"Howl's Moving Castle" - By Diana Wynne Jones

       I'm a Hayao Miyazaki fan. While watching the movie "Howl's Moving Castle" for the billionth time, (Looove it.) I noticed that it said it was from a novel by Diana Wynne Jones. I didn't know that! So I quickly got online and placed a hold for it from the library.
       It didn't take me long to get into this book. It followed the movie pretty well with little extras for the imagination to flow with. And boy does Diana Wynne Jones have an amazing imagination. I realize that I've read a lot of girl books lately, but this one is for everyone: old, young, boys, girls. It really takes you on a journey to a place that you've never been before. If you like the movies, read the book. If you've never seen the movies, still read the book. It's a good one.

"Key To The Golden Firebird" - By Maureen Johnson

       Not one of the best of Maureen Johnson's work, in my opinion. (Ha, that's a stupid comment since everything I write is in my opinion.)
       When their Dad dies, the Sparks sisters, Brooks, May, and Palmer are left with a big hole in their life. Brooks tries to fill this whole with drinking and guys, May buries herself in responsibilities, and Palmer sinks into softball and competitions. But they soon find out that none of these will help fill in the dark spaces.
         It's a story about love, family, and the strength of sisters, which, don't get me wrong, are all great things, but the way the book was put together isn't my cup of tea.
          There was just a constant, empty "they're still being stupid and rebellious" feel taking up 3/4th of the whole book. I was beginning to get sick of them messing up. When are they going to snap back into reality?!
           Maybe it's just my way of thinking. That's just how I felt. Maureen Johnson is still a great author, but this book had more potential in what it could've been.

"Keeping The Moon" - By Sarah Dessen

       The last thing Nichole Sparks wanted was to be sent to her nut aunt Mira's house. But her mom was on her way to change the world, and Colie had to go somewhere for the summer. . .

        She never thought that she'd be more accepted among these strangers than she was back home. But when she meets Morgan and Isabel, two best friends and waitresses working at the Last Chance Bar and Grill, who encourage her to accept herself and love her for herself, things change. Maybe Colie is prettier than she thought. Maybe she just needs to ignore those backstabbing girls at home who still see her as some fat weirdo . . . And maybe going to aunt Mira's for the summer wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

         As I've read, Sara Dessen's favorite theme of writing is about girls who grow in some positive way. And hey, it works! A great style.

Turn Offs

       I practically live at the library. While there, I was scanning the shelves for non-fiction books on writing. Cool fonts and colors stick out, so I grabbed a pink one named, "See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide To Writing Chick Lit". I learned a lot from this book. It was the first time I ever heard the term "chick lit". Intrigued, I rented two chick lit books: "Tales of a Drama Queen" and "Confessions of a Shopoholic". They were . . . okay. See, they might have had a good story and lively voices (I even laughed out loud during "Tales of a Drama Queen"). But there's no way to get around the "lovey dovey" scenes. I don't even try. Why poison a book with PG-13 material? It's a complete turn off. Even during movies, I don't watch those scenes. Why would I voluntarily want something like that playing in my head? It's like porn in writing. Needless to say, I didn't get to the end of these books but sent them back to the book drop. It's just something I don't tolerate. A turn off. Sorry. My only question at the end of this is: are all chick lit books like that way ?

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