Mel's Shopping Diary
Great VOYA review of Blue Bloods!
May 25, 2006 Got a GREAT review in VOYA today..."Schuyler, Mimi, Bliss, and Jack live the good life in New York City. Young, beautiful, and rich, they are members of the exclusive philanthropic society known as The Committee. More than just a charitable board, The Committee guards an ancient secret that the blue-blood members of the American upper class are actually Blue Bloods, a four-hundred-member ancient race of vampires that might not be as invincible as it believes. Combining historical references to the lost colony of Roanoke with high-fashion name-dropping and the threat of an evil hunting the Blue Bloods, de la Cruz takes her trademark brand of high-society chick-lit and turns it into a fresh and engaging vampire tale. The four main characters develop from character types to believable teens struggling with the realities of being both young and undead. To be sure, most teens do not get modeling contracts in the hallway of their high schools, but many deal with distant, ill, or embarrassing parents, much like these teens. With tongue-in-cheek explanations for everything from how the no-sun or garlic myths began, to vampirism being the reason that these elite girls can eat their weight in cupcakes without gaining an ounce, de la Cruz opens the vampire genre to readers who cannot get enough glimpses into the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Recommend this title along with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005/VOYA October 2005) as a delicious reading feast and be prepared to be asked when the next Blue Bloods book is due. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High,defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Hyperion, 256p., Ages 11 to 18."
-VOYA - Vikki C. Terrile
Yay!!!! Thanks Vikki! VOYA rocks!!!
By the way, a "4Q" is a really high 'writing' rating for VOYA. I've hardly ever seen 5Q's. Although I did get a 4Q and a 5P "Most YAs were dying to read it yesterday" - the highest appeal rating -- for The Au Pairs.
Part of me is still a kid who loves getting good grades. Hee.
One of the things that is so hard about adulthood is that there are no progress reports. I was one of those kids who derived a lot of my self-esteem from my report cards. Yes, I know, I was a big nerd. But I didn't have a social life back then, so I had to find happiness SOMEWHERE.
In other news, I am an aunt again! I haven't blogged much about it because my sister is one of those people who likes to keep her private life private and probably finds being related to an author a bit...inconvenient sometimes. (Like when I used to post all my dad's emails on McSweeney's a long time ago, behind my family's back, and um, my sister and brother got REALLY mad at me.) But my new nephew is amazing, and I just love him so much. His brother is my godson and these two boys are the light of my life.
Ok. Must. Stop. Blogging.
I have been procrastinating all morning working on ANGELS. I really need to get back to that book. My goal is to have 30 pages done by Sunday. I know I can do it, which is why I keep pushing it off. Ack.
xoxo
Mel
On May 28, 2006 at 9:47 am, Mel had this to say:
awww, i don’t know WHAT i would do without you guys, one of the nicest things about moving to LA is having met you! (although we do need to go to some awesome spa trip soon!!!)
xoxo
mel
On June 27, 2007 at 10:35 am, Jenny had this to say:
so i just went to the library with my brother to ease my summer boredom and hopefully read a couple good books. I saw your blue blood series and said to myself well this looks interesting. So along with that I got your sequel it was about 12:30 when I started reading your book. Then I did some stuff for my mom and got really into them. Well that was monday and I didn’t go to sleep till one in the morning. I was simple addicted!!!! Then tuesday morning I started reading I finished around 3 in the afternoon.(well in between I had to help my mom with chores and run errands) I can’t say how amazing these books are!!!! Well I’m hoping that there is a third book!!!! please say yes! well I’ll try to keep updated. Thanxs for the great book though!
On May 27, 2006 at 4:19 pm, Anna had this to say:
I so relate to your comment about girls supporting each other career-wise as we get older. I’m so over competing with other women. I just read something today, where some woman said, “What happened to the good old days where women fought over men?” The support thing is very contagious. You are so incredibly supportive—you have no idea how many weeks of writing confidence I get out of your constant cavalier assumption that whatever I’m writing will work out—and that, in turn, makes me be supportive right back. (Plus, like, who’s going to try to compete with a girl who has 13 BOOK CONTRACTS?! PLEASE.) I used to have that whole ‘there aren’t enough pieces of pie for everyone’ mentality, but now I see that the world is made up of a succession of pies—chocolate cream, meringue, whatever the hell you want—so long as you have that kind of cavalier assumption that it’s all going to work out. And btw, I LOVE that we can all dish about the mags and editors, LOVE IT.