Hell Yes

Alright, everybody. My personal Piles of Books contains a nice mix of classics and contemporaries, but the fact is, I only read about a quarter of them regularly. There are about twenty-five books that I frequently read whenever I have nothing else to read. Thus, I am always electrified to find a new series that I am willing to read over and over again.

Introducing my new favourite series: Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil. Woo-hoo!
The series is written by Rosemary Clement-Moore, a Texan sci-fi fantasy geek. WHAT could be BETTER?
Magdalena Lorraine Quinn is basically like Buffy Summers minus the hair/makeup/wardrobe pros and super strength.
Maggie is spunky, short, has a perpetually scruffy bob, lives in sweatshirts/t-shirts/jeans, and is kind of psychic/clairvoyant (her powers are growing. Eeee! I love when powers grow).

The series is so far comprised of three books (praying for more):

1. Prom Dates from Hell: Can Maggie graduate high school, defeat a demon summoned by a vindictive nerd, accept her 'gifts', and figure out Justin, her dad's ubercute grad student.
   
2. Hell Week: Sorority girls from Hell. There is nothing else to say. Also, this book's cover is INSANELY AWESOME.
3. Highway to Hell: Kick-ass song, kick-ass book. On a Spring Break roadtrip with her best friend D&D Lisa (yes, that's Dungeons & Dragons), a mechanical break down leads to getting stuck in a ranching town where an ancient monster chupacabra is killing cattle. OR IS IT A CHUPACABRA? Dun dun duh.

For fans of Buffy, Supernatural, Veronica Mars, or even if you're a chick tired of the only fantasy having vampires in it, this is a must-read. Also, libraries have them in bunches, and they're a sleeper hit, so they're easy to get your hands on quick.

xo
RR

Bad Books, Great TV

I'm clearly not the only one who's really getting into the total-guilty-pleasure-summer-TV-show that is Pretty Little Liars. Personally, I tried reading the books, but they made me a curious mixture of inquisitive and annoyed. Also, DISBELIEVING. Hello, there's a crazy evil person texting us evil, hateful messages - LET'S CALL THE COPS, SHALL WE?
Also, what's with the cliche Poor Little Rich Girl problems? Bulimia, shop lifting, academic pressure, pressure to have sex, repressed lesbianism, unfaithful parents.... It's like Maury Povich: Upper East Side.
But I have to say, Pretty Little Liars on TV -
INSANELY AWESOME!
It's like television crack. The problems can seem contrived, yes, but they are executed flawlessly. The characters are believable, and the actors are all talented.
Okay, yes, Emily is a weak link. But her story line of Straight Girl Likes Gay Girl But Also Likes Straight Guy is enthralling, and almost makes sense.
Aria's TeacherLove/Parents Having Marital Problems story is mediocre, but Lucy Hale is a good enough actor that it works.
Hanna is reassuringly shallow and sarcastic amidst all the girlish terror, but for me, Spencer Hastings story, character, and actor are the most enthralling. Troian Bellisario is fantastic, fully taking on the character of Spencer - at no point does it feel like she is acting.
So despite a mediocre book base, PLL has evolved into a show worth watching - a Gossip Girl with murder and intrigue.

Later haters!
RR