Little Black Lies (ARC)

While I was sick with the plague-- bronchitis-- I didn't really have much to do besides homework and reading, so I got quite a bit done. The reason why I haven't posted about the wonderful books I have read is that I have been waaay too busy catching up with the full week of school that I missed.


The first book that I read was Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen.


The book is about Sara Black, also known as Sara "the black" by her cynically minded teacher (every schools' got one), a girl with a past full of cleaning supplies and little black lies.


Sara has grown up with a father whose life is controlled by his erratic Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a condition where you feel the need to perfect things and keep things clean. As a result, her father's chosen profession is custodian, more commonly known as a janitor.

Now that her mother has run off with her old teacher to France, Sara and her father move to a new town and a new school. Specifically, Anton High School, a school for geniuses.

Sara feels ashamed about her past and her family. So she does what a lot of teens do on a regular basis- she lies. Instead of coming from Lundun she is now from London England. Instead of having a father who fixes schools, she has a father who fixes brains. But what harm can a few little lies do when your social well-being is at stake?

What I like about this book is that even though you may be able to tell what is going to happen, it is not about the final result, it is about getting from A to B and the lessons that we learn in between. The writing in this story is also phenomenal and downright beautiful. While talking to Tish on facebook, she told me that she likes to "break certain rules" when it comes to writing, something I have been trying to do personally with every piece I create. The writing style has a greater likeness to The Book Thief by Markus Zusak than I did to most of the writing styles I have found in YA literature. The combination of the graceful writing with the painstakingly difficult and heartbreaking story makes this a book that you do not want to ignore.

As a personal side note, I give props to Tish for portraying Sara's father's OCD with compassion and sensitivity. As someone who has a disabled immediate family member, I love it when I find books that make people realize that just because someone is different does not mean they aren't people with feelings and lives and families.

To learn more about Tish and her books, you can visit her website.

More to come,
OfficiallyMRS

Cohen, Contest and Codine

Hello Readers, it's me. OfficiallyMRS. Are you there?
I feel bad. Why do I feel bad, you may ask?
A) Upper Respitory infection
B) I haven't blogged in a while.
And it isn't like I don't have the excuse of "I haven't read anything because I have been too busy!" I have been sick. And in California while my parents stayed behind in Chi town and let me roam free... (kind of). But it's not like I didn't have the four hour plane ride to LA to allow for a full time block of uninterrupted reading. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and continually assured the people around me that, "no, I do not have H1N1. I have checked with my doctors." with the sympathetic glances I sent them. Not that the lady wearing the paper mask that I doubt really does anything didn't glare at me anyways.
But my life has been incredibly exciting lately! And I have author-y and writing-y goodness to share!
1) My interview with Melissa De La Cruz went incredibly well. We ate sushi and talked about the horridness/wonderfullness of private school. Well, and her books. That was an important topic too. And you know you did a good job when, at the end of the interview, the author says that she hopes her daughter will be as articulate and mature as I am when she is my age. And that I look like I must be in college or in my twenties or thirties. Big compliment for me. Thank you, Melissa. I am sure your daughter will be an adorable Princess Yoda for Halloween! I will be posting the interview as soon as I have time to go through the audio and type up our conversation.

2) I am almost finished with my ARC of LITTLE BLACK LIES by Tish Cohen, which was released today. It's a great book and it is well written and thought provoking, something that is becoming increasingly harder to find in the YA section. Much love to Suzie for sharing her ARC wealth and sending me this one.

3) I just got my ARC of BLEEDING VIOLET by Dia Reeves which is beautiful and long and amazing looking so I will be starting that soon. Possibly on the way to London? I think maybe yes.

4) Codine. I love you. You make me stop coughing and induce chemical sleep. The. End. Did I write a bestseller? I think it deserves a nobel. (Feel free to coment on the Obama Nobel. I have mixed feelings about it considering the nominations closed very early in Obama's presidency. I mean, I am sure he will do Nobel Prize worthy things, I just don't exactly feel that he has done them yet.)

5) Contest: As soon as I can get the interview with Melissa up, I am going to open up a contest to give away a signed copy of BLUE BLOODS, the first book in the series, which, I must say, is my favorite. VAL put up a good fight, but there is something so creepy and wonderful about not knowing what is going on in the first book of any series. If you want an extra entry though, become a follower and tell me that you became a follower or are already a follower by commenting on this post.

If you have won a contest but haven't recieved it from me yet, do not worry. I am awaiting the date when my father's company (which handles all of my shipping and recieving needs) has an outgoing UPS shipment. I am not really sure on the details or why in the world this is so, but I should be able to send you your prize sometime this week.

I hope this post was sensible, considering I am only half awake because of the codine. Anyways, it should have at least made it somewhat humerous.
More to come,
OfficiallyMRS