Mundie Moms

Monday, August 29, 2011

Book Review: notes from an ACCIDENTAL BAND GEEK


To Be Released on: September 1st, 2011
Source: Book from publisher to review
4.5 stars- I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Elsie Wyatt is a born French horn player, just like her father and her grandfather before her. In order to qualify for the prestigious summer music camp of her dreams, she must expand her musical horizons and join - gasp! - the marching band. There are no French horns in marching band (what the heck is a mellophone??), but there are some cute boys. And marching band is very different from orchestra: they march, they chant, they . . . cluck? Elsie is not so sure she'll survive, but the new friends she's making and the actual fun she's having will force her to question her dad's expectations and her own musical priorities.

This book was not at all what I was excepting it to be, it was so much better! Talk about a fun, enjoyable read with a main character who's sarcasm, awkward social challenges and desire to enjoy her own life and relish in the moment, made for a story that was both entraining and relatable.

I played band for one year in middle, but have no idea what it's like to be in band in high school, let alone the marching band, but reading Elise's story gave me more of an insight to what they do. Erin Donnie's has created such a realistic portrayal of what it's like to be apart of this club. You don't have to be a band member to appreciate Elise's story. She's a character who's fun to get to know as she struggles with wanting to step outside of her parent's goals and aspirations for her, and discover her own goals and want she wants to do. Along the way she learns a lot more about herself and what it means to be a true friend.

Elsie is a bright, highly intelligent character who has an amazing talent as a french horn/mellophone player, but she seriously lacks people skills. I admired how disciplined she is with her band practice, but until now, this poor girl did not know to how fun. Her story brought back a lot memories of high school and I liked the way Erin did a fabulous job at incorporating what it's like to start high school. The meeting of new friends, making a good impression, not messing up when it's your first performance with the marching band (which I have never done), trying to find your niche in life and at school as well as learning how to deal with the on going struggle with your parents who seem want to still see you as a little and not as an adult. I adore Elise's Marching Band friends. They are funny, and such a great support for Elise. I also like they're all able to relate to each other in so many ways, especially with how hard each of their parents are on them.

Erin's writing is fabulous! She grabbed my attention from the get go and I really enjoyed reading this book. This is truly one of those fun, quick reads that left me feeling like I truly missed out on all the fun of Marching Band in high school. Oh, I can't forget to mention the sweet little romance that happens in the story. This is one of those realistic, clean cut and dare I say it, charming books that middle graders, teens and older YA fans will like. I highly recommend picking up this book!

Mundane Monday #99- Jace's Mangoes

Happy Mundane Monday! Enjoy the Mangoes!


"What's this?"

"That's a mango." Simon stared at Jace. Sometimes it really is like Shadowhunters were from an alien planet.

"I don't think I've seen one of those that wasn't already cut up," Jace mused. "I like mangoes."

Simon grabbed the mango and tossed it into the cart. "Great. What else do you like?"

Jace pondered for a moment. "Tomato soup," he said finally.

"Tomato soup? You want tomato soup and a mango for dinner?"

Jace shrugged. "I don't really care about food."

And of course I can't leave out the other part of this scene. This is one of our favorite lines which makes us laugh every time we read it or hear it on the audiobook: We can totally hear Simon's surprise over this....

Simon went over to Jace and dropped the soup can into the car. "So what was all that about?"

"I think," Jace said, "that she asked if she could touch my mango."

"She said that?"

Jace shrugged. "Yeah, then she gave me her number."

- City of Fallen Angels, pages 124-125

Image found HERE

Blog Tour: Witchsong Guest Post

We're the next stop in the Teen Scene's Witch Song blog tour. Today we have a quest post from author Amber Argyle.


By Amber Argyle
Published by Rhemalda Publishing
To Be Released on September 1st, 2011

The world is changing.
For thousands of years, witch song has controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons. But not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by the dark Witch, Espen.

As the last echoes of witch song fade, Espen grows stronger as winter and summer come within the space of a day. Now she’s coming for the one she missed—a shy, untrained girl of fifteen named Brusenna. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find Espen. Fight her. Defeat her. Or there won’t be anything left to save.Amber Argyle's debut, Witch Song, is a classic fantantasy for young adults. It will be released Sept 1st 2011.

You can read the 1st Chapter here.
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How has growing up in the Rocky Mountains influenced your setting for Witch Song?

My three brothers and I mostly grew up on a cattle ranch miles from the nearest neighbor.
In front of our two bedroom house were endless fields of alfalfa and grass hay (which I had
to move sprinkler pipe for every summer morning-bleck). Behind my house were the massive Crawford Mountains.

I spent hours playing in the barns, fields, and mountains. In the summer, we rode horses,
caught minnows with ice cream buckets, road our bikes, and had cattail fights with my brother.
In the winter, we sledded down a steep crater we called “The Pit”.
Sometimes, I feel like I grew up in a different time and place than the world around me.
Like I had more in common with people from the 1920s than from the 1980s. I guess I just see
things differently. Surrounded by animals and nature, I saw magic everywhere. The music of
rustling trees, the power of a thunderstorm, the quiet elegance of a snow laden landscape. I saw
it. I lived it.

Perhaps if I grew up in a crumbling city, I’d write dystopian. Or if I grew up in a suburb,
I’d write urban fantasy. But I didn’t. I grew up on a cattle ranch. And I write high fantasy about
magical people who are pitted against an evil that will destroy their world.
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Thank you Amber for visiting with us today. Be sure to follow the rest of The Teen Scene's Witch Song blog tour to find out more about Amber and her debut, Witch Song.


Purchase From:



About The Author:

Be sure to follow Amber on her Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
You can also read Amber's Q&A about her debut here

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