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Guess who finally got a Twitter account? That's right, me! I'd love to hear from you if you have one too, so tweet me (is that the correct usage of "tweet", because I'm still not sure).

In other news, I babysat my two-year-old cousin, Addison, last week. As soon as her mother left, she proceeded to hand me a book and told me to read it to her. I've taught her so well.

For everyone who is back to school like me...enjoy!

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Valerie Leftman and her boyfriend Nick totally get each other. They are picked on relentlessly by their classmates, so they make a list of them called the Hate List. On May second, Nick pulled out a gun and started shooting. Val is shot trying to save Jessica, one of the biggest bullies she was forced to deal with on a day to day basis. After accidentally shooting his girlfriend, Nick turns the gun on himself and takes his own life. Now, five months after the shooting, Val is left to deal with the aftermath of Nick's actions. In a world where almost everyone, including Val's own parents, blames her for what happened, she must deal with her guilt for the list, hatred from her classmates, and a lingering love for the boyfriend she lost in order to move on.

The topic of this book was a pretty hard one to read about. Don't get me wrong, this was a great book. Everyone needs to read something that isn't all butterflies and rainbows every once in a while. This book deals with the hard issues of bullying, school shootings, guilt, and suicide really beautifully and with some tough truths. Hate List teaches that if a person is pushed too hard, they can snap, so don't push anyone that hard. In other words, watch what you say because everyone has feelings. I love that the book deals with these things in such a non-preachy way.

There are some fun characters and funny parts in Hate List. For example, Dr. Hieler, Val's therapist, is a really cool and pretty hilarious guy. His dialogue is always snappy and fun to read.

Val has flashbacks of her life with Nick before the shooting in the book. You can really tell that they loved each other and that he was a good, albeit troubled, guy who thought he was doing the right thing.

Now,I don't mean to brag, but I'm usually pretty good at guessing the endings of books, mostly because I've read a lot of them. Hate List, however, had be stumped. I knew that she would somehow come to terms and move on with her life; I just didn't know how. You know me, no spoilers. I was really pleased with the end, though, and I don't say that very often.

I would definitely recommend this novel, especially if you're looking for something on the more serious side. Hate List is surprising and real. It was a really great debut novel from an author that we are sure to read more awesome things from.

Update!

Hey guys! Sorry about my lack of book review this week. One is coming-I promise! It will most likely be about Hate List by Jennifer Brown.

I am SUPER excited this weekend! Wanna know why? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince opened and I'm going to go see it, that's why! Yay times one million!

Also, my best friend Mary Beth has joined the blogosphere! You must, must, must check her out at . She is super awesome and has great taste in books (in my completely best-friend biased opinion). I expect awesomeness from her!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Okay, this review has no spoilers (unless you haven't read The Hunger Games). I know, I know, but sorry, that's just not how I roll.

Basically in the first book, Katniss Everdeen is forced to play the Hunger Games, and she pretends to be in love with Peeta Mellark (a boy from her own district) in order to win. That majorly pisses off the Capitol officials, who basically control everyone and everything, but but they allow Katniss and Peeta to live (for now, anyway).

Now, in Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta must go on a tour through all of the districts (where the families of the people they killed live) and deal with their deception of the Capitol. They begin to notice signs of an uprising, for which they are the poster children. Katniss must also choose between Peeta, her fake lover who also helped keep her alive, or Gale, the childhood friend who she has surprising feelings for. The only problem? People from the Capitol expect Katniss and Peeta to be in love and happy together, and officials will go to extreme measures to make sure they stay that way. Also, a twist that no one expected is just around the corner...

Let me just take a minute to say that I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games, and I was a little wary of it's sequel. Would it live up to the original? Would it turn into a "who will she choose" series? Would I like it as much? How many more questions could I ask myself before I became delusional (Answer: a lot)? There are so many literary sequels that flop, and i crossed my fingers and bit my nails for this one to not be like that. I shouldn't have worried. Not one bit.

First of all, I'm really glad that this didn't turn into one of those which boy will she choose novels, because it totally could have. Sure, there was some romance, but what young adult fiction book doesn't have romance (Answer: none)? The love aspect didn't overshadow the big picture. On the other hand, you get to see just how vile the capitol really is. They do some pretty sick stuff (let's just say that the officials there don't have a problem with killing people who oppose them in front of others to make an example of it-and believe me, there are a lot of things to oppose). There were also a lot of really cool twists (one big thing in particular, but, as I said, I don't do spoilers). This is definitely one of the biggest must reads of the year. Catching Fire is a sequel that won't disappoint fans of the first and will leave you hungry (get it? Okay, sorry, bad joke) for more.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Clary Fray is a normal teenage girl. At least that's what she thinks until she witnesses a murder committed by three teenagers with strange tattoos all over their bodies. What's more, no one else can see them, only Clary. She soon learns that the murderers, Isabelle, Alec, and Jace, are Shadowhunters, warriors who rid the world of demons. Clary gets caught up in their world when her mother goes missing and her apartment is ransacked. She quickly learns that everything she thought she knew is not as it seems (literally and figuratively) and sets out to find out the truth about her father, her past, and the surprising love triangle she finds herself in.

I really, truly enjoyed this book, which, I have to admit, I didn't have very high expectations for. The plot was undoubtedly well thought out; everything just seemed to fit. There was a lot of back story, which is always a good thing. Also, there were quite a few twists that not even the best guesser could think of ahead of (we're talking real shockers here). The writing is snappy and clever and moves super fast (as my best friend says,"It was pretty witty!"). This book is an all-around must read.

Jace has got to be one of my favorite characters of all time. I always looked forward to his dialogue because it genuinely made me laugh out loud. His too-cool-for-you attitude was believable and admirable. Also, Clary wasn't the typical heroine that you read about these days. She doesn't have the standard look and she is pretty independent (and kick-ass if I do say so myself). I love that she doesn't fall over guys and have her life saved by them the whole book. Sure, there's romance, but in an unconventional way that doesn't overshadow the true story.

Cassandra Clare has outdone herself with this debut novel. This unforgettable book will undoubtedly go far-and so will she.

My Intro

Hey everyone! I'm Ally and I love to read. Lately I've read some pretty awesome stuff like The Mortal Instruments series, The Hunger Games (and its sequel Catching Fire), the Blue Bloods series, and Handle With Care. I'm looking forward to reviewing these soon!

I would really like to read Cracked Up to Be, the Uglies series, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Splendor, and a million others. I'm always looking for a good suggestion, so feel free to email me anytime.

I'm super excited to join the blogging world and can't wait to get to know everyone!