No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O'Connor & Alexandra Spunt
Release Date: July 13th, 2010
Pages: 304

Synopsis:

Your lipstick. Your nail polish. Your conditioner. Most of us don't realize that the products we use every day can expose us to thousands of chemicals that are readily absorbed through our skin. The impact on your health? It's not pretty. In this must-read, Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt leave no bottle unturned. They found out all kinds of things the cosmetics industry doesn't want you to know and now they're going to share it with you.

- The most dangerous ingredients in widely-used brands and how they're still not regulated
- Insider secrets from top scientists, dermatologists, and experts
- The 100 best clean makeup, hair care, and skin care products
- Cheap and simple do-it-yourself beauty recipes

It's easy to make the switch to clean cosmetics. From mascara to moisturizers, shampoos to sunscreens, No More Dirty Looks will help you detox your regimen. Now you can be beautiful inside and out - because coming clean is the best look yet.

My Thoughts: The reason I picked this book up was because two of my co-workers were switching to natural beauty products & after asking them why they said because they'd read this book. I know from experience that books can be life changing, so I ordered this one from my library. 

I loved how both of the authors warned you from the beginning that you were going to want to run into your beauty supplies and throw everything out. They were right! After just a few chapters I was so disgusted I wanted to do just that. However, they suggested changing your items slowly & change the small items first. I decided to change my products as I ran out of them. I'm 30 and a librarian with student loans, needless to say I'm frugal. So that was the wisest choice for me. 

The book didn't get too overly technical but technical enough so that you thoroughly understood what was in each product and how they effect you. Now onto chronicling my green beauty product adventures :)

5/5 Stars
 

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi
Release Date: March 18, 2012
Pages: I had the e-Book version, around 300 pages

Synopsis: Can true love survive the end of the world?

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgrimage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

My Thoughts:  I have to say this book was just ok for me, I didn't love it nor did I hate it. At first I had a hard time catching on to the fact that each chapter is a sort of flashback to before the zombies came into existence. Once I figured that out it was a definitely better.

Peyton's and Chase's character were very similar. Both had their weaknesses and strengths and the author played off of them well.

I truly believe boys will enjoy this book more just on the pure zombie factor. Sure there's some relationships in the book but that's real life.

It's definitely worth reading to see if you like it or not.

3/5 Stars
  

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Pages: 324

Synopsis: Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

My Thoughts: This was my first mermaid/men book and I truly enjoyed it

Emma is sweet and innocent she has no idea what's going on and why Galen has such an affect on her. The wit and humor in this book is well placed and will keep you turning the pages.

Galen's character is very sweet and charming. He's uncomfortable in his human form but truly tries to understand and relate to Emma's struggles.

The one complaint I have is the ending. It was very abrupt and felt rushed to me. Otherwise it was an enjoyable read.

4/5 Stars

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Release Date: January 3, 2012  
Pages: 387  

Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.  

My Thoughts: What a spin on the Cinderella Fairy Tale. A cyborg Cinderella? Holy moly did this work fantastically. You have to give credit to Marissa Meyer for thinking this up.

The plot kept me engaged and the pages turning quickly. I loved it. Cinder is a true heroine that anyone can root for. A under dog who is different and doesn't quite fit in. Of course with any retelling of Cinderella there's a shoe (or rather a foot), a charming prince & of course a ball. Toss is a step mother and step sisters and voila.

This book also dealt with relevant issues going on in our daily lives. Discrimination, the loss of loved ones, and child abuse. They're subtle background plots but are easy enough to see and contribute to the overall feeling of the story.

This is a quick and easy read due to the plot keeping you interested, so dive in and discover Cinder's world.  

5/5 stars

Book Overload!!

We're currently having a librarians reading challenge at work & just like every other year I went book bananas. I have 15 books checked out to read between now and March, that's not counting the ones that will come in on hold for me to read. Here they are:

1. Variant / Wells, Robison E.        
2. Strange angels / St. Crow, Lili.
3. The girl in the steel corset / Cross, Kady,
4. The iron queen / Kagawa, Julie.
5. Tiger's curse / Houck, Colleen.                
6. Nevermore / Creagh, Kelly.
7. Always a witch / MacCullough, Carolyn.
8. Glow / Ryan, Amy Kathleen. Details
9. The landscape photography bible / Worobiec, Tony.                       
10. Cinder / Meyer, Marissa.
11. The best of me [sound recording] / Sparks, Nicholas.
12. Magic of the moonlight / Schreiber, Ellen
13. Wonderstruck : a novel in words and pictures / Selznick, Brian.
14. Beautiful days / Godbersen, Anna.
15. Every other day / Barnes, Jennifer

 I'm cuckoo, I know it :) Go big or go home right?

Speaking of going big, my ankle is still killing me & I still can't drive. Dad's been amazing and taking me back and forth to work. Hopefully it heals quickly.

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Pages: 328

Synopsis: In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.

My Thoughts: I love how in the authors note section Claudia Gray says she made up some of the characters in order to be respectful to those who truly were on the Titanic and died when the ship sank. With that said, I loved this book and it's one of my favorites.

Tess and Alec's story is timeless and perfect. Tess is the kind of heroine you root for and hope for the best throughout the book. Even though a lot of reviews didn't like Tess for not standing up to the family she served, you need to realize that in the time this book was set you couldn't do that. Tess knew she had to keep a job or starve. She didn't like it anymore than we did however that was the life of most servants then. Tess is a strong female heroine and was courageous and brave when she needed to be in order to survive.

The villain was perfect in this book and made you want to kick him in the shins just like Tess did.

I loved Alec's character as much as I did Tess. You saw the toll that being a werewolf took on him and how no matter what he had to do he would do what was right. He's a stand up character and that's a plus in my book. I don't want the characters to be wishy washy or flakey.

The Brotherhood in this book is seriously scary. I love the twists with Tess's sister thrown in there and how it affected her even tho they were hundred of miles away. It made the Brotherhood seem real to the reader and to Tess.

5/5 stars

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott  
Release Date: September 15, 2011
Pages: 269  

Synopsis: Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.  

My thoughts: As I Wake was very emotional for me. I easily get attached to characters and Ava's amnesia was hard for her to handle and I could only imagine how I'd handle it.

However this book did get confusing in a few spots for me. I've read several books where the author uses italics to switch between point of views, etc. Elizabeth Scott uses italics in this book to show the reader when Ava is remembering an event. At first I had to re-read several times to try to figure out what was happening. In the end though I enjoyed the memories in the plot of the book. At first it won't make sense but then it will in the end :)

4/5 stars