Five Flavors of Dumb: A Book Review

Hello!

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Summary: When the hottest high school rock band, Dumb, asked eighteen year old Piper if she would be the band’s manager, no one expected her to say “yes.” But, Piper Vaughan did, and she has only a month to get Dumb a paying gig. She desperately needs the money if she plans to go to college, ever since her parents raided her account to pay for her little sister’s cochlear implant. One other thing. Piper is deaf. Without knowing if the band is any good or not, Piper navigates her way through managing one obnoxious lead singer, a silent rocker, her chess club companion, an angry girl and a talentless piece of eye candy. She seems to be doing well, until the BIG blowup on a local TV station. It doesn’t seem like Dumb will be getting back together any time soon, but Piper is determined to, as she is tired of getting lost in the crowd. Will Piper be able to help Dumb rock out, and find her true identity? Or will it all slap her in the face?

My Thoughts: OH. MY. One of the best teen novels I have ever read. Five Flavors of Dumb is the perfect amount of drama, humor, and a hint of rock-and-roll! I was hooked by the time I finished reading the back cover ;) The idea of having a “different” main character, rather that a clueless, pretty teenager was refreshing, and Antony John handled Piper’s deafness so well! Piper felt real, with her sarcasm and jealously. I instantly connected with her on the first page! I LOVED her little brother, Finn! The reader could clearly see that he cared for his family, especially Piper, although he messed up from time to time. Finn obviously regrets his mistakes, and looks for ways to “fix” them. I just wish he was in Dumb as well! Piper’s dad was sweet, despite my feeling towards him in the beginning. He developed over time, and the fact that he learned sign language because it meant so much to Piper was adorable :) Ed was a sweetie, and I am glad that Piper finally realized his feelings for her. They are just SO cute! Tash and Kallie was an unexpected friendship, and I was surprised Will and Josh were even related! The pace of the story was great, and never was I bored! I could go on and on, but the post has to end at some time ;)

Pros: Just about everything!

Cons: A few “rock” terms I was not familiar with, but it just made me want to learn more! Maybe a glossary could have helped?

Heads Up: Language and romance. The entire story in general was mature; definitely a young adult book.

Overall: I give it 5 stars {*****} for a wonderful read! I recommend it for ages 13 and up.

Antony John will have his third book, Thou Shall Not Road Trip, released on April 12, 2012. Can. Not. Wait!

I told you we were going to talk “Glee”! Solid episode last night, and most of the song choices were good. The Santana storyline makes me tense, and the Coach Beiste scenes make me want to hurt Sue. I feel awful for Kurt, and although Rachel meant well, it ended up in a disaster for everyone. What will they do at Sectionals next week?! From the looks of it, it seems like Sam is back next week, and not in the way I expected!

Bella :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello!

When my mom mentioned she was in the mood for some peanut butter cookies, I knew right where to begin. I spent my afternoon in the kitchen, combining the gooey peanut butter with the sweet morsels of chocolate, sprinkling granulated sugar over the perfectly rounded balls, and sneaking bites of batter ;) After such rave reviews from my family {even my older brother!} I knew I had to try one of these. I now ask myself, “Where have these cookies been my entire life?!” At the first taste, the gooey dough melts in your mouth, a burst of peanuts and chocolate. I promise, you will never turn back!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted loosely from Smitten Kitchen

ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter; softened
• 1 cup peanut butter {smooth or chunky}
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sugar {for topping}

to make

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy.
3. Add the sugars, and beat until smooth.
4. Add the egg.
5. Add the milk.
6. Slowly add the flours, baking soda, baking powders and salt.
7. Stir in the chocolate chips.
8. Place the 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.
9. Using a tablespoon, scoop out batters of dough and cover in sugar. Place the cookies on the two sheets in rows of four. Continue until all of the batter is used, or until the baking sheets are full.
10. Using a fork, LIGHTLY indent each cookie with a criss-cross pattern. Be careful not to flatten too much!
11. Bake for 10 minutes, switching the sheets halfway through. The cookies may look underdone, but do not bake for longer than 12 minutes!
12. Let cookies cool on sheets before transferring to a wire rack.
13. Enjoy!

On another note, you may have heard that American Girl’s 2012 Girl of the Year’s name was told on the cruise! Her name will be McKenna, and from the evidence, it is pretty clear she will be a gymnast. Click here to read a terrific recap of the cruise, click here to watch the big reveal, and click here for more information about McKenna! Hopefully, we will have a glimpse of the doll soon!

You will quickly learn that I am a HUGE gleek! After a short vacation, Glee returns tonight with the results of the class election. We will chat soon ;) Speaking of which, who caught the Sing-Off finale last night? I was busy watching the Grinch, but a quick congratulation to Pentatonix! It was such a tough race!

Have a fabulous night!

Bella :)

Mission (Un) Popular: A Book Review

Mission (Un) Popular by Anna Humphrey

Summary: Margot Button was determined to start off the new school year right. That is easier said than done when you don’t have any eyebrows and hideous bangs {a tweezer incident}, zero best friends {she was sent away to a Catholic school because you were a bad influence}, an awful nickname {Hamburglar- after you stole a ham last summer} and an unpaid job. {Babysitting your three little sisters every day after school} But, Margot still has the bright side to look forward to. For example, her crush, Gorgeous George is in all of her classes, she can still hang out with her friend Andrew, and she has even made friends with the new girl from New York, Em. As long as she keeps her big mouth shut, Margot is positive she can leap to the top of the middle school food chain! When Em asks Margot to help her bring the “queen bee” Sarah J. down, Margot is quick to say “yes!” What is the worse that could happen? Em and Margot soon start a silent war between the unpopulars and the “Group”, as Sarah J. and her friends call themselves. Between breakouts, pink posters and flying sandwiches, Margot is in for quite the year. But is it for the best?

My Thoughts: It was okay. Really, there is nothing more to say. Em was quite the character, and I’m sure she stirred up some action in Margot’s Canadian hometown! She had some of the best lines, especially in her comebacks. Maybe it was just me, but as the story continued, I found Em became even more suspicious and deceiving. I don’t want to spoil anything, but she was pretty harsh at the end! Margot was well-developed, despite some holes here and there. She wasn’t my favorite, however, because I found as a main character, she moped and was quite selfish. I thought the triplets were adorable, even though Margot may have disagreed :) Her grandmother was perfect and was very easy to understand. I found it hard to connect with Margot’s parents, as they were unique, but that happens often with those types of characters. One other thing that bugged me was how exaggerated the plot was. What middle-schooler acts like that?

Pros: A LOL plot and some well-developed characters.

Cons: The story could have easily been shortened by 100 pages or more. The plot, while funny, was not easy to relate to.

Heads Up: Bullying and language.

Overall: I give it 3 1/2 stars {*** 1/2} for an okay book. I recommend it for ages 11 and up.

Bella :)

It’s a Pleasure to Meet You!

Hello!

I’m Bella, and welcome to my fourth attempt at starting a blog ;) I am SO happy to see that you have stumbled across my blog, and I hope you enjoy yourself. “First posts” are the hardest to write, but I think an introduction will do.

My name is Isabella, but feel free to call me Bella :) I am a photographer, a designer, a foodie, an athlete and a Type One Diabetic. New books, American Girl dolls, Vera Bradley bags and “Glee” all make me smile. I love musicals, fashionable clothing, frozen yogurt and France. I think Pinterest and the computer were both fabulous inventions. I enjoy soccer, lacrosse, yoga and {gasp} school. I hope to travel the world one day, and to be an elementary school teacher or a nutritionist.

I can’t wait to share my favorite recipes, book {and movie} reviews, Love Lists and anything else that makes me smile! Ciao Bella! is nowhere near to being complete, so please bare with me as I add various pages and widgets over the next few weeks!

I would like to inform you that my posts are usually MUCH longer, but as I said above, the first post is the most difficult!

Comments and subscriptions are always welcome :)

Bella :)