Hey guys! What's up? Are we heading to WW3? Who knows.
I had so much fun when I made this the last time, so I thought I would do one again. This time, my mom helped me.
I showed my mom 5 book covers and told her to describe the main character and the main plot. I knew nothing about the books I showed her so there's no cheating here. I recorded her, transcribed it, and translated the text. Here's what how it turned out (spoiler: she wasn't even remotely close.)
*In between brackets are my comments*
1) The Art Of Lainey by Paula Stokes
It's about a teenager of 20-something. She's really smart and lives in a lively city. The story is about the adventures this girl goes through while trying to discover the world. She's a really nice person and wants to find good friends. [Does the title tell you anything?] What's "Lainey?" [The name.] The art of Lainey? [Yes.] Okay, but I think the title doesn't refer to art as in sculptures and paintings. It's the art of being alive and being her.
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.
And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks lik her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.
What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?
2) The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
It's sounds like a mix of Breaking Bad with something. Maybe it's a man who experiments on animals and is moving onto experimenting on humans. It's definitely darker than the previous book. [And what would the "plot" be?] What's a "plot"? [The problem of the story that needs to be solved. He experiments on animals, and then what?] No, he experimented on animals and now wants to experiment on humans. So the problem could be related to ethics and morals. I think he's not an ethical person so maybe it's about the risks and problems that come along with experimenting on humans. The main character is definitely a man.
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now, she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Stephenie Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
3) From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Val Thomas
It's a summer romance story. They meet and have typical teenage trouble. [Bare the title in mind.] *reading* Oh, okay then they come up with crazy stuff to do and it ends in romance. [That was pretty basic, mom.]
KYLIE: Mexico? What a nightmare! I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY! Wait! Is this a wedding band on my finger??
MAX: It started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics and it ended in Ensenada. It was hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded here, with less than twenty-four hours before graduation.
WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring their passports across the border but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.
LILY: This cannot be happening. It's like some cruel joke. Or a bad dream. I close my eyes and when I reopen them, they're still there. Max and Kylie Flores, freak of the century. In bed together. If Kylie thinks I'm giving him up without a fight, she's dead wrong.
4) Replica by Lauren Oliver (Replica #1)
[The title is the one in the middle.] And what's "Lyra" and "Gemma"? [The main characters.] Okay, so they're like total opposite people. One of them is really "dark" and the other one is like the sun. They're like twins that were separated and sent to two different worlds. But one day they meet and that's when the story unfolds. The story is told from their different points of view until they meet.
Lyra
From a distance, the Haven Institute, tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida, looks serene and even beautiful. But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, it is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed.
But when a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjects—Lyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72—manage to escape. As they make their way through a new and menacing environment, they meet a stranger named Gemma, who has embarked on a perilous quest of her own. And as Lyra tries to understand Haven’s purpose, she uncovers earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls.
Gemma
Gemma has been in and out of hospitals her whole life. A sickly child, she has grown into a lonely adolescent whose life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April.
But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her family’s past and discovers her father’s mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility. Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two human models, or replicas, 24 and 72—and a completely new set of questions. As Gemma tries to unravel the mysteries of Haven, she learnes terrible truths about herself and her family that will threaten to destroy everything she loves.
Two girls, two stories, one novel.
While the stories of Gemma and Lyra mirror each other, each contains revelations critically important to the other story. Their narratives can be read separately or in alternating chapters.
5) Unplugged by Donna Freitas (The Wired #1)
[Oh, wait. This is a second installment. Let me find the first one.] Okay, Unplugged, hmm. it's about people who are kept as resources. Like back-ups to be used in the future. It's science-fiction, of course. The main character, for some reason, get's unplugged and is able to see what's going on. So she wants to unplug the rest of the people there to get their freedom back. [It reminds me of that Scarlett Johansson movie.] Yes, that's what I was basing myself on, haha.
Humanity is split into the App World and the Real World—an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy and a dying physical world for the poor. Years ago, Skylar Cruz’s family sent her to the App World for a chance at a better life.
Now Skye is a nobody, a virtual sixteen-year-old girl without any glamorous effects or expensive downloads to make her stand out in the App World. Yet none of that matters to Skye. All she wants is a chance to unplug and see her mother and sister again.
But when the borders between worlds suddenly close, Skye loses that chance. Desperate to reach her family, Skye risks everything to get back to the physical world. Once she arrives, however, she discovers a much larger, darker reality than the one she remembers.
There you have it! My mom had some good ideas, didn't she? Not as good as mine on the last one, though. Check that one out.
Mom, if you're reading this (probably not), thanks!
See you next time!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Let me know.
This week's topic is: Favorite LGBTQ+ Reads. 
