Favorite Books and Covers of 2013 {so far}

So way back at the beginning of July (you know, eons ago), several bloggers were listing their favorite reads of the first half of 2013. I thought it would be fun to join in, but then never did. Well better late than never, right? So here I am. Giving you my list (picked from the 51 books I've read so far this year). I also decided to add to my criteria. Basically, to earn a spot on this list, the book had to be an excellent read along with having an excellent cover! So let's get to the lovelies, shall we? :)  {As of this moment, these are in no particular order.}

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I know I said these are in no particular order, but I do have to admit something. Barefoot Summer is by far my favorite read of the year! We'll see if the next five months bring a story to rival its place, but for right now? That one takes top honors! :) Cover-wise, all of these are fabulous. But I think Scarlet is my favorite there. What's your favorite read and/or favorite cover of the year so far?

Review: Invisible by Marni Bates

Goodreads :: Amazon

It's not easy being best friends with a celebrity. . .

I'm invisible at my high school and I'm fine with it. It's kind of inevitable with a name like Jane Smith. But when the school newspaper staff insisted that I write a cover story, I decided to find out just how much scandal one geeky girl could uncover. 

Except I never expected to find myself starting a fist-fight, auditioning for the school's Romeo &Juliet musical, running away with a Romeo of my own, befriending the most popular girl in school, or trying to avoid one very cute photographer, who makes it impossible to to be invisible. . .

Jane Smith has survived three years of high school without making a single enemy, all by keeping a low profile. Not even her three best friends, Kenzie, Corey and Isobel, can say the same. But with Corey dating the lead singer from ReadySet and Kenzie in a relationship too, being invisible tends to be lonely. But now she's written an article for her school newspaper that has accidentally snagged the attention of some celebrities. Turns out, people get really upset when their innermost secrets are splashed all over the front page. And new her well-ordered life is being blasted to hell, with results that are wildly unexpected.

I read Ms. Bates YA debut Awkward (my review) last year and absolutely loved it! So I was quite excited when I learned she was planning to make it into a series. I was waiting for the right moment to read this one and oh my goodness, I was not disappointed at all! The hilarity of the first book was continued here and I giggled my way through the story in a matter of hours. In fact, I stayed up way too late to finish it it all in one go. I know it's a great story when I can't put it down. :)

Poor Jane. You know that phrase "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it"? She learns exactly how true that is! Feeling left behind, she decides to make some changes. And boy does that one little decision get the ball rolling downhill and at top speed! Jane is sarcastic, hilarious, friendly, and just a really nice person. She's a great girl, only she doesn't realize it. Her shyness and desire to stay in the background hinders other people from seeing her real self. But she slowly finds her way into accepting herself and her friends for who they are. Her slow emerging into someone that she's not afraid to let others see was well crafted. She doesn't make one decision and suddenly become a whole new person. She's always been that person, she just never knew it.

The guy who pushes her out of her shadows and keeps her on her toes, the girl she thought hated her who ends up helping her out, her best friends who seemingly forget she exists, they each have their spot in Jane's life and they're all great secondary characters. But really, this is Jane's story alone. She has to learn to call the shots in her own life, and to accept the consequences of her own actions, whether bad or good. While there is a little romance here, mostly it's a story of friendship and finding oneself.

Overall, this is a cute and funny story. There were a few moments near the end where I felt things were wrapped up a little too quickly and easily. Especially considering all of Jane's analyzing and worry over some situations. But those were small irritations and mostly I was smiling ridiculously while reading it. A light, quick read that promises lots of laughter and fun! Good for entertainment with not much depth and perfect for the beach. :)

Detention is nothing like The Breakfast Club.

I sat down in my hard plastic chair hoping there would be some group bonding, maybe a little dancing, a few heart-to-heart moments set to eighties music. John Hughes shouldn't have given me such high expectations. I stared at the graffiti carved into my desk, isolated in a room full of slackers, while a bored-looking Spanish teacher focused more on paper grading than on inmate guarding. Most of the kids were either listening to music or texting their friends, probably about the overwhelming lameness that was detention at Smith High School. With nothing better to do with my time, I flicked my iPod onto shuffle and started working on the newspaper story.

There was quite a ruckus in the cafeteria this week.

Ruckus? That was my big opening line?

July EstellaGram :: Week Two

Here we are, halfway through July and more than halfway through the year! It's crazy how fast time is going! I know everybody always says that. But it's so true! :D Anyway, here are my photos from week two. (see previous week here)

Day 8 - Device

{Yup, I use a Kindle.}

Day 9 - Vice

{A vice could make you out of control, yes?}

Day 10 - Damage

{A friend borrowed this book and this is how it looked when I got it back. She apologized profusely, don't worry! She felt terrible. The book is still readable, so all's well.}

Day 11 - Perfect

{No words necessary.}

Day 12 - Edition

{I love this edition of the Narnia series! Definitely a great buy.}

Day 13 - Library

{I felt a little ridiculous standing there taking a picture. But I got it!}

Day 14 - Classic

{What better classic than Anne of Green Gables? I love Anne!}

Bite-Sized Reviews :: Edition Four

Another round of snacky reviews! For more info, see previous editions. :) Now on to the books!

Beauty by Robin McKinley

I can see why this is such a popular book. It's just so cute! Beauty is level-headed (about everything but herself) and unafraid to stand up for what she thinks is right. The Beast is terrible-looking but kind and gentle. He is so patient! I loved how he treated Beauty. Whatever he may have been like once upon a time, he is such a good "man" now. They slowly get to know one another, which I appreciated. For most fairy tales don't really allow their characters that possibility! I loved having a more indepth look at this fairy tale and it did not disappoint in the least. Definitely one to have on the keeper shelf! :)

Rating: A Chocolate Croissant (different than you were expecting but oh so yummy)

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Bittersweet. That's the first word that comes to mind. But more sweet than bitter! The pain of growing up is not fun. It definitely hurts sometimes! But Amelia is resilient and young. And she's strong. Way stronger than she knows, but she's learning. When you find people you connect with, you want to hold them close. But when you're only 15 and the guy is 21, that's a significant age difference. Chris and Amelia know their reality, but knowing and accepting are different things. Accepting is not easy. This is their journey to reach that goal. Sometimes painful, sometimes awkward, and sometimes cute, their journey feels real and human. Because we all know that growing up is hard, yet everybody has to do it.

Rating: Peanut Brittle (sweet and salty)

The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig

Well! Where to begin? Cons: the drama. Oh the dramatics these people were capable of! No one was truly "good" and most straddled the line between good guy and bad guy with most of their body on the bad guy side. The intentions and actions of the characters made sure none of them were very good role models. Pros: Ms. Willig's writing. Because goodness she's a great writer! She kept me hooked into a story that was going places I didn't really like, but I couldn't stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen next! And the story had lots of twists and turns I wasn't expecting. I also really liked that it has contemporary characters and historical characters, and we get both stories all in one. Her Pink Carnation series is the same and I love that! But overall, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this book. It's sort of like a train wreck, you just can't look away once you come upon it.

Rating: Store-Bought Cookies (they look better than they taste, yet you eat them anyway)