Weekly Round-Up 7/26

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading The Clue of the Velvet Mask (Keene), Karma Bites (Kramer, Thomas) Gone (McMann) and Sisters Red (Pearce).  I'm listening to Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Wand (Levine) and then back to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling).

Last week I read Princess of Glass (George) and Incarceron (Fisher) and I listened to Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg (Levine).

Won from Cornucopia of Reviews
Plus by Veronica Chambers (ARC)

"This is the unbelievable story of how I went to college, gained twenty-five pounds, got dumped by my boyfriend, failed physics and became a worl...more "This is the unbelievable story of how I went to college, gained twenty-five pounds, got dumped by my boyfriend, failed physics and became a worldfamous supermodel."

So begins the Cinderella story of Beatrice Wilson, whose life changes overnight when she’s discovered by a scout for the oldest, most prestigious modeling agency in America—for their plus-sized division.

Now she must find the confidence to vanquish skinny rivals, fend off sleazy photographers, and banish scheming frenemies in her rise to superstardom, all while trying to get her ex-boyfriend back. But Bea learns that to win prince charming, you first have to find a way to love yourself
Publish Date: August 5, 2010


From the author
Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas

Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders. Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. ...more Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders.
Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma. Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up. But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways.
Publish Date: August 16, 2010




From Library Thing's Early Reviewer
Gool by Maurice Gee (Salt Trilogy #2)

The gool cannot be seen, not properly, but Xantee, Lo and their friends sense its evil presence. It lurks in the jungle in rock clefts, an enemy from ...more The gool cannot be seen, not properly, but Xantee, Lo and their friends sense its evil presence. It lurks in the jungle in rock clefts, an enemy from outside nature. And now, a fragment of Gool holds Hari by the throat, draining the life from him. They can hold it back with the force of their minds, but for how long?
 
Xantee, Lo and Duro set out on a perilous mission to find the Dog King Tarl, Hari's father, and the ruined city of belong. Can he help them find the source of the gool? Will they find it in time? And do they have the strength to destroy the mother Gool and rid the world of this life-sucking force?

Gool, the thrilling sequel to Salt, is another extraordinary fantasy adventure from the master writer Maurice Gee.

To Feel Stuff by Andrea Seigel

(There's a roundabout way I got to this book.  Suffice to say, I'm using this for the Take Another Chance Challenge because the author has the same name as me.)
Meet Elodie Harrington, college student and medical anomaly. From chicken pox to tuberculosis, Elodie suffers such a frequent barrage of illnesses tha...more Meet Elodie Harrington, college student and medical anomaly. From chicken pox to tuberculosis, Elodie suffers such a frequent barrage of illnesses that she moves into the Brown University infirmary. When charismatic Chess Hunter enters the infirmary with two smashed knees, he and Elodie begin an intense affair, but Chess is only a visitor to Elodie's perpetual state of medical siege. As he heals, he moves back to his former life. Elodie heads in the other direction and begins to see a ghost. When Professor Mark Kirschling, M.D., gets wind of Elodie, he's convinced he can make his professional mark by cracking her case but he's entirely unprepared for what he's about to encounter.


Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Ardendal there lived a spirited princess named Ivy, who had no interest in being rescued by Prince Charming, and an undersized dragon named Elridge, who was better at solving word puzzles than breathing fire. Sailing into this world on a ship made of whale bones came Romil, a handsome prince with dastardly designs on Princess Ivy and her kingdom. Ivy and Elridge, both disappointments to their families, join forces to try and thwart Romil's evil plot. In the process these traditional enemies become fast freinds, discover hidden strengths, and earn the respect of all who know them. Full of humor and high adventure--and plenty of slightly skewed fairy-tale motifs--this frothy fractured fairy tale is sure to delight young readers.