Book Playlist: The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

It is no secret that I love books. It is also no secret that I love music. So you can imagine how full of adoration I am when the two come together! Whether I’m finding songs to go with certain books or if an author does the job for me, I love listening to playlists that compliment some of my favorite books! Today I am talking about the playlist for a lovely & adorable book entitled…

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg (add on Goodreads) was one of my very favorite books last year! It was such an adorable, sweet, feel-good book. I loved how it was a book about friendship, boys, and let’s not forget, The Beatles! As you can probably guess from the title and cover, this book had a huge Beatles influence that was even more pronounced throughout the pages. The main character, Penny (named after a Beatles song), has parents that are incredibly obsessed with The Beatles. Instead of automatically hating whatever music her parents like, our main character also has a deep love for this group (thank goodness or else I would have to love this book a bit less!) On top of talking about The Beatles throughout the pages, the book is also separated into smaller sections (not quite every chapter, but every couple of chapters) with a page featuring a particular Beatles song and a quote from that song.

So in honor of this awesome book that pays tribute to one of the most spectacular bands to ever walk the face of the earth, I present to you the playlist for The Lonely Hearts Club. The playlist was created with Spotify. If you don’t have Spotify and/or cannot get the playlist to work, I added a few YouTube videos at the end highlighting some of my favorites.  And since I am a huge fan of bands that do cover songs (and do them well!) I also included a few of my favorite bands that have covered a song that was talked about in the book!

Come Together by The Arctic Monkeys (Beatles Cover)

My love and adoration for The Arctic Monkeys started way back when I first “met” Tee from Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared. Saying she is obsessed is an understatement but with good reason! This group rocks and they rocked enough to be able to perform this cover for the 2012 Summer Olympics!

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band by The Beatles

This may not be my ultimate favorite Beatles song but it is so much fun AND it is basically the title of this book!

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles

This is my very favorite Beatles song so when it popped up right at the end of the book I squealed with delight!

Tune In Tuesday (51)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Ginger @ GReads so you should head on over and link up! It is a great way to bounce from blog to blog and discover what others are listening to! I love music but there is so much out there that I haven’t heard of before. That being said, feel free to leave a link to your Tune-In Tuesday post!

This is the third week of Book Playlist Edition! The point of this edition is to pick your favorite book playlists, an author’s playlist they used while writing a book, or show us all some songs that remind you of certain books all throughout the month of March!

For this week, I decided to go with a book that is quite obviously one of the greatest music-infused books to ever be written. It is named after a super popular album by an even more popular band. The book cover portrays one of the most epically influential and most well-known album cover of all time. Certain chapters are sectioned off and are headlined with a lyric from a song that you MUST know because it is practically illegal to not know at least one song from this band. Have you guessed it yet?

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg!!!

The Beatles influence every aspect of this book from the mood and tone of each chapter, the character names, the book’s title, and of course we mustn’t forget that awesome cover! I loved reading through this book and falling in love with the whole story, but it was also amazing to just be reminded of every great Beatles song. So without further ado, some of my favorites featured in this book:

Yesterday by The Beatles

Come Together by The Beatles

Revolution by The Beatles

You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles

With A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles

The Best of Twenty-Eleven

The year has come and gone so quickly that I can hardly believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was starting my winter semester as a college Freshman and I was trying to squeeze in every ounce of fun that I could. A ton of memories were created this past year, some bad but mostly all good, and I like to think it has been one of the best years yet. In keeping with the same format that I used last year, here are some of the best moments of 2011!

Sidenote: Almost all of these are a tie between two or more things. Sorry about that, I tried my best to narrow it down but it just wasn’t happening!

1. Best Vacation– This is definitely a tie between the Myrtle Beach vacation I took with Kati and the Myrtle Beach Vacation I took with my family a month later. The weather was gorgeous both times and I got to experience a ton of different things with each trip. I was so lucky to be able to go on two vacations back to back like that!

2. Best Concert– This one also has a tie! It is between Warped Tour 2011 and the acoustic performance by We The Kings! Warped Tour is a day filled with music awesomeness! I saw so many bands perform, got a ton of stuff signed, and I even got to talk to a few of the performers. The We The Kings acoustic performance was brilliant for so many reasons: It was acoustic, it was small, it was free, it featured my future husband, I got to put my arms around my future husband, and I even got to take a picture with my future husband. IT WAS AMAZING!

3. Best CD– This is also going to have to be a tie! We The Kings dropped their latest album this year entitled Sunshine State of Mind. The title of the album couldn’t be more perfect because I get in a sunshiney state of mind EVERY TIME I listen to their CD. So what could be the competition to such an epic CD? All the mixed CD’s I got this past year! I had a lot of friends make me CD’s and all of them were filled with awesome songs that brings a smile to my face!

4. Best New Activity– I can’t explain too many details because I have yet to send out Christmas presents to some pretty freaking lovely bloggers but I do enjoy jewelry making. It takes time and is far more expensive than I could have imagined but it is so much fun to create!

5. Best Birthday Present– Last year I got a whole new bedroom so I was wondering how anything could ever live up to something like that. The answer came in the form of a brand-new bookshelf! I was making just the one work but I was desperately in need of one and my parents luckily noticed it! I love it so freaking much!

6. Best Movies– Well I do love me some movies…and popcorn! Some of my favorites were: Breaking Dawn: Part 1, Bridesmaids, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows: Part 2, and Footloose.

7. Best Books– Oh gosh! It was my original goal to read 100 books in 2011 but Goodreads just wouldn’t stop telling me how sucky I was at completing that goal so I changed it to 80 and I still didn’t accomplish it! However, I did squeeze in 76 books. The best ones (some 4’s and all 5 stars) are:

Sidenote: Some of the titles will be linked to my reviews and other will be linked to Goodreads since I have not yet reviewed them!

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco

Rising Shadow by Jacquelyn Wheeler

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Released by Megan Duncan

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Faithful by Janet Fox

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

What Can’t Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Matched by Ally Condie

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Re-reads of both Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Echols books

Fade by Lisa McMann

The Childe by C.A. Kunz

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Girl v Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

8. Best Blogging Moment– How does one even choose something like this? In the past year I have met more authors, connected with more bloggers, reviewed more books, joined more weekly features, and had the most fun than I have EVER had! This whole experience has been one joyous event after another and I have all of YOU to thank for that. I have found some of the greatest friends and most influential people (and let’s not forget they all also kick butt when it come to writing reviews!) than I could have ever imagined. I would not trade this past year for anything!

9. Best Friend(s)– It is no secret that Kati has and always will be my best friend. I talk about her awesomeness all the time. But because of recent events, I feel like I must give a shout-out to my dear friend Stacey. Her and I were running buddies in high school. You could never find two girls who hated cross-country with such a deep passion like the two of us (even though we secretly loved it!) She has been there for both Kati and I through so many things and now it’s our turn to be there for Stacey. These two girls make my days so much better and I love them for that!

10. Best Family– Well of course this goes out to my family once again but not without some complaints! Zack and Zeke aka The Brat Pack drove me absolutely INSANE this past year. Those two boys are the epitome of annoying little brothers. I love them to death but jeez louise they sure are crazy! In all honesty, I am lucky to have my family always there for me. They support me through everything and even though they make fun of me every once in a while, they always know how to make me smile!

So that’s it for my 2011! I hope you all had a great year and an even better 2012!

Blog Tour + 25 Days of Jubilation + Tune In Tuesday: Part 2

Three awesome bloggers (Cyndi @ Dog-Eared & Bookmarked, Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives, and Yani @ The Secret Life of an Avid Reader) have come together this holiday season to host the 25 Days of Jubilation! What is this 25 Days of Jubilation you say? Well it is a month-long blog tour. Each day a different blog is posting a holiday related post and giving away lots of great goodies. Today is my turn to post for the event and I decided to go with HOLIDAY MUSIC!

Buddy the Elf once said, “The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear,” and I couldn’t agree more with that statement! I love the day after Thanksgiving for a lot of reasons but the biggest reason would be that it is finally an “acceptable” time to turn on the Christmas music. I am most definitely one of those crazy people who could listen to Christmas songs all year long. I have been known to rock out to the classics but I like to mix them up with modern-day songs as well . Below are my top ten “nontraditional” favorites, in no particular order:

1) Santa Baby – Taylor Swift

2) Christmas With You – Artist vs. Poet

3) This Christmas – Every Avenue

4) Wishlist – The Ready Set

5) Santa Stole My Girlfriend – The Maine

6) Winterlove – Parachute

7) Baby Please Come Home – Anberlin

8) Baby, It’s Cold Outside – She & Him

9)Winter Passing – The Academy Is…

10) Christmas at 22 – The Wonder Years

So tell me, what did you think? I thought posting some of these lesser known songs/versions of songs would be a fun way to celebrate this holiday season!

Now on to the part that you are all here for, the giveaway!

As you all can probably guess, I love music. I also love books. BUT what I love best is books with music in it! Today I will be giving away your choice of two of my favorite music inspired books! The giveaway is international (as long as The Book Depository ships to you) so anyone can join! Please fill out the form below to be entered into the giveaway!

Your music related book choices:

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Don’t forget to stop at all the other blogs on this tour to enter some more awesome giveaways and to celebrate this holiday season!

Thursday, December 1st:

Christen at Goldilox and the Three Weres

Friday, December 2nd:

Molly at Surrounded By Words

Saturday, December 3rd:

Meridith at Mint Tea and A Good Book

Sunday, December 4th:

Sandie at Teen Lit Rocks

Monday, December 5th:

Shannon at Books Devoured

Tuesday, December 6th:

Bex at Becky’s Barmy Book Blog

Wednesday, December 7th:

Christi at Christi the Teen Librarian

Thursday, December 8th:

Jen at In the Closet with a Bibliophile

Friday, December 9th:

Sara O. at The Librarian Reads

Saturday, December 10th:

Ginger at GReads!

Sunday, December 11th:

Asheley at Into the Hall of Books

Monday, December 12th:

Tina at Tina’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, December 13th:

Heidi at YA Bibliophile

Wednesday, December 14th:

Jess at Gone with the Words

Thursday, December 15th:

Lisa at Lisa Is Busy Nerding

Friday, December 16th:

Jen D. at Not now…I’m Reading!

Saturday, December 17th:

Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner

Sunday, December 18th:

Andrea at The Busy Bibliophile

Monday, December 19th:

Karis at YA Litwit & Sarah at Workaday Reads

Tuesday, December 20th:

Katelyn at Katelyn’s Blog

Wednesday, December 21st:

Ruby at Ruby’s Reads

Thursday, December 22nd:

Jac at For Love and Books

Friday, December 23rd:

Asher at Paranormal Indulgence

Saturday, December 24th:

Nikki at Books Most Wanted

Sunday, December 25th:

Merry Christmas!

In My Mailbox (24)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library. I have had a HUGE case of the lazies the past couple weeks so this IMM is actually three weeks in one (are you starting to sense a theme here?). I have got lots of great books so let’s check them out!

For Review:

Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan

My Thoughts: This sounds like the perfect experience of every high school student. There are ups and downs and this wonderful book will explore it.

The Hidden Sun by J. Lloyd Morgan

My Thoughts: The time of kings, princesses, love, and lies. This one sounds so great PLUS it will be the first time I have ever participated in a legit blog tour! To say I am excited is a bit of an understatement gov’ner!

Lockdown: Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

My Thoughts: Creepy, creepy, and creepier are the three words I’d use to describe this book. I can’t wait!

The Hero Always Wins by Robert Eaton

My Thoughts: A book about fighting, heroes, and knights, count me in! It sounds interesting!

Gifted/Won:

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

My Thoughts: Thank you, thank you, thank you my darling Ashley @ Books From Bleh To Basically Amazing! This book is one I know I can share with my younger sister to (hopefully) help her make some better choices when she is online!

Beautiful Darkness poster signed by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

My Thoughts: Thanks Once Upon a Twilight for this awesome SIGNED poster! I didn’t even realize I had won it so it was a really pleasant surprise!

Bought:

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

My Thoughts: I have already read and adored, loved, obsessed about this book way too much so I just needed to get my own copy. I couldn’t pass up the sales at Borders! Read my review of this AWESOME book right here!

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

My Thoughts: I read this. In less than 48 hours. And loved it! My review should be up later this week (possibly tomorrow) so be sure to stop by and check it out!

Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

My Thoughts: I am very much aware that I only have the 1st and 4th books of the series BUT Borders only had these two so I got them while they were so cheap. The guy at the checkout had some issues ringing this book up so he just tossed it in the bag without charging me for it. The awesome book-giver-awayers (<<< I am pretty sure that is not a real word but that is the best I could come up with) will be missed dearly.

On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison

My Thoughts: I have not even picked up the first book in this series yet but come on, I’ve seen the movie and if I enjoyed it way more than any 18-year-old should, then there is no doubt I will love the book series!

Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell

My Thoughts: 1) This was clearly an impulse buy 2) I got it because I thought it would be something I could read with my grandma 3) Does it make me a nerd that I look for books to read with my grandma? 4) Am I the only person who thinks this sounds like Pride and Prejudice meets Gone With The Wind?

Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen

My Thoughts: So I was at Barnes and Noble the other night (sidenote: please be aware that I have a large distaste for Barnes and Noble but must now go there for book buying purposes because of the sudden and heart-breaking closure of Borders) and saw this cover, thought it looked cute, read the back cover, thought it sounded cute, and then proceeded to buy it even though I have placed a very strict, non-discussable book-buying-ban on myself (trying to save up for BEA next year, heck yeah!). Yes, I have major problems.

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

My Thoughts: I want to read this RIGHT NOW! I am thinking of taking a “review break” for the month of October so I can catch up on some fun, stress-free books. This one will be at the top of my list for ones to get through during  that month!

Okay, that’s all the books I got from the past few weeks! Leave a link in the comments section and I’ll be sure to check out your IMM as well!

TGIF (11)

TGIF is a fun little feature hosted at GReads! Every week we re-cap what has happened on the blog plus Ginger asks a question for us to answer. This week’s question is:

Author Block Party:

If you could gather a handful of authors to hang out with, who would you choose? 

This is the post in which authors will (if they haven’t already) start thinking I am Creep Mc.Creepster. There are a TON of authors who I think are made of awesomesauce. I have read books by most of them, I have chatted with a few (very few! I am still uber shy) on Twitter, and the rest I stalk whether it be on their vlog, blog, or through Twitter. So if I were to have the most awesome of awesome parties I would send out invites to… (Keep in mind that my version of handful is A LOT. I am just greedy like that)

Sarah Dessen & Melina Marchetta are Y.A. Contemporary Goddesses! I am 99.999% sure that books don’t get much better than theirs do. Sarah has been a favorite of mine since I first started reading Y.A. I will always love her books for the simple fact that they got me so completely hooked on reading. I have only read one by Melina Marchetta but I can say with confidence that I will absorb, adore, love, and cherish every book that she writes. I would probably burst with happiness if I were in the same room as them!

Yvonne Collins, Sandy Rideout, Simone Elkeles, and Jennifer Echols have all created some of the best books. Yvonne and Sandy have these light, easy reads that can make you laugh and cry within the span of a few pages. Simone is a genius when it comes to creating hot, Latino boys that I want to keep for myself (the books themselves aren’t too bad either ;) you should probably read them if you haven’t already!). Jennifer Echols is the author I probably fan-girl the most. She makes some seriously HOT scenes in her books! I could die a happy person if I were able to meet all of them!

Elizabeth Eulberg, Antony John, and Robin Benway all put my two favorite things together, books and music. For Elizabeth, she took the rock stars known as The Beatles and mixed them with a wonderful main character to create a book I love, The Lonely Hearts Club. Antony John’s Five Flavors of Dumb was such a wonderfully unique story about a deaf girl managing a rock band. Perhaps my favorite of all of them is Audrey, Wait by Robin Benway. This  is a book in which there are no words to describe the musical goodness that comes from it. I imagine myself, along with these three authors, would have lots to talk about between books and music!

Diana Peterfreund is another favorite of mine, of course! I would probably interrogate her on her Secret Society Girl series. The story is just so incredibly well-written and full of mystery & romance. I am dying to know if any of the stories are true!

Kiersten White is hilarious. I could just watch her stream of Tweets day & night and be completely entertained.

 Stephanie Perkins created Etienne St. Clair. That should be enough to convince ANYONE to invite her to their party.

Stacey Kade. I talked to her once on Twitter….about pizza. It was the greatest fan-girl moment of all time. I love, love, love her book The Ghost and the Goth! She was able to do the whole character switch-er-roo thing so well and I love how her characters play so well off of each other. I can guess that Stacey and I would have a wonderful conversation about ghosts and if that doesn’t work out, there is always pizza!

 Gae Polisner, author of The Pull of Gravity, a book I have NOT read, would be a definite invite to my author block party. Not only is Gae super nice and generous but she is funny, like REALLY funny! I will sometimes just read through her Facebook updates for fun. And trust me on this one, it is lots of fun!

Karsten Knight is another author of a book that I have not read before. I would invite Karsten for the simple fact that he will have the whole party laughing; there is no doubt about it. I even subscribed to his Youtube channel because I find him so freaking hilarious! 

 Carrie Harris, yet again, have not read her book but I think we could have a good conversation about zombies and book bloggers who stick plungers in their head.

 Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, co-authors of Sirenz are two more goofballs I’d love to meet. Charlotte is always dropping sweet, funny, random tweets and I love her for it. She has even convinced me to purchase a red pair of shoes to wear while reading her book!

I would also like to add one more to this list. LK Gardner-Griffie is such a sweetheart! I have yet to read her book, Misfit McCabe but trust me, I hope to make that very soon!

There are all the authors I would invite to my bookish party of awesome. I am sure there are many, many more but that is all I could think of off the top of my head. Don’t forget to let me know what you think of my guest list and of course, leave a link to your TGIF post and I’ll be sure to check it out!

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (8/5-8/11):

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

In My Mailbox (22)

Tune-In Tuesday (20)

Friday Is Forever Tour

TGIF (1)

TGIF is a fun little feature hosted at GReads! Every week we re-cap what has happened on the blog plus Ginger asks a question for us to answer. This week’s question is:

Author Love: 
In 2011 which new/old authors have you discovered & loved?

 

This is such a hard question to answer because I have honestly enjoyed every book I have read this year! Some were fantasy, some were romance, while others were historical fiction. Some were new and some were old but the thing is, I loved them all! But if I must narrow the list down, here are some of my favorite authors of this year!

 

Elizabeth Eulberg: I read her book, The Lonely Hearts Club and I absolutely adored it! It was recommended to me by my real-life best friend and I couldn’t have been more impressed. Seriously, such a cute book! Reading this only made me more excited for more books by Elizabeth.

 

Stephanie Perkins: I have one name for you-Etienne St. Claire-enough said. Stephanie uses the perfect mix of humor and heartache. Her characters were unique, fun, and well-rounded. I adored Anna and the French Kiss and I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of Lola and the Boy Next Door.

 

Janet Fox: Wow! I am not a huge fan of historical fiction but this author completely changed that for me. Faithful was such a beautifully written and well detailed story. If you have not read it yet, I suggest you go do so now!

 

Antony John: Anyone who can create a character as unique as Piper is in Five Flavors of Dumb, deserves some type of award. He really pushed the limit on Y.A. novels by creating a story of a deaf girl managing a rock band. This is some that has NEVER been done before. I just love, love, loved his book & I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

 

Ashley Hope Perez: As the first author EVER to request me to review a book, I just had to throw some author love out there. Not only was her book What Can’t Wait a truly touching and inspirational story, but Ashley is just such a doll! I will forever be thankful for her allowing me to read her book & do my first ever author interview with her!

 

This week on Katelyn’s Blog (5/20-5/27)

Dream Smashers review and giveaway– Ends 5/27

Warped Tour Weekend (1)

In My Mailbox (13)

Winner of Sarah Dessen Giveaway

Tune-In Tuesday (9) and Teaser Tuesday (6)

 

 

Book Review: Love, Inc. By Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Title: Love, Inc. (Love, Inc. #1)

Authors: Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 409 hardcover

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Zahra, Kali, and Syd would never have met if their parents’ marriages hadn’t fallen apart. But when the three girls collide in group counseling, they discover they have something else in common: they’ve each been triple-timed by the same nefarious charmer, Eric, aka Rico, aka Rick. Talk about eye-opening therapy.

Cheerful, diplomatic Zahra is devastated. Rico had been her rock and sole confidant. How could she have missed the signs? Folksy, flirtatious Kali feels almost as bad. She and Rick had only been on a few dates, but they’d felt so promising. Hardened vintage-vixen Syd is beyond tears. She and Eric had real history… Or so she’d thought. Now all three girls have one mission: to show that cheater the folly of his ways.

Project Payback is such a success, the girls soon have clients lining up for their consulting services. Is your boyfriend acting shady? Dying to know if your crush is into you? Need match-making expertise? Look no further than Love, Inc.

After devouring Girl v. Boy by Yvonne and Sandy, I was ecstatic to read their next book! Love, Inc. This cute, girly, fun read is full of revenge, love, friendship, and some yummy desserts!

The main character Zahra is going through a little rough patch. Her grandparents from Pakistan show up and all of a sudden her parent’s relationship is on the rocks and Zahra finds herself in group therapy. Baking and Rico seem to be the only two things keeping her sane. However, once she meets Kali and Syd, Zahra finds herself some unlikely confidants. The three, oddly matched friends soon find that they have one little thing in common; His name is Eric, or Rico, or Rick; it just depends on what girl he happens to be with at the moment.

When these girls come up with a plan of revenge, they have no idea it would change their lives forever. Soon the idea of Love, Inc. is born and with that comes a big list of changes. The girls ultimately learn to be better friends as well as great entrepreneurs!

Zahra along with her two supporting characters, Kali and Syd, are three girls that will stay with me for a long time. Zahra is sweet, always thinking of and doing for someone else. She is the type of character that is endearingly nerdy but so kick-butt at the same time. I wish I could say I was half as awesome as her. Her two best friends, Kali and Syd are two peas from two VERY DIFFERENT pods. Kali comes across as the pretty, talented, tree-hugging, airhead. However, she is strong, smart, and has a lot of great ideas when it comes to their little business. Syd is a girl who one would call an onion. She has lots of layers. Syd comes off as tough and very “I hate the whole world” however, she is just hurt by her parents and Eric and she really just doesn’t know how to deal. Underneath all of her anger, Syd is really a big sweetheart. I love all three of these characters! Yvonne and Sandy did a superb job sticking to the right personalities. I was able to see the characters grow an exceptional amount throughout the book without losing sight of who they really were.

The title of the book, Love, Inc., would lose a lot of importance if it weren’t for a little romance, right? Well this book sure has it! After their initial act as a group, revenge on the ex-boyfriend, the three girls actually spend a lot of time trying to fix up couples. There were so many relationship issues touched upon on this book; I found it really interesting and entertaining how they all coped with each individual issue. Aside from fixing up couples, Zahra finds herself in a romance, or two, or three. First there is Riaz, the apple of Zahra’s grandmother’s eye. He is Pakistan, cute, confident, and just the type of boy you bring home to mommy.  After things fizzle with Riaz, there is Andrew. He is your perfect, preppy guy; athletic, good-looking, and nice. Sadly, things didn’t work out with Andrew either. Just when Zahra is about to give up for good (a position that MANY teen girls have found themselves in), Kali mentions her older, extremely good-looking brother, Brody. Regardless of his annoying confidence and irritating remarks, Zahra can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But after watching their parent’s failed relationships as well as seeing theirs go down the drain, will these girls be able to move on and find live again?

I recommend this great little book to most girls, especially if you are fans of The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg! Definitely a very cute book dealing with boys, heartbreak, revenge, and finding love again.

 (Yes, I found it very reminiscent of that book, and I mean that in the best way possible!)

Monthly Wrap-Up (February 2011)

It’s that time again! Monthly Wrap-Up is a feature on my blog that I just started this year. At the end of each month I will post exactly what happened on my crazy little blog for that previous month. February is a short month; that is the excuse I am using to cover up my lack of reading/blogging this past month.

Books I Read In February

Rhymes With Cupid By Anna Humphrey

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Gone by Lisa McMann

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

*That is a total of 6 books read for the month of February. I am now 14% done with my goal of reading 100 books this year*

Books I Reviewed In February

Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal. (Read my review here.) This is a fantastic 2011 Debut Novel that needs to be read by teenage girls everywhere. Love, heartbreak, and redemption are all included in this wonderful book!

 

Vixen by Jillian Larkin. (Read my review here.) This is a must read for anyone participating in Y.A. Bliss’ Historical Fiction Challenge. Revenge, love, drama, murder, lies, deceit, fashion; basically the norm for the Roaring 20’s.

 

Timeless by Alexandra Monir. (Read my review here.) Another fantastic 2011 Debut Novel! This one takes us all throughout history as the main character races through time to save the boy she loves.

 

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. (Read my review here.) Not a debut novel but an absolute must-read! This feel-good novel is about getting over heart-break, learning to love yourself, and not to mention, it features the wonderful Beatles!

*I feel that I should also mention that this book may or may not have been written about my best friend Kati and I*

 

Rhymes With Cupid by Anna Humphrey. (Read my review here.) This super cute, easy-loving novel is the perfect little book for Valentines Day, or really just for a time when you just need a love story to get you by.

 

Across The Universe by Beth Revis. (Read my review here.) 2011 Debut Authors must have been conspiring together to all write fantastic novels. Across The Universe is a book that will satisfy all readers regardless of what their favorite genre is. It is sci-fi, romance, thriller, mystery, just everything great rolled into one.

Miscellaneous Things On The Blog In February

I continued to participate in the weekly meme featured by The Story Siren, In My Mailbox. I got so many fantastic items this past month, I really couldn’t believe it!

(Read my IMM posts here, here, and here.)

I also joined a new meme this month hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, called Teaser Tuesday. You pick a random page of a book you are currently reading, reveal 2 sentences, and tease all your readers. It is fun and I got a great response to it!

(Read my Teaser Tuesday post here.)

On one particular day, I was feeling generous and bored so I decided to post a few videos staring, made, and produced by my brother and neighbor. The creative little dudes love coming up with videos and also love the comments, so if you are feeling generous and bored as well, click the link below and drop them off a comment!

(To view my brother’s and neighbor’s videos click here.)

In other news, Leah Clifford’s book, A Touch Mortal came out this month! To enter her giveaway (which sadly, I did not win) I had to make a post regarding the craziest thing I have ever done. It features my spontaneous personality, clumsiness, and all-around bad luck.

(To view “The Craziest Thing I Have Ever Done” click here.)

Wrap Up

That is it for this month, I know it is sad and pathetic. I am not getting too much closer to my goal of books read in 2011, but I have a feeling March is going to be more productive! However, Kati and I will be taking a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, so if I am somehow swallowed up by the ocean (it’s happened once or twice before, who knows if it’ll happen again), you all will have to deal. Now back to the point, if you are interested in doing a monthly wrap-up, please do so! Post a link in the comments section, and I will check it out. I hope February was a great, love-filled month for everyone!

Book Review: The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Point

Pages: 285 hardcover

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Love is all you need…or is it? Penny’s about to find out in this wonderful debut.
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows – no more. It’s a personal choice…and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born; The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways…which is too bad, because there’s this certain boy she can’t help but like… 

The Lonely Hearts Club. I absolutely love everything about this book. There truly is not one negative comment I can make about it. It is sweet, funny, cute, adorable, awesome, really the list goes on and on. I have seen this book floating around the book store for quite some time now but for some reason never picked it up. During our last shopping trip, my best friend Kati actually picked it up. Just a few days later, she was blowing up my phone and twitter with messages about how she just adored this book. She said, and I quote, “I seriously can’t get enough of this book girl! You’ll love it; the main girl is just like you, and her best friend is my twin. Pretty much, these girls are so frigging funny.” After that, I quickly borrowed the book from Kati and blasted through it. We then came to the (highly unlikely) conclusion that Miss Elizabeth Eulberg stalked us for a good part of our lives. The main character Penny and her best friend Tracy are just like Kati and I. Well if Kati and I actually had dumb boys to break our hearts in the first place and then started a completely awesome club of girls who are giving up boys, then Penny and Tracy would seriously be our twins. (Ok, if this has been enough nonsense for you, I will now start with my review part of the book!)

The main character of this book, Penny, is sick of boys breaking hearts. Not just her heart, but the hearts of all her friends. She is so sick of it she decides to form The Lonely Hearts Club. At first, this is just a one–woman show, but quickly more and more girls start opting for the single life. Penny struggles to control her ever-growing group but she soon realizes she has created a great support system for the girls at her school. This whole giving-up-boys thing would be a lot easier if one in particular would stop acting so nice, funny, cute, and perfect all the time…

So here is what I loved about this book, aside from the fact that it was written about me & Kati:

1)      Beatles. Beatles. Beatles. So if you didn’t catch the obviousness, I loved the references to the musical phenomenon known as The Beatles. First the cover, Love it. I know authors very rarely have any control over it, but whoever designed it did a great job with making it very Beatles-ish. Second, the main character’s name. Penny Lane, after a Beatles song. So unique, quirky, and cute! Third, The name of the club. The Lonely Hearts Club, named after Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album of The Beatles. Fourth, breaks in the book. They were marked off with song titles and a line of lyrics from that particular song. Last but not least, the random mentions of The Beatles throughout the whole book. If you are going to incorporate something as spectacular as The Beatles in a book, you have to go big or go home. Elizabeth did a great job of including Beatle-ish things throughout the whole book.

2)      Girl Power! That is right, these girls may just be mere mortals but they are super heroes in my eyes. I wish I could have had the guts to do what Penny and her friends did in high school. Regardless of complaints of the male population and threats from the principal, Penny and fellow members of The Lonely Hearts Club march ahead without hesitation. They all believe 100% in what they are doing and they aren’t letting anyone tell them differently.

3)      For the love of all that is holy. I love romance just as much as the next teen girl, but you very rarely see the main character having a romance with herself. Now before you take that the wrong way and get all embarrassed, let me explain. Whatever happened to loving yourself before loving others? Elizabeth did teen girls a huge favor by writing this novel! Sure Penny starts the club after a huge heartbreak, but she just wants to take the time to make herself happy. I love that Penny fell in love with herself FIRST then went and found romance with a boy AFTER.

4)      Friends are forever. The friendships in this novel are so believable! (Well of course they would be, Elizabeth stalked Kati and I, remember?) In all honesty, the friendship between Penny and Tracy was superb. They fight, get irritated, push certain buttons, and are so loyal to one another. After the club becomes hugely popular, the relationship between all its members is fantastic. At first Tracy can’t stand a super popular cheerleader named Diane. After finding some common ground (common ground being they are both Penny’s friend and boys are dumb) they eventually have a great friendship. To add to the “friends are forever” part, I loved that this was the perfect novel for me to read with my best friend. Even if our personalities were complete opposite of Penny and Tracy, I have a feeling we would still love to read this book together!

If you are looking for a book full of GIRL POWER then The Lonely Hearts Club is for you. It is a super cute and sweet novel of a group of girls sick of heartache. This book will have you laughing and crying tears of joy the whole way through! I strongly recommend it to anyone.