Mundie Moms

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Book Review: Bad Taste in Boys

Written by: Carrie Harris
Published by: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 11, 2011
Source: Purchased
5 stars - I loved this book -- it's a must read!

Synopsis (from Carrie's site):
Someone’s been a very bad zombie.

Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be this close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except . . . the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating . . . zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend . . . not even Kate . . .

Honestly, I don’t quite know what attracted me to a book about zombies because normally, I clutch my crème brulee torch tightly and pray I don’t have nightmares when I’m exposed to the slightest bit of zombie lore. The cover was definitely what caused me to grab it off the dolly as my unsuspecting book seller wheeled the fresh stack of new releases by me. But, then I turned to a random page and started reading and what grabbed me was the voice of the protagonist, Kate. Here’s a sample from page 72-73 (and you know me by now, it includes a hot moment with the quarterback of the football team, Aaron.)
He held out his hand, and I took it. There was a moment of heart-stopping panic during which I wondered if I had misread yet another social situation, before his fingers folded over mine. He probably just needed some friendly reassurance. Or maybe I’d been magically transported into a musical, and we were about to break into a song-and-dance number. I’d believe that before I’d believe he was interested in me.

I cleared my throat and lifted my eyes from our intertwined fingers. They looked good together. “Um…I could help, if you want.”

“Thanks, Kate. You’re the best.”

I shuffled uncomfortably. I didn’t know how to interpret this. Instead of AP Latin, I should have taken Talking to Boys Without Stammering.
See what I mean? Kate is smart, scientific and the trainer for the varsity football team. As she investigates the use of steroids by certain team members, I couldn’t help thinking of other characters who share her determination to do the right thing and find the truth. Yes, I’m thinking about Veronica Mars and Sophie from the Hex Hall series. Kate could easily sit at a lunch table with the two of them.

I have to mention Carrie’s writing because she plunked me in the middle of a football game and I followed her story and the characters feeling like I knew them from page one. And all of the characters are fully fleshed out (you knew a bad metaphor had to pop into the review at some point, right?). Seriously, I loved them all but Kate’s younger brother may have made me laugh the most.

I finished this in one sitting and I found myself having to explain my giggles and snickers to my family. Sometimes, I think those are the best kind of books, don’t you? So on these hot summer nights, don’t look out the window into that dark backyard of yours and wonder what’s out there, instead pick up Bad Taste in Boys and sit back with your crème brulee torch by your side and enjoy a story about a funny, smart, curious girl.

July's Clockwork Prince Teaser


Cassie really knows how to tease us. Today's she's treated us to not only a teaser for Clockwork Prince, but the WHOLE Prologue: The Outcast Dead. Here's a snippet:

The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight; where it parted, Will Herondale could see the street rising ahead of him, slick and wet and black with rain, and hear the voices of the dead.

Be sure to go to The Infernal Devices site to read the rest. Believe me it will make you wish December 6th was already here. That's only 146 days, 3,504 hours, 210,240 minutes to go, but who's counting!? Obviously not us.

Waiting On Wednesday- Pandemonium

Published by Harper Teen
To Be Released on March 6th, 2012

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free.

Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.

Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet (quoted from Goodreads)

I am really excited about this upcoming release, even though it's not until next year. I'm looking forward to reading more about Lena and what's in store for her next, and I love the cover. The colors they use really stand out. There's a lot of buzz swirling around this series right now due to the cover re-design, and to go with Pandemonium's cover HarperTeen will also be releasing a Limited Edition Delirium with it's matching cover on August 2nd, 2011. Personally I like both covers for Delirium, but I love it when a series has matching covers.

Lauren recently announced the new cover on site as well. Be sure to stop by her blog and share your thoughts with her.

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