even though this book was more than the combined lengths of the two previous books* I'd read?  I am quite surprised at myself.


This was one of those instances where I gobbled the book up out of the good kind of fascination, and not the bad kind (see: The Luxe).  I was riveted.

*I'm bad at math, so this may be a slight exaggeration.

( In which fate deals me a savage blow, leaving me to my own pitiably meager devices. )

This is another of my library finds, a short and sweet offering from Carolyn Mackler.  Apparently it's a sequel of a previous book, but the main character is different.


Interesting that this should be a road-trip story, since I've been thinking of writing a road-trip story of my own. (This may or may not have to do with the fact that a good friend of mine recently moved to Oklahoma, and many of my school friends are back in Manhattan KS).

( Or maybe we should meet in St. Louis? )

This post's title is a slightly altered quote from one of my all-time favorites, Mansfield Park.  It's funny (well, not funny ha-ha) how well it describes the extreme non-events in this book.  However, I find myself confused as to how I feel about it.



Disclaimer: They didn't wear dresses like that in 1899.  But, oh my God, the marketing people they have are geniuses.

( In life, Elizabeth Holland was known not only for her loveliness but also for her moral character, so it was fair to say that in the afterlife she would occupy a lofty seat with an especially good view. )

I still can't believe I made myself do it, but I can't deny it now: Over the weekend, I watched The Clique, the movie based on Lisi Harrison.  What was I thinking?  Well, in the spirit of total honesty, there is something about teen movies that I find intriguing.  Hell, I watched Where The Boys Are, a 60s-era spring break movie, just a few days ago.  Even sub-par movies made on the cheap will spark my interest (for the first few minutes or so, and then I usually switch back to USA for a Monk marathon).  I know to expect the convoluted story, the bad acting, and the trying-too-hard "jokes," but that never stops me.  There's something fascinating(ly wrong) about the way Hollywood likes to portray high school life.  Of course, it's occasionally worth it if it's well-done and feels natural.



Feast your eyes, people.  Hatwear, multiple layers, leather gloves, knee-highs, and wavy locks.  These are the most stylish and sickeningly rich 12-year-olds at Octavian Country Day School.  That's their leader, Massie, in the foreground.  How can you tell she's their boss?  Her dog is a pit bull.  Or the leash represents her tight hold on her friends, constantly controlling where they go and what they do. 

Ha, no.  Symbolism in The Clique?  Not likely.

( Teleplay by Liz Tigelaar; directed by Micheal Lembeck; and, duh, based on the book series )