48 Hour Book Challenge

Total number of books read: 5

Total pages: 1273

Hours read: oh, dozens. Actually, I would say we are going on 12 hours right now. It is a little bit difficult because I was stuck at my recital's dress rehearsal last night from 7:30-11:30 without a watch and only passing glances at my book when I had a moment. But, there you have it.

Well, I started at 3:15 Friday afternoon. I decided to start with page volume first, and attacked my "300 pages" pile.

1) She's So Money by Cherry Cheva
Total pages: 290

She's So Money tells the tale of a Thai-American family, specifically one Maya who desperately wants to get into Stanford, and there's only one thing stopping her, a $10,000 fine. Add a boy who just might not be boyfriend material, a nerdy scheme to get rich quick, some blackmail, and a family who just might be willing to send her back to the rice paddies in Thailand. Basically, an enjoyable book. Though, I did have a sort of hard time believing that some super popular boy (Camden King) would be so into Maya. Though, he seems to be the one to hide his intelligence behind an idiot's exterior. Oh yes, win on the whole "name three writers of the Declaration of Independence" thing. I was totally singing from 1776 then.

2) How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler
Total pages: 339

Maybe this was the reason I was singing Billy Joel's song "Home" this morning. Well, not exactly singing because my throat hurts so much. Sugar Magnolias (oh, Julie, I can't help but think of you there!) has been travelling all her life, want to set down some roots. Except when she realizes that she can't, Maggie decides to not connect with anyone at her new school. Failure of epic proportions. Not that you couldn't see that train wreck coming a mile away (much like my dance recital tonight!). I especially enjoyed the different costumes that she wore to attempt to avoid people liking her, and then that all backfired.

3) Peeled by Joan Bauer
Total pages: 247

To tell the truth, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I was glad (due to the late hour I was reading it) that it wasn't really a ghost story, more of a "investigative reporting" story. That said, I was glad that I read it, despite the fact that I thought the main character's (Hildy Biddle) boy friend type person (Zach) was kind of bland. That said, I really wish we could have learned more about the Polish woman who owned the restaurant Minska. As well as Hildy's father. This isn't to say that I didn't like the book. I did! I guess I just wish there was more!

4) How To Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro
Total pages: 196

I think I should have skipped this one in my books to be read in a short time because it did kind of remind me too much of She's So Money, but I enjoyed this one less. Plotwise, Kate needs to raise $5,000 and keep straight "A's" for graduation so she can not go to college and do whatever she wants with her life and her college fund money. After being asked out by Mr. Popularity, she is suddenly accosted by people asking her how she did it, and she starts charging for advice. Pretty much the generic rags to riches and then crash and burn as the sudden popularity fades, only to ride off in the sunset with the real man of her dreams. This one just sort of dragged to me.

5) The Seer of Shadows by Avi
Total pages: 202

I really liked this one. Well, I've been interested in photographs of dead people since my research project on them back in grad school, but this book took it to another level. That of a photographer who, as a seer, could bring dead people into being as ghosts, just by taking their pictures. Of course, it seems to work most on vengeful ghosts, which makes it kind of hard to sympathize with their plight. You know, then whole, "you killed me so I'm going to get you now bwhahahahaha!!!!" type thing. I did want to like you, Eleanora, but, no. Utterly fabulous.

Ok, now that that has taken me upwards of an hour to write (in between talking to my parents and trying to find jewelry for my mom to wear, etc...) . Back to reading!