Phantom Week!

It's Phantom Week here at Vita Dei!

So here's what set this on.
I had a conversation with a reader, who said she loved the show-and I told her I did too and that I was seeing ALW's stage show in NYC for the third time this week(This was last week)

She then said-Well why don't you do a Phantom week! and I said "Why Not?"

So here's the rundown of what I will be reviewing-NOTE:Phantom week will probably turn into Phantom 12 days or something.

Books:
Phantom by Susan Kay
Letters to Erik by An Wallace
Phoenix of the Opera by Sadie Montgomery
The Phantom Returns by Stefanie Cole
and unfortunetly........
The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth

Weee! It's going to be a fun week!

Teenager of the Year

http://heyteenager.blogspot.com/2009/04/hey-teenager-of-year-in-association.html

Please check this out! I'll be nominating some of my favorites and hope you do the same.

Giveaway: 3 Copies of The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Coming up in the next week or so, we will be having a giveaway of 3 of Andy Andrew's new book, The Noticer. After our review is posted, we will post the details on how to enter. However, I suggest you check out thenoticerproject.com - awesome site that will fill you in on everything surrounding this wonderful book.

Review: East Garrrison by G.M. Weger

Publisher's Summary:
All Tracy Dade wants is to deliver a healthy baby and be a good mother, but she fears her unhealthy relationship with her father-a Vietnam vet suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder-will sabotage her ability to have a normal life. She decides reconciling with him is her only hope and begins a pilgrimage to Fort Ord's abandoned East Garrison to track him down. In her way stand acres of land polluted with unexploded ordnance, an overprotective husband, a dangerous predator stalking the base, and her own stubborn heart. With her labor just hours away, she's running out of time.

I didn't have high expectations for this book. It just didn't seem like the type of thing I'd really like. I was pleasantly surprised. It was suspenceful, to my surprise. The characters, especially Tracy, where likeable. The story was good and interesting. I liked it. It's not anything to write home about but it's a good suspence novel I think some of you would like. Ms. Weger has good potential in the future-I will look for her future work.

March for Babies

It's a wonderful organization. My local FBLA(Future Business Leaders of America) is participating and I'm co-chairing our event. If you can help at all, just look into it. March of Dimes does great things.

Review: Duchessina by Carolyn Meyer

Publisher's Description
Young Catherine de' Medici is the sole heiress to the entire fortune of the wealthy Medici family. But her life is far from luxurious. After a childhood spent locked away behind the walls of a convent, she joins the household of the pope, where at last she can be united with her true love. But, all too soon, that love is replaced with an engagement to a boy who is cold and aloof. It soon becomes clear that Catherine will need all the cunning she can muster to command the respect she deserves as one of France's most powerful queens. Includes a family tree.

I'm a huge historical fiction fan and I love Catherine de' Medici-one of my favorite political figures of all time. In all, I liked the book, however most of the time Catherine is under the age of 14 and while she is very mature for her age, I prefer more mature characters. Interesting book, I learned a few things about her I didn't already know. Not exactly the most memorable book( reason why this review is so short) but a nice short read if your interested in this kind of thing. I read it in a day, so I'm sure most of you won't have any problems with it.

Review:Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Samar -- a.k.a. Sam -- has never known much about her Indian heritage. Her mom has deliberately kept Sam away from her old-fashioned family. It's never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a really cute but demanding boyfriend.

But things change after 9/11. A guy in a turban shows up at Sam's house, and he turns out to be her uncle. He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage. Sam isn't sure what to do, until a girl at school calls her a coconut -- brown on the outside, white on the inside. That decides it: Why shouldn't Sam get to know her family? What is her mom so afraid of? Then some boys attack her uncle, shouting, "Go back home, Osama!" and Sam realizes she could be in danger -- and also discovers how dangerous ignorance can be. Sam will need all her smarts and savvy to try to bridge two worlds and make them both her own.


Now, I was so excited to read this novel and it doesn't dissapoint. I have a friend who actually is Sikh and she was very excited to hear that someone had written a book that starred teenagers and involved her religion. I was also just really into the story. I was in 2nd Grade at the time of 9/11 but I remember it vividly. This story follows the after math of it through the eyes of a teenager girl-Samar.

Samar is an average girl. and like average girls-she has some problems. The book shines in the fact that it is very realistic. Her mother is not evil-but shes no where near perfect. Every character has flaws and I like it that way. And I think you will like this novel. :D I reccomend it to my world culture readers and to anyone who wants a good coming of age story.

Check out Neesha Meminger's site
http://www.neeshameminger.com/
Next up: Outcast by Aaron Allston and East Garrison by G.W. Weber