Review: "Hello, Mallory: The Baby-Sitters Club #14"

Hello, Mallory: The Baby-Sitters Club #14 by Ann M Martin

2 out of 5 stars

I really disliked this book. I love Mallory, she's probably the most like me after Mary Anne. Anyone who says "I love to read, and I don't believe that you have to finish one book before you start another." is A-Okay with me! :) But her first real book was full of mean baby-sitters, ridiculous tests and racism.

Okay, let's start from the beginning. The BSC has invited Mallory to join them to help replace Stacey, but they want to give her a test first. Mallory is super excited...finally something to make her more "grown-up". Maybe now her parents will let her get contacts or not get braces or get cooler clothes. Or not..."What Mallory is Wearing" for her first BSC meeting:

I finally decided on my red jumper that said "Mallory" across the front, a short-sleeved white blouse, and white tights with little red hearts all over them. "You look like a Valentine," Vanessa told me, but I didn't care. I put on my penny loafers.

Yeah, you do. I forgive her though, because I would be super excited to join the BSC too! Until they give me a crazy hard test about how to apply a tourniquet and drawing and labeling the digestive system!! I would have stormed off and started my own club too. Way to go Mallory!

So Mallory doesn't start the club by herself...she meets a new girl at school, Jessi Ramsey, and they become fast friends. Jessi is black. And a ballet dancer. And black. And likes to read horse stories just like Mal. Oh and she's black. And she likes to tell funny jokes, which goes away in like the next book I think. And did I mention she was black? That's pretty much how the book goes. :/ I get that this book was published in 1988 (holy crap I'm old!) but is that really necessary?

Anyway, Mal & Jessi are BFF's now and when the BSC realizes they were total jerkheads (my new favorite insult) and invite Mal to join the club after all, she refuses unless Jessi can join too. They say okay and at the first meeting Jessi points out the fact that she is black (not that they couldn't tell) and suggests that some of their clients might not like that. Enlightened 8th graders that they are, the BSC'ers say then they don't want those people as clients. And tada! The BSC now has 2 Associate Members!

Review: "Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye: The Baby-Sitters Club #13"

Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

Why is Stacey's car in the middle of the lawn? And why did her best friend, who is an artist, do that lame-o going away banner? Oh BSC cover artists, you slacked again. Do you even read the books?

This is one of those sad books. Stacey's dad's job is not doing so well so they are transferring him back to the New York office...which means Stacey has to move away from Stoneybrook and the BSC. But I'm going to tell you a secret, a spoiler even: she comes back! *Gasp* :) Stacey wavers between being super excited about going back to the big, exciting city and sobbing about leaving Claudia and all her friends. Not that she really has a choice in the matter; it's not like she can stay with Claudia and her family. Which of course they try...why did kids always think that's going to work?

Stacey finally comes to terms with the move, mostly because her parents say the BSC can have a yard sale and keep all the money. Spoiled much? There's a great bit where they're trying to price stuff and Stacey seems to think a sweater will sell for $40. Dawn says they don't have yard sales in California either...really? Is that true? Apparently, they make a butt-load of money at the sale and split it between all 5 of them. But the other BSC'ers decide to use it on a going away party for Stacey. And what better way to say "we'll miss you" than having all the kids they baby-sit come over and hosting a big "Field Day" type party??

There's a few interesting smaller plots:

-Jeff is still causing trouble and totally flips out on Mary Anne. He's really ready to move home to Cali with his dad and sick of being with "the girls"

-The Pike kids spy on their new Russian neighbors. And Claudia lets them.

-Morbidda Destiny/Mrs Porter invites the Thomas/Watson kids over for lemonade, nearly scaring the pee out of them. Literally.

-Stacey has to tell Charlotte that she's moving and of course, all the tears. Stacey gives Charlotte a copy of A Cricket in Times Square, which coincidentally, I just checked out at the library this weekend.

-Mrs Barrett gives Dawn .50 cents extra an hour to help Buddy & Suzi run a sidewalk sale. Totally not worth it. Also, Marnie+Ham Face=Cutest Kid Evah!!

-And Stacey's last BSC meeting (for now) with a "What the Baby-Sitters Club is Wearing" (although for some reason Stacey didn't describe her's, so I made up my own.)

She was wearing a wonderful Claudia outfit-a purple-and-white striped body suit under a gray jumper-thing. The legs of the body suit stretched all the way to the ankles, but she was wearing purple push-down socks anyway. Around her middle was a wide purple belt with a buckle in the shape of a telephone. And on her feet were black ballet slippers.

Dawn was wearing a very short kilt, an oversized red sweater, and yellow socks over red tights. On her head was a red beret with a sparkly initial pin attached to the side. Mary Anne was wearing an outfit that I [Stacey] had helped her choose. It was tame, but not dorky-a navy blue minidress with a pink sash, blue tights, and black slippers like Claudia’s.

Kristy was wearing her uniform-jeans, a turtleneck (pale blue), a sweater (blue-and-white striped), and sneakers. I [Stacey] was getting ready for back-to-school at New York in a fitted black jersey tee, a short flouncy skirt with black and red flowers, black tights and slouchy black boots.

3 in 1! Alex Flinn

Another 3 in 1 review to play catch up! This time it's all Alex Flinn books. I wanted to read Beastly first, after seeing the movie last spring, but couldn't get it at the library so I got these first 2 books instead.

Breathing Underwater

4 out of 5 stars

I can see why this is a must-read in lots of high school classes now. Nick is the golden boy...on the outside. On the inside, he's an insecure kid scared of his dad and even more scared of growing up like him. When he falls for Caitlin, he thinks everything has finally turned around and she can make his life better. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

This is a...gritty, I guess is the word...first-person story about a boy trying to deal with his problems and his family. It doesn't necessarily end happily, but it's a good book.

Fade to Black

3 out of 5 stars

Okay, I'm starting to see how this author writes with this second book lol. She takes the stories of the unfortunate or misunderstood and tries to make them understood. If I were in high school still, I would have loved these.

Alex is a high school student who is also HIV positive. The students at his school are all freaked by this, which makes the book seem really dated. They're scared to sit next to him even. This book was published in 2006, so I don't know if the author was just really dating it or what? Anyway, Alex gets attacked one morning by an unknown person (and I can't remember how it ended, how sad is that!?) but Daria, a girl with Down Syndrome, says she saw the attacker and it was Clinton, the main bully at the school. This was a good, quick little read but like I said, feels very out-dated.

Beastly

3 out of 5 stars

First, let me say that I hate getting books with the movie poster cover! But I found it at Half Price and I wanted it, so that's what I got. Also, I think this is the first time I've ever liked the movie better than the book. Possibly because I saw the movie first, I'm not sure.

Okay, this is the redone story of The Beauty & The Beast set in New York City in modern times. Kyle Kingsbury is the hot, popular jerk at school who makes fun of everyone just because he can. Until he makes the mistake of picking on Kendra, the "fat, ugly girl" who happens to be a witch. Funny how in the book they call her fat and ugly but in the movie she's an Olsen twin. O_o

Kendra puts a spell on Kyle, turning him into a (literal in the book) beast until he can find someone who loves him for what he is. He understandably freaks, but it's even worse when his dad, the handsome newscaster, does too. He ships him off to Brooklyn or something to live in a house with just the housekeeper and his blind tutor. Until some crackhead guy tries to break into his house and instead of turning him in to the police, he agrees to take the guy's daughter. (What kind of dads are these??)

They get to know each other and of course fall in love. Lots of predictability but there was a surprising twist at the end. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Overall, I did enjoy it and I'm glad I bought it. I still want to buy the movie too though. :)

Review: "Claudia & The New Girl: The Baby-Sitters Club #12"

Claudia & The New Girl: The Baby-Sitters Club #12 by Ann M Martin

3 out of 5 stars

I just read this one this weekend, so it's totally fresh in my brain! :) And I'm super excited, because only 2 more books and then it's time for Super Special #1!! Woo!

Okay, I know Claudia is supposed to be baby-sitting Jackie Rodowsky, which is a pretty good reason to wear jeans, but the rest of her outfit? Totally not Claud...white sneakers? Come on! Snazz it up a little...paint that shirt, change the laces in your sneakers, something!

There's a new girl in town, Ashley Wyeth, and Claudia is her new BFF. They both looooove art and dress weird. Although Ashley is, admittedly, a little weirder, especially for the late 80s. For example: "She was wearing a very pretty pink flowered skirt that was full and so long it touched the tops of her shoes-which I soon realized were not shoes, but sort of hiking boots. Her blouse, loose and lacy, was embroidered with pink flowers, and both her wrists were loaded with silver bangle bracelets. Her hair, which was almost as long as my friend Dawn's and was dirty blonde, was pulled into a fat braid (which, I might add, was not held in place with a rubber bang or anything; it just sort of trailed to an end). But the amazing thing was that because her hair was pulled back, you could see her ears. And she had three pierced earrings in each ear. They were all silver and all dangly, but none matched."

(go here to see bigger...I was actually pretty proud of this one!)

Ashley is very intense about her art though, it's like she's in a relationship lol. And she wants Claudia to be that way too. But of course, Claud has baby-sitting, her friends and a silly little thing called homework to deal with. She lets all those things slide though because Ashley thinks she has real talent and should enter a sculpture show. Soon, Claudia is failing spelling tests (but really, who can spell "pharaoh" without spell-check? And I totally just misspelled it! Hah!!) and skipping BSC meetings, which of course makes the other girls super pissed.

This book really kinda rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't decide what it was until I read some other reviews on Goodreads. Someone mentioned that the other BSC members were actually acting like 13 year old girls and that's it...instead of their normal, understanding selves they are catty, rude and selfish. Now, yes, Claudia did go completely overboard being Ashley's friend and ignoring the rest. But I can see where she's coming from, since none of her other friends are artistic/crafty at all. Lucky for me, my sister and mom are both super crafty like me and also very into Blythe dolls which is my other passion besides books. :) If they weren't, it'd get very lonely doing things by myself.

So, to see the other girls calling Ashley "weird" and "stuck-up" just really annoys me for some reason. Plus, they don't encourage Claudia at all in the art show like they normally would have. And then there's the whole "eat all her candy and short-sheet her bed" chapter. Of course everything ends up happily ever after in BSCLand in the end, but still.

There was also a subplot about Dawn & Jeff, giving us some major foreshadowing about Jeff moving back to Cali and eventually Dawn. Oh and a cute part with that Walking Disaster, Jackie Rodowsky, when Claudia decides to sculpt him for the art show but runs out of time. When she tells Jackie, he's disappointed but tells Claudia he loves her...awwww!!!

3 Reviews in 1!

I'm still trying to play catch-up for the months I wasn't blogging, so to get there faster, I'm going to start doing a few books in 1 post every now and then. And probably more than 1 a day if I can get that far ahead. :) So here's the first 3...

Watermelon: Walsh Family #1 by Marian Keyes

2 out of 5 stars

I have the whole Walsh Family series (along with most of her other books) and haven't read them in years, so I thought I'd pick it up again. Well, I don't know if it was just because this was the first one or what, but I really didn't enjoy it that much this time around. I might try the others later on again. I went through a huge England/Europe based pink book faze and this was right in the middle of it.

Claire has just had a baby and suddenly finds out her husband is leaving her for another woman. She is totally freaked, understandably, and decides to go back home to Dublin with the baby for a while and make her mum and dad take care of her. She wallows in self-pity for a very, very, very long time until she meets a younger guy and falls for him. I won't say much more in case you do want to read it. And really, for a pink book, it's pretty decent! Just don't except some depth and you'll be okay!

Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews

3 out of 5 stars

Oh man, this book freaks me out so much!! This was another reread and I am still deeply disturbed, after all this time. (Plus it's been about 5 months since I read it!) VC Andrews is the queen of dark, twisty, disturbed, tangled, disturbing family drama. And I devoured them as a teenager. My mom actually got me started on VC Andrews with this series and I highly recommend anyone start with them as well, just in case you've never read any before! I don't know if I'll read the others again, just because they're sooo creepy.

In case you've been living under a rock and don't know what these books are about, here's the gist: The Dollanganger's are a beautiful family of six, all blonde-haired and blue-eyed, all with names starting with C. Something horrible happens and they have to go live with the mother's evil parents. The evil grandmother and mother make the children stay in the attic for like 2 years. There's a whole list of things they aren't allowed to do or think like: no inappropriate thoughts, no boy & girl in the bathroom together, etc...so you know, obviously, that bad things are going to happen. And oh boy, do they!

Sisters, Strangers & Starting Over by Belinda Acosta

3 out of 5 stars

I picked this up at the library one visit and honestly, I don't remember much about it. :/ I did like it, but it just wasn't that memorable for me. I do remember that it had a lot of Spanish words mixed in, which I enjoyed. It made it seem more "real" if you know what I mean.

Beatriz is part of a large Hispanic family that has one dark secret in their past: her sister ran away from the family a long time ago and they don't hear anything else about her until her daughter suddenly turns up on Beatriz's doorstep needing answers and a place to live. This is a good book about family values and taking care of each other.

Review: "Kristy and the Snobs: The Baby-Sitters Club #11"

Kristy and the Snobs: The Baby-Sitters Club #11 by Ann M Martin

3 out of 5 stars

This book makes me sad. :( Kristy is living at Watson's McMansion now and hasn't made any friends yet, because she says they're all stuck-up snobs. She's advertising her baby-sitting in the new neighborhood, which kind of makes her a snob if you think about it. She meets one of the new girls, Shannon Louisa Kilbourne, and it's instant enemies. Who introduces themselves with their full name?? Hello, my name is Jennifer Lynn Ingram, so nice to meet you. Blegh.

There aren't any "What Claudia is Wearing" in this one, which kinda stinks. But instead of making up my own, I thought I'd do Gabbie & Myriah's version of tea-time dress-up. :)

Mary Anne ran upstairs to see what was going on. In Gabbie's room she found Myriah wearing a pink party dress with white tights and shiny Mary Jane shoes. But Gabbie had a different idea about getting dressed up. She was wearing one of her mother's slips, a necktie belonging to her father, a feather boa, a straw hat, sunglasses, and snow boots. "How do I look?" she asked. Mary Anne glanced at Myriah who shrugged. "Lovely" Mary Anne told her.

Anyway, the reason for the saditude is that Louie, the Thomas' old dog, is getting well, old. There's not much they can do for him except make him comfortable and after a while even that's not enough. So they have to put him to sleep. I cried. In 2006 we had to put my first kitty to sleep. Her name was KuKu (her previous owners had named her Coup Coup, we changed it obviously lol) and she was my sweet baby. I got her my senior year, after writing a poem IN SPANISH about cats for my parents.

Okay, moving on from the sadfest! Kristy and Shannon have a mini-feud going for a while, calling pizza and diaper deliveries on each other while they're babysitting. Shannon goes a little too far when she tells Kristy the house is on fire while babysitting. Who does that? That's not funny! They finally get over themselves and become sorta friends. Shannon feels bad after Louie dies and decides to give the Thomas/Watsons one of her purebred puppies, whom David Michael names Shannon lol. In the end, Kristy decides Shannon the human is a good person and asks her to become an associate member of the BSC, like Logan. Kinda quick decision if you ask me, but okay.

Happy Friday!

I forgot to do my TILT yesterday. :( But I have something very cool today, so that's okay right? My sister first showed me this mobile made from an old book on CraftGawker. Are you on CraftGawker? If not, you should be! Loads of inspiration and fun to be had!

And after following the linky-do, I found out Lisa Occhipiniti sells them on Etsy under TheShopHouse and she has some very cool items in her shop! Give me another example, you say? Okay! :) How about this wreath? I would love to have that hanging on the wall over my bookshelf or even on my front door in the fall!

While browsing in her shop, I read her welcome message and she also has written a book on crafting with books! How serendipitous. The Repurposed Library has 33 projects made out of books and I am going to the library tomorrow to see if they can order it for me. And if not then I'm heading to the bookstore!

I hope you all have a wonderful, book-filled weekend and if you happen to already have this book and want to show off your own take on one of the crafts, please do!!

Review: "Logan Likes Mary Anne! The Baby-Sitters Club #10"

Logan Likes Mary Anne! The Baby-Sitters Club #10 by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

Squeee!! It's Cam Geary!! No, even better...it's Logan Bruno!! Le sigh...he is soooo dreamy. Even with his silly accent...nothing against Kentuckians, but this: "Ah've haid plainy of expuryence." sounds ridiculous. And I am already way ahead of myself here, so let's start over. Obviously, that is Mary Anne and Logan on the cover. Know how I know? I labelled them for my older self. :) And also Jackie Rodowsky...if he would just stop spreading his fingers out, he could probably get his hand out of that jar.

Oh and I must have gotten a new pink pen recently...Mrs Clardy was my 4th grade teacher. At the end of the year, me and 2 of my BFF's sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" to her. Yes, really. Please stop laughing.

The girls are finally going into the 8th grade at the beginning of this book, where they will stay for approximately 180 books. Strange timing there. Mary Anne is the only one who is still 12, but luckily she has a birthday soon after school starts. Unluckily, her friends decide to throw her a surprise party which becomes the 2nd most humiliating experience of her life (more on the 1st in a minute). It's like they don't know her at all.

Anyway, Kristy decides they should do some advertising for the club at the PTA meeting and it turns out to be a monster hit. So much that they are in danger of having to turn jobs away. And that's where dreamy Logan comes in. But seriously? Aside from the silly accent, he's a pretty cool dude. Not too freaked to sit with a bunch of girls at lunch...oooh speaking of lunch! How gross are the hot lunches at Stoneybrook Middle School??"...macaroni and cheese...that smells like steamed rubber in Turtle Wax...limp broccoli, a cup of canned fruit salad, and milk. Kristy and [Mary Anne] each bought a chocolate eclair Popsicle, since [they] don't like macaroni or canned fruit salad." Where's the meat?? Chicken? Anything with protein??

Logan also has actual baby-sitting experience, so they decide to invite him to a club meeting and test him out. Um, do Claudia's parents know she has a boy in her room? I didn't think so. He takes a sitting job with Mary Anne for Jackie Rodowsky, AKA: The Walking Disaster. Poor Jackie. He did chin-ups on the shower rod and crashed, spilled grape juice on the carpet, got his hand stuck in his grasshopper's jar, fell off his bicycle, ripped his jeans and knocked Mary Anne into Logan's arms (which she totally didn't mind!). They better have good insurance for that kid. Wait til he starts driving, yikes!

The girls decide, as good a baby-sitter that Logan is, it is still totally awkward having him at the meetings (they can't even talk about the fact that Mary Anne finally grew boobies and got a bra!!). Mary Anne gets elected to call him and tell him (his number is KL5-1018 if you want to prank call him btw). He totally beats her to the punch and says he doesn't want to join, but instead asks her to go to the Remember September Dance with him!! OMG! She says yes! And she gets a new outfit with her dad's credit card! :) So...here's my interpretation of "What Mary Anne Wears to the Dance", but I actually like Poiregourmande's version better! :)

Claudia handed [her] a full white skirt with the words Paris, Rome, and London, and sketchy pink and blue pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Tower Bridge, and other stuff scrawled all over it. [side note: is that a really awful run-on sentence or is it just me?] She matched it up with a pink shirt and a baggy pink sweater. [Mary Anne] would never, ever have tried on that skirt, but with the shirt and sweater it looked really cool. In the shoe department [they] found white slip-ons with pink and blue edging that matched the pink and blue in the skirt.

The dance starts out good, but soon turns into the 1st most humiliating experience when Mary Anne accidentally kicks her shoe off while dancing with Logan and it flies across the room and nearly hits the vice-principal in the head. Yikes. It doesn't seem to scare Logan away though, because by the end of the next week they're basically engaged. (Feels like it anyway) And it's time for the surprise party...which Mary Anne runs out on because she totally freaks that her friends would want to do anything nice for her! What were they thinking?! It all turns into a huge misunderstanding, everyone thinks everyone is mad at the other, but they're not, they all make up and all is good in BSCLand. And it's finally Mary Anne's real birthday...Logan gives her a silver bracelet which is probably too expensive and a little inappropriate. But that's what junior high boys do right? I had a boyfriend for about a week in 7th grade who gave me this gold linky bracelet that I'm pretty sure he stole from his mom lol...don't worry, I gave it back when we broke up.

And! Mary Anne asks her dad for a kitten and he says yes! Hooray, it's Tigger the grey-striped adorable cuddly-ness! I love Tigger. Even though I always call him Tiger. I'm a little slow sometimes.

Review: "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner"

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

2 out of 5 stars

Okay, yes I will admit it. I have read the Twilight books. *cringes* Please don't run away screaming! I read them before the movies came out and haven't reread them since. And honestly? I enjoyed them. But the movies have pretty much ruined them for me. Or more exactly, Kristen Stewart has ruined the movies AND the books for me. I just can't stand that girl. She has got to be the worst actress on the face of the earth right now. I may eventually try to reread the series one day (mostly just to see if I should sell them lol) but I did get this novella for Christmas, so of course I had to read it.

Hmm...what can I say about this? It wasn't *awful*. Diego was pretty cool. Fred is freaking awesome.

Repelling powers? Way cool. I know they're supposed to be all pretty and crap but I'm totally picturing him like the super fat guy in Wolverine lol...holy crap, I just realized his name was Fred too! No wonder I picture him...IMDB to the rescue! Victoria is trying to create a super vamp army to take down the Cullens. It doesn't work. Obviously. Bree and Diego fall for each other. But they both die. Bummer. Better than Edward and Bella's story though. Yeah, I don't have much to say for this. If you like Twilight, it's an easy, fast read. If you don't, well then you obviously aren't even reading this review. :)

Review: "The Ghost at Dawn's House: The Baby-Sitters Club #9"

The Ghost at Dawn's House: Baby-Sitters Club #9 by Ann M Martin

3 out of 5 stars

This cover doesn't make any sense. The stairs are going up. And the lights are on. And there's a handrail. And the stairs are going UP?? What the heck? Okay, anyway! This was a good, scary read. Dawn borrows a Nancy Drew book, The Hidden Staircase, from Claudia and becomes convinced that there is a secret passage in their old farmhouse. I actually remember reading this one and being totally freaked.

Dawn does find a secret passage, by falling through a trap-door in the old barn. It was covered by some hay. Yeah, cause they've never cleaned that place out? Okay. The passage goes up to Dawn's room and she finds some odd stuff on the ground over the next few days: a key, coin, button, an ice-cream cone. Dawn is convinced there's a ghost, named Jared Mullray, haunting her. Turns out, Nicky Pike has also found the passage and has been using it as his own secret hideout from the triplets. Dawn ends up agreeing to share it with him as long as he doesn't scare the crap out of her again lol.

There's some other subplots with Kristy, MaryAnne, Claudia and Stacey but they aren't very interesting. Plus, there's not a "What Claudia is Wearing" :( so you know what that means?? I get to make up my own again! :) And I'm just going to warn you now: I was hungry when I made it hah! "What Claudia Should Have Been Wearing":

Claudia was wearing red, skinny jeans with a pink and yellow sweater that had hamburgers and pizzas on it. She decided to go all out and become a walking all-you-can-eat bar. She paired her sushi socks with her cuppycake Keds and her doughnut charm bracelet with her Kawaii breakfast necklace. In her ears she had Coca-Cola bottles and fried eggs. She even had on pineapple boy shorts, not that she showed anyone those. Her purse was made of candy necklaces and at lunch-time she pulled her money out of a taco change purse. Students complained all day that she was making their stomachs growl.

TILT: Snowflakes!

As promised, today's TILT is all about Snowflakes! Wishful thinking, I know, but please just let me dream! :) Snowflakes, cool breezes, crisp air, boots and leggings, State Fair, football, scarves, potato soup....mmm fall.

Winter Blue Snowflake Mittens Card by Ddots --love the punched out dots!

Shelter From the Storm Ink Drawing by EmMoon77 --tie umbrella FTW!

Cat Catching Snowflakes Illustration by PinkGlitterFae --my first kitty always loved to lick the moisture off the windows in the winter and this reminded me of her :)

Fun & Funky Snowflake Stud Earrings by ArtisticCreations --so cute and original!

Review: "Boy-Crazy Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club #8"

Boy-Crazy Stacey: The Baby-Sitters Club #8 by Ann M Martin

5 out of 5 stars

Oh.Em.Gee. Would you look at that hunk on the cover?? He's so dreamy. So buff. So...eighteen?!?! Seriously? More like 28. Jeez. Anyway, that hugemongous discrepancy aside, I *love* this book. It's one of my favorites.

It's still summertime in Stoneybrook and the girls are all meeting at Kristy's McMansion for a last sleepover before they all split up for stuff. And right off the bat, we get a "What Stacey is Wearing"! Woo! "I...wanted to be cool since it felt like it was about 150 degrees outside. [I feel ya sister!] ...I decided on this new pink shirt...Big, bright green and yellow birds were splashed all over it. It was gigantic, so it would be cool. I put it on with a pair of baggy shorts, looped a wide green belt around my middle, and hunted up some jewelry-silver bangle bracelets and a pair of silver earrings shaped like bells that actually ring when they dangle back and forth." Poor, deprived Stacey was only able to put on one pair of earrings though, because her parents said she would look like a pirate if she had more than one piercing. Wonder what they would say about my 3 sets and cartilage?

Stacey & Mary Anne got picked to go with the Pike family to Sea City, New Jersey. I want to go to Sea City. Besides the hunky, beefy lifeguards, there's Trampoline Land, Candy Heaven AND Kitchen, Ice-Cream Palace, a ferris wheel, arcade, miniature golf and Burger Garden! Plus, you know, the beach and stuff. Lol...It takes 2 cars and a Barf Bucket to get the Pikes to the beach and mayhem ensues. Claire is calling everybody "Silly-Billy-Goo-Goo", Vanessa is rhyming everything, Nicky wants to hang with his big brothers and not the baby girls, Byron (the sensitive triplet) is scared of the ocean and Stacey falls for the hot hunk of meat on the lifeguard stand, leaving Mary Anne to watch all the kids by herself. Selfish cow. Doesn't Mary Anne know it's LUV?? ;)

Oh and Nicky tells this silly joke: "So one day this matta-baby comes up to me-" "What's a matta-baby?" "Nothing. Whatsa matta with you?" Haha! No? Okay then.

Mary Anne gets a major sunburn, been there done that. Stacey becomes Hunkaholic's new errand girl. Somebody's got to get those cold sodas you know. And it all pays off, because Hunkorama gives her the raddest gift ever: the whistle off his neck, which obviously means he's totally in LUV with her too. I know, you are super jealous, me too. So Mary Anne just keeps getting more and more pissed, but hello? She's suddenly got this cute (for a 9th grader) guy mother's helper helping her out too. So what's she complaining about?

And! There's another "What Stacey is Wearing" plus a special edition "What Mary Anne is Wearing"! (Which is really cheating, because she's wearing Stacey's clothes lol) "Cute guys...I put on a white cotton vest over a pink cotton dress and tied a big white bow in my hair so that it flopped over the side of my head." "...I loaned [Mary Anne] my yellow pedalpushers, a yellow and white striped tank top, and an oversized white jacket."

The girls finally get a night off and go sight-seeing, buy some souvenirs, and Stacey buys Hunkahunka a big heart-shaped box of chocolates. Because that's what any 18 year old dude wants. Right after she buys it though, something MAJOR happens. Stacey catches that slimeball kissing another girl and her heart is totally broken.

Mary Anne is still pissed, but she gets over it and the girls end up hanging out with the guy babysitter and his cute cousin. They turn out to be totally cool guys and the girls *might* be in luv. Stacey gets her first kiss (even though she claims she dated tons in 7th grade?) and Mary Anne goes out on her first date and trades rings with the guy. Really. So all ends well in Baby-Sitters Land and it's back to Stoneybrook. Pull out the Barf Bucket.

Review: "Phi Beta Bimbo"

Phi Beta Bimbo by Trish Jensen

3 out of 5 stars

This was a fluffy re-read for me one weekend...pink book all the way! :) I mean the first line is "Am I sexpot, or what?" So it starts out with brother and sister, Steve and Leah, shopping for a "Pump You Up" bra for Leah. She's apparently going undercover as a busty blond bimbo to test out some theory, but really she was tired of being a nerd and wanted to live it up for once. Can't say I blame her. Oh and brother Steve is dressed in drag as Stephanie, to save his company somehow. Cosmetics company. Yeah. Sounds awesome right? But seriously, for a fluffy book it's pretty darn good. All right, let's make this easy with a cast line-up k? Here we go...

Leah: nerdy science girl, 28 years old,

wants to have a little fun, Steve's little sister

Candi: Leah's alter-ego, mega bimbo, goes to work for Steve's company

Steve: Leah's older brother, dressing in drag to save his company from a spy

Stephanie: Steve's "Twin", posing as the owner of Just Peachy because apparently business-men are so stupid they think a cosmetic company should be run by a woman. For 5 years. Yeah.

Mark: hot security guy hired by Steve/Stephanie to get the spy. Thinks it's Leah/Candi. Is hot for both.

Kate: hot chick who runs Apple Blossom Cosmetics, Just Peachy's main competition and possible spy. Hates Stephanie, hot for Steve.

Shelley: Mark's blind sister who knows right away that Stephanie is a dude and thinks it's hilarious.

Gramps: Leah & Steve's grandpa, whom they live with, and who is exasperated with both his grandkids, for good reason.

Okay, that's the run-down...lots of crazy, misled hijinks ensue. Everyone falls in love that should, Leah realizes she doesn't have to be a bimbo to have fun, Steve realizes he doesn't have to wear pantyhose to run a company, Shelley & Gramps start a great friendship, they catch the spy and everyone lives happily ever after.

Review: "Claudia & Mean Janine: The Baby-Sitters Club #7"

Claudia & Mean Janine: The Baby-Sitters Club #7 by Ann M Martin

4 out of 5 stars

This book has seen better days for sure...I'm missing the first 4 pages and there are several falling out! I am seriously freaking out about those first 4 pages: what if there was a "What Claudia is Wearing"??? O_o Anyway, apparently this book belongs to Shona Farmer...another alias of mine? Who knows!

Okay, this has to be one of the saddest books in the series (oh god, I just remembered what happens to Mimi later on!! *tear*). It starts out (on page 5) with the Kishi family eating breakfast and deciding what they're going to be doing that day. It's summertime, so of course Janine is taking two college courses and working in the library between. Nerd. I will admit, I did take summer classes but NOT during high school! One summer, I took Spanish 2 and had to do lab time each week in the coldest room in the whole building. So, there I was, wrapped up in a blanket while it's 152 degrees outside, watching Willy Wonka in Spanish. (No really, that's what I was watching...and I only recommend it if you want to feel like you're on drugs lol) What was my point here? I'm pretty sure that's not what Janine was doing.

Moving on! :) Claudia is taking some art class, babysitting the adorbs Jamie Newton, going shopping with Stacey & then a BSC meeting. Packed schedule. Janine seems jealous. And hey! It's time for "Where Claudia hides her junk" or "Why don't her parents pay any attention to her??"

-Cupcakes in the desk drawer (really?? cupcakes? Just hanging out in a drawer? How does she not have a bug or rat infestation?)

-Licorice in the pencil case

-The Clue of the Tapping Heels & The Message in the Hollow Oak under the mattress

-M&M's in the jewelry box

-The Clue in the Crossword Cipher in a box of art supplies

On to the meeting...Stacey gets her hair cut, everyone oohs and ahhs over it, Kristy asks big bro Charlie to drive her to the meetings since they now live in McMansionLand and he agrees for $1.00 per meeting day. He's such a good bro. And Kristy has An Idea. Playgroup. Because it went so well last time. *Sarcasm* They come up with a nifty flier and go around to all the neighbors gathering up kids for the playgroup. Jamie thinks 5 baby-sitters would be fun, Jenny Prezzioso is a brat, Mallory Pike is going to be a baby-sitter-in-training (Hello Foreshadowing!).

And here comes the big, heart-wrenching, *tear* plot...Janine & Claudia are having dinner with Mimi and arguing like always. Mimi goes to bed early, upset, and then the girls here a thud. "Mimi was lying on the floor in a heap...She looks so little, all crumpled on the floor. Her eyes were shut, and she was as white as a sheet." It turns out she had a stroke and has to stay in the hospital a few days and will be doing lots of therapy stuffs.

Life goes on and it's time for the playgroup's first day and a session of "What [the heck] Stacey is Wearing?" I took some major liberties this time, because....ew. Lol..."Stacey, wearing a pair of knee-length lime-green shorts, matching green high-topped sneakers, and a large white T-shirt with a gigantic taxicab on the front..." And also...Kid Kit!! Woo! I always wanted to make one of those, just for myself.

So this is getting long again; I haven't done a review in so long, I've obviously forgotten how to condense. ;) Okay, time for the speed summary: Playgroup is crazy, Janine & Claudia fight more, Mimi comes home & Claudia agrees to watch her during the day, Mimi resents being treated like an invalid and baby, she yells at MaryAnne who is only trying to help, Jamie is jealous of baby Lucy and almost pours punch on her, Claudia wears some weird outfit to Lucy's Christening, Janine & Claudia finally realize they're both jealous of each other, a new family moves into Kristy's old house (with kids of course), another BSC meeting, the Pikes' call and they are going on vacation and need 2 sitters, which leads into my favorite book of the series!! Sea City, here we come!! :)

I'm baaaa-aaaack....

Ugh, I totally suck! 4 months off would be awesome for work (with pay of course lol), not so much for blogging. I've been in a major crafting, blogging, anything slump. But I'm feeling the urge to do stuff again, so here I am! :) Luckily, I haven't stopped reading (never!!) so I have plenty of books to review. See...all the books I've read and need to review!

I've got 3 reviews lined up already, plus many, many more. And hey, I've been kinda busy! I went to the zoo...

And I had a birthday! My mom and sis made & decorated the cupcakes! :)

And we went to Galveston! Someone left this seahorsey on the beach for me to discover.

And remember that TILT: Sunshine I did back in February? Well this week it's going to be a TILT: Snowflakes lol. Yep, Texas weather strikes again. We are well on the way to breaking the record of 42 consecutive days of temps over 100 F set back in 1980 (coincidentally, the year I was born...which my mom never fails to remind me of :]) Yay.

Okey-doke...back to work and look for a BSC review later this afternoon! Woot!