YS Princess's Ideas, Resources, and Reviews

Program (Child) - Turkey Time

2011-11-23T16:18:00.003-05:00

You may have noticed that I fell behind on my Picture Book a Day in November...well...I have a valid excuse for that. I got married on November 11th, followed by an 11-night honeymoon (didn't even plan it that way!).

Anyway, I came back to work today for a program that I planned before I realized exactly when my honeymoon was ending and the Thanksgiving holiday started (everyone has been asking me why I didn't just take today off too). May I present to you : Turkey Time!

The program was advertised for 45 minutes (it ran a little over) for ages 4-7 (for two reasons: the kids needed to write for the crafts and I've never seen a child younger than 4 sit still for a non-fiction book in storytime). It was a very small group, but surprisingly more people showed up than were signed up (that's not generally the case for my library).

Program Put Simply:

1. Read:
~ Turkey Trouble (Silvano)
~ This Is the Turkey (Levine)
~ Happy Thanksgiving (Mercer)

2. Make:
~ Give Thanks Turkey Paper Craft
~ Fall-Colored Paper Chain

3. Play:
~ Thanksgiving Matching/Memory Game

Detailed Program:
We started out reading the book Turkey Trouble - the kids laughed at all of the Turkey's costumes and agreed that he never looked anything like the animal he was trying to disguise himself as. Next, we played a Thanksgiving version of a matching game. I just Googled "Thanksgiving" clip art and found 9 pictures to duplicate and hide behind the numbers 1-18. I was surprised at how difficult it was to get the kids just to try picking two numbers at first, but after someone finally volunteered (or was volunteered, I don't remember) they loosened up a bit and seemed to enjoy the game - especially when they got a match. We then read the book This is the Turkey, followed by the turkey craft mentioned above. I rarely read non-fiction books to the kids because they seem very disinterested, but I decided to read selections from the book Happy Thanksgiving (Mercer). On the page that talks about all the different foods, I had the kids raise their hands for the different foods they like (including pumpkin pie); I told them very briefly about the first Thanksgiving; we also briefly discussed football and the Macy's parade. I then surprised them with a real pumpkin pie and cool whip, which they all got to try and most of them seemed to like. (I do wish I had advertised Thanksgiving treats as part of the program - I probably would have gotten more people that way - they always seem to come for food.) After directing them all to the sink in the back of the room to rinse off any sticky hands, they got to do their last craft (which is basically one I came up with just prior to the program when I thought I had lost the turkey craft) - essentially all I did was give them strips of red, yellow, orange, and brown paper and told them they could write or draw anything Fall/Thanksgiving-related on them, then we turned them into paper chains so they could have Thanksgiving decorations at home. On their way out, they got our "Happy Thanksreading" bookmarks.

Random Note: I had planned on using two songs in this program - beginning with the Dragon Tales "Hello Song", and doing some sort of warm-up exercise-y song in reference to working off all that Thanksgiving weight! - but my iPod died. I also had the book "Thanksgiving Rules" (Friedman) on hand to read, but we ran out of time.

Review (Book) - Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier

2011-11-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

The concept of this book is similar to The Loud Book (reviewed here), only children learn about various forms of dots, as opposed to loud noises.

While I feel like this is a book I could have illustrated using Windows' good old "Paint" program, it's very colorful (so it should be eye-catching to the kids), yet simple, and I think the premise is great.

This book would be excellent for kids learning their shapes. I personally can't wait to use it in a storytime, as I see an excellent opportunity to not only ask the children what shape they're looking at (circles, obviously), but also what the circle is a part of (i.e. peas in a peapod, petals on a flower, etc.).

Sorry for the short review, I seem to be very scatterbrained today. If you have read this book, now would be an excellent time to share your own opinions to fill in my blank spaces.

I cannot find an age recommendation on Amazon, but I would not personally hesitate using this book for anyone age 2-5. In fact, I just had a co-worker use this book in her shapes program for ages 2-5 last week.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Best Buds by Maxwell Eaton III

2011-11-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

I read this book as an eBook on my iPhone (first off, I do not recommend this - it made everything very small, even for me) while my fiance drove his best man and I to Orlando last weekend, so there was no summary on a non-existent jacket. So, I will do my best to sum it up -

This book in the "Adventures of Max and Pinky" series concentrates on how Max and Pinky are best buds. Max is a boy who looks very much like Charlie Brown; Pinky is a pig who is obsessed with marshmallows. They do everything together, until one day when Pinky does not show up for "Adventure Day"...

This book was really cute. The pictures are very simple and resemble a comic strip. The story is simple as well and can either be read to younger kids by reading only the main text on the page, and to older children by incorporating the thought and/or speech bubbles found on most pages. Adults as well will enjoy the side notes in the dialogue balloons (at least I did). The author is hilariously random - a polar bear in the middle of the lake? Whose butt resembles a giant marshmallow? LOVE IT! I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 5 and up, but I can easily see myself using this book for our 3-5 year-old storytime.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert

2011-11-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

"Find out why these feet, and those of eight other animals are perfectly adapted to their habitat.
With brightly detailed paintings and a simple, informative text, this fun guessing game will have children looking at feet in a whole new way!" (inside jacket cover)

While the inside jacket flap pretty much describes the entire book, I will go on a mini-rant about how much I love this book! I can't wait to read it to a group of kids - I love playing guessing games with them.

The illustrations are beautiful. Each page has the text "Who has these feet?" (obviously accompanied by an illustration of an animal's feet) in a large, fun, kid-friendly font, followed by a two page spread of the entire animal and a short, one-sentence explanation of why the animal has feet like that. This more educational sentence can be omitted for the very young so that this book can be read to a wide span of ages.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up, but as I just mentioned, I think this book can be easily adapted to appeal even to 2-year-olds.

My rating:

Review (Book) - The Little Little Girl with the Big Big Voice by Kristen Balouch

2011-11-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

"In this vibrantly illustrated book, one loud little girl searches high and low for a friend to play with, but her BIG voice scares all of the animals! One by one, an elephant, a snake, and a crocodile run away from her. She finally finds the perfect playmate-one who doesn't mind her "roaring" voice." (inside jacket cover)

One thing's for sure - this definitely is a vibrantly illustrated book. Yet, I still don't really care for the pictures, because they are drawn in such a way that I'm not sure the kids would even know what they were supposed to be. For instance, on the first page with the picture of the elephant, I think the elephant more resembles a dachshund with a trunk for a nose who is missing his front legs.

Still (especially for our "Noise" week coming up), I would like to try reading this book to the kids. It will be interesting to see if they can determine from the pictures that the little, little girl is scaring away all of the animals with her voice, as there are no noise sounds written on the page (i.e. ARRRRRGH!, EEEEEK!, etc.). This also makes me wonder if I should go ahead and make these strange/loud noises to make the kids laugh, or if I should wait and see if they catch on themselves.

I couldn't find an age recommendation for this book on Amazon, but the publishing company (judging by the inside jacket cover) seems to think this book would be best for ages 2-5.

My rating:

Random note: I love that she "comes upon a snake swinging in the tree" - can you say Sally the Swinging Snake?

Review (Book) - The Hole in the Middle by Paul Budnitz

2011-11-10T18:05:00.000-05:00

"This is a story about music, picnics, cake, loneliness and togetherness.
It's about a boy who felt empty, and how he became a good friend and made himself whole again." (inside jacket cover)

This book had very colorful pictures with an Oriental vibe, and there are lots of little things to see on each page (my favorite being the badminton game taking place through the main character's hole).

While children would probably see this book simply enough to fit in nicely to a friendship-themed storytime, I personally am confused about what exactly this book was about (as if the summary given on the jacket flap wasn't random enough). Is this book about a boy who fills the emptiness inside him with a good friend or by being a good friend? Is this book a children's book about adult themes such as finding a soul mate to fill the emptiness inside you? And if any of these are true, how many religious fanatics will this book upset over the fact that a "higher power" is not what fills the emptiness inside a person? Or, is this book supposed to be a legend about where belly buttons came from? (Read the book, you'll see what I mean.)

I guess overall this book would be cute for kids, (a good story on how to be a good friend) but I'm your stereotypical female who overthinks things, and I think I'm just in an overthinking mood tonight.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.

My rating:

(Still in need of a picture of a half-crown)

Review (Book) - I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal

2011-11-09T17:41:00.000-05:00

"When Willy woke up, there was TROUBLE. Where was Bobo? Willy loves Bobo. Willy NEEDS Bobo. But Earl loves Bobo too." (inside jacket cover)

BEWARE, this review will have spoilers -

So, Willy is a young boy who has a monkey stuffed animal named Bobo for a "security blanket". Since Bobo is such a multi-functional animal, helping Willy with everything from being brave to identifying bugs...well, you can see why Willy NEEDS Bobo. The problem is that Willy's cat Earl also loves to cuddle with Bobo.

I originally picked this book up to read because of the title. My soon-to-be (in just two days!) sister-in-law calls outrageously stupid situations "bobo", so I just had to see who MUST HAVE something so stupid. But alas, the book was not stupid at all. I thought it was delightfully cute. (I may even have to buy this book for her for Christmas).

The illustrations are very simple. They remind me of a cross between Harold and the Purple Crayon (but with more colors) and Mo Willems's "Pigeon" books. The story is adorable - I love how Willy speaks to and through Bobo, and I love how Earl is always stealing Bobo away to cuddle with him. I even love how in the end, in true stuck-up cat fashion, Earl wins.

I would love to read this book to a school group of 4-5-year-olds and see if they can find Bobo, and if they answer the questions that Willy asks Bobo and Earl. Do you have any experiences reading this book to kids?

I couldn't find an age range on Amazon, but the publishing company (according to the inside jacket cover) appears to recommend the book for ages 3-6.

My rating:

Review (Book) - A Mango in the Hand by Antonio Sacre

2011-11-08T12:19:00.000-05:00

"Today is a special day for Francisco. It is his saint day, which means it's time to celebrate with a feast! Francisco is most excited about dessert - delicious mangos, right from the tree. And he is finally old enough to go pick the mangos all by himself.
But getting the mangos back home is not easy. There are lots of bees, and family members with whom to share. When it's finally time for the feast, Francisco has no mangos to offer! But as his papá assures him, "Mijo, no hay mal que por bien no venga. Nothing bad happens that good doesn't come of it."
This humorous, warm story filled with inspirational and universal proverbs will remind readers that "Es mejor dar que recibir. Sometimes, it's better to give than to recieve." (inside jacket cover)

Just in case you couldn't tell from the description above, this is a very lengthy book - definitely not for storytime (unless your attendees are Stepford children). However, if you have an older and/or patient child, this book may be worth looking into.

The story was lovely and taught good character, focusing especially on sharing and bravery. Though, while it is supposed to be "a story told through proverbs", some of the proverbs themselves were difficult for me to understand, let alone younger children. The story also makes me want to learn more about Cuban culture - for instance, I had always thought young children drinking café con leche was a stereotypical myth.

While the pictures were also cartoon-y cute, my favorite part of the book was how the author used Spanish words and phrases used to make the book somewhat bilingual. In case you can't figure it out (most of the sentences are repeated in English immediately after the Spanish), there is a "Glossary of Spanish words and phrases" at the end of the book.

Amazon recommends this book for 4 and up, but as I mentioned earlier, it would have to be a very patient 4-year-old.

My rating:

Review (Book) - ABC Kids by Simon Basher

2011-11-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

I have enjoyed using ABC books in my storytimes (ABCDisney and ABCDrive have been two of my favorites) because it gives me a chance to interact with the kids by having them "help" me figure out what the next letter will be. Maybe I've been looking through the wrong ABC books, but I've never seen one quite as thorough as this.

This book can almost be read two separate ways for two entirely different age groups. Children at the "learning my ABCs" stage may find all of the pages on the right useful - there is one word beginning with the appropriate letter of the alphabet, accompanied by a picture and a letter line to show where in the alphabet the letter is located. Children who already know their ABCs but are beginning to learn how to read (or who just need to practice letter sounds) may find all of the pages on the left useful - there is a capital and lowercase version of the letter, as well as a sentence - each word beginning with the appropriate letter.

I found the choice of illustrations interesting - they all remind me of Japanese (?) manga. I wasn't aware that was popular among readers this young.

What are your favorite ABC books?

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.

My rating:

Review (Book) - The LOUD Book! by Deborah Underwood

2011-11-06T15:20:00.000-05:00

"BANG!

CRACKLE!

BOO!

Just as there are different kinds of quiet, there are also different kinds of loud:

Good louds (HOORAY!).

And bad louds (CRASH!)

And accidental louds that make you the center of attention (BURP!).

The Loud Book presents all of these kid-friendly noises in a way that is sure to make readers CHEER!" (inside jacket cover)

The only qualm I have with this book is the ending - there really isn't one. While the book opens with "there are lots of louds", then begins to describe (in list format) different kinds of loud noises, there is no conclusion. It just ends in the middle of the list. For all the reader knows, the last half of the book could have just been ripped out.

We are doing a week-long storytime theme of "Noise" come spring, and I can't wait to try this book. This book would be excellent for outgoing storytellers who can do good impressions of...well...loud noises. The pictures are cute, (slightly Suzy Spafford-ish, I think) the sentences are simple, and I think kids will get a kick out of listening to the imitations of LOUD sounds from slurping to burping (sure to get a combination of "eww gross!" and laughs) in the quiet library. I also plan on asking the children to make some of the noises with me.

Do you have your own experiences of telling this story? Please share!

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up. Because of the interactive potential, I think this age could be slightly younger.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker

2011-11-05T12:37:00.000-04:00

I will start out admitting that this may be a biased review - before I started reading the book, I noticed it was published by Disney·Hyperion.

I was wary at first with the cover art - the whale led me to believe that the illustrations in this book would be a little too...artsy (sorry, I've just seen too many kids neglect those kinds of books). But boy was I wrong. I thought this book was amazing. Other than the first page, which does an excellent job at providing the introduction to the story (her mountain-based family takes a trip to the ocean) in rhyme, it is very simple. There are always two words to a page, one of them always being "WOW!" (great for word-recognition).

What I liked best about this book is that it can be used for a very wide age-range. For instance, with a toddler group, the pictures are very colorful to hold attention and the words very short ("Wow! Fish!"). For an older group, almost every page has details of what the pictures are (instead of just "Wow! Fish!", they have labeled the tuna, the sailfish, the swordfish, etc.) so you can interact with them and see how much they know about sea creatures. Also, Izzy and Jo (the sisters/main characters of the book) are hidden on each 2-page spread (a couple open further, poster-style), so it may also be fun to turn the situation into one similar to "Where's Waldo?" and let them find the kids on each page.

I am very excited to use this and (now that I know what the WOW! books are like) other Neubecker books in my storytimes! Do you have any stories to share about these books?

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Cookiebot! by Katie Van Camp

2011-11-04T12:03:00.000-04:00

"The Problem: Harry and Horsie want cookies, but the jar is way out of reach.
The Solution: Build CookieBot - the most amazing cookie-grabbing robot ever!
What could go wrong?" (inside jacket cover)

To otherwise summarize this book, I would suggest thinking Frankenstein + King Kong, but over cookies instead of Fay Wray.

The illustrations of this book were probably the best part. It is very graphic novel/comic book-esque (it reminded me personally of Calvin and Hobbes). The pictures alone (as if the subject of cookies wasn't enough) should draw in reluctant young readers.

I can't really explain why, but I did not personally care for the telling of the story (I did enjoy the ending), though I can see boys (again, especially the reluctant readers) enjoying this book.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.

My rating:

(I should probably get a half-crown picture)

Random Note: Other than the illustrations, my favorite part of the book was the "SUGAR CRASH!" (second to last page)

Review (Book) Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt

2011-11-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

"Here's the story, in a nutshell:
I NEVER have big birthday parties. It's way too risky. I could be surprised by ponies or flying confetti.
So I take control of things by planning a small birthday celebration and putting on my finest suit. Then I suddenly have a change of heart and decide to add a special someone to my guest list.
Organizing a successful party for 2 requires attention to detail. But when it's party time - SURPRISE! - all my plans are thrown up in the air!
Will I survive this ordeal? Will I face the music? Will I party until I can't party any more?" (inside jacket flap)

If you have not yet read a Scaredy Squirrel book, (yes, he has his own series) you're missing out. Scaredy Squirrel books are always fun to read - the star character being a cute squirrel who is afraid of everything.

The pictures are cute; the font again is kid-friendly but legible; the story is predictable, but very comical with a sweet ending.

The only downside to this book is that it has so much detail in it that it takes an adult or very patient, older reader to absorb all the details - from one "DO" and seven "DONT'S" of partying to the one hour (and one minute)-long, 18-step "birthday party schedule". If an effort is put into attention to all these details, the reader will be rewarded with many giggles.

As with Mo Willems's books, I may try using this book in a storytime setting of a kindergarten-aged school group (on average, they tend to be more well-behaved and interactive than public groups in my experiences). Have you read this book to kids before? If so, please let me know what your result was!

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Camille's Team by Stuart Murphy

2011-11-02T10:18:00.001-04:00

"Camille loves to build sand forts at the beach. But it's hard to build a big fort alone. See what happens when Camille and her friends make a plan, work together, and share the fun." (inside jacket flap)

I read this book last night and still can't come to a verdict of how I feel about the book as a whole, so I'll break it into three parts.

The illustrations are definitely the best part of this book. From the map of the town on the front endpapers (apparently that's the "official" term for the inside front cover of a book) to the end of the book, the characters are just so cute. If they don't already, they look like they should have their own TV show.

The text of the book (while in a kid-friendly but still readable font, and arranged in fun ways to wrap around the illustrations) is slightly boring. It also drove me up a wall that there were no commas after the transition words (unless one of the character's names really is "Soon Carlos"), but children aren't going to notice that.

Another one of my favorite parts of this book though (Do I put a comma here? Before the word "though"? Both??? See what this book has done to me?!) was how the author focused on the word "cooperate" and then used several pages to make sure the reader comprehended the definition of the word, while still telling the story. At the end of the book there is a section for "A Closer Look", which is a selection of suggested reading comprehension questions.

I can't picture using this book for storytime, but I think it would be great to use in a tutor-situation - one-on-one with a young child to work on their reading comprehension.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Gray by Patricia Stockland

2011-11-01T16:28:00.003-04:00

This book is part of a series based on colors by Patricia Stockland. In it, the reader follows a girl and her grandma throughout their day on a trip around the city - through the subway, to the museum, and eventually back home. On the way the girl and her grandma point out all the gray things they see in their city.

This book almost seems like a Beginning Reader. From the centered page numbers, to the simple sentences. One page has the illustration, the other page has two sentences on it. Also, to help with word recognition, every page has an observation about something in the city that is gray. There is a glossary in the back as well as the lovely addition of how to mix colors to make gray. The pictures are also simple but still cute. At first I didn't think this was something I would use in storytime because of its simplicity, but on second thought decided that this could actually be really cool to use in a color special for toddlers. Even if parents have to help them, the book is repetitive enough where they should be able to fill in the blanks when it comes to all the uses of the word "gray".

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up, but I think this book is simple and short enough to be good for much younger readers.

My Rating:

*Randomn-ness that made me smile during this book: The lights at the subway entrance (pg. 4) totally look like Pokeballs.

National Picture Book Month

2011-11-01T15:20:00.003-04:00

I discovered today that November is National Picture Book Month! I had never heard of this before today, when I stumbled upon this posting at There's A Book. I loved Danielle's idea of reviewing a picture book a day (so I'm going to "steal" it) to get me back into blogging!

So, I did some research, and it appears that National Picture Book Month was started by some lovely children's book authors in response to the outrage caused by this article from the New York Times. It sounds like people are getting upset with the author of the article, yet, I think the author has very good points. Which leads to my personal conclusion - parents and other people who serve the youth population need to be educated on how important of a step picture books can be in both a child's education and childhood. Unfortunately I have not yet started grad school and learned all the details of childhood development, so I am probably not the best person for that...instead, I intend to spotlight some great picture books that parents may want to read with their children.

And now, on to the reviews!

Review (Book) - Going Bovine by Libba Bray

2011-03-12T16:16:00.020-05:00

“Saving the world. That’s impossible. Insane. Still. A cure. I could be cured. That’s what she said. And some little atoms come awake inside me, swirling into a question I can’t shake: “Why the hell not?” I could have a chance. And a chance is better than nothing.” (back cover)

Honestly, I sort of feel incapable of reviewing this book. I thought waiting a while to let my unexpected reaction(s) sink in would make things easier, but now I feel like I’ve already forgotten half the book.

The first chapter of the book led me to believe this book would be the best thing since sliced bread. I mean, come on, a Disney freak reading a book's opening about jumping off ‘it’s a small world’ to be taken away in a Disney ambulance? WOW! But it went downhill from there - FAST.

First off, if you don’t care for foul language and/or don’t want your children reading it in excess, this book is not for you. I would guess that, if you took the average of the books entire 480 pages, would still be more curse words per page than you could count on one hand.
Second, the first half of the book reads simply as the story of a horny, miserable, unpopular, teenage boy who feels sorry for himself, and really has no life but hates what life he has, who has no aspirations for his life but to “FINALLY” get laid and spend the rest of his life getting high. Sounds awesome right?

I had to listen to the first half of the book on CD to get through it (I also had to give it two tries to make it through)…and if the story wasn’t bad enough, Erik Davies (narrator for the audiobook) sounded like he was just as bored with Cam (that horny, etc. teenage boy I mentioned earlier – the main character of the story) and ready to stab himself in the eye with an ice pick as I was. I can kind of understand his tone for the first half, but it never really changed, even when something magical happened…

Cam is in the hospital when a punk-rock angel named Dulcie sends him on a life-altering, world-saving adventure (see quote from back cover above), and the story actually starts to improve! By the time Cam goes to a college party and leaves with Balder (a Norse god cursed to live life as a yard gnome until he is set free by a noble rescuer), things got good enough for me to pick up the book again and read during the times I couldn’t be in my car listening to the story.

In fact, it improved so much that I can say that even after all that ranting, overall I actually liked this book. It’s certainly not as good as the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and I definitely think Bray could have cut out about a third of the book and still got where she was going (like I certainly don’t hate gay people – or whatever the PC term for it is these days – but was there really a point to Gonzo getting a boyfriend other than to show that she supports same-sex relationships?), but the book was good enough to make me cry at the end, rather than from wishing it would end.

A few of my favorite parts:

When Balder interprets the Portuguese emo singer Cam and Gonzo are fans of – ““Eu considerei a sua cara e sabia a felicidade,’ Balder murmurs from the backseat, his eyes still closed. “I Looked upon your face and knew happiness.”” (p. 295) – OH MY GOSH, I LOVED THIS! I’m going to use this line in my wedding vows if I can find a way…
Dulcie’s comment that “Things can change…It’s the one constant of this universe.” (p.358) and “Iphigenia”’s conversation including the lines “Figuring out who you really are is hard work…nobody wants to be themselves. That’s why there’s TV.” (p. 373) – probably the “deepest” comments in the book.

Does Cam figure out who he really is? Does he save the world? I’ll give this book a good enough rating for you to find out on your own.

Though…you could probably read the first few chapters, then skip ahead to the diagnosis and not really miss anything, getting to the best part of the book faster.

This Young Adult book can be found on Amazon here, and again, if you are a librarian, DO NOT recommend this book without the disclaimer that there is a LOT of foul language.

The other half of that "big news" I promised back in early January...

2011-03-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

I HAD to get this post up before March 14th (an entire month since Valentine's Day)...

This is what my Valentine's Day consisted of -

I spent the entire weekend in Orlando at Disney. On Valentine's Day, Konrad and I were at the Magic Kingdom. We just got off Space Mountain and finished our Vinylmation trading in that shop the ride spits you out in - Power and Light Co.? - and we were about to head over to the Mexican restaurant in Adventureland (we've been trying to go there for several trips now and they've always been closed), when Konrad stops me and says "we have to pick something up first". He then attempted to make me put on a blindfold that was covered in hearts...I managed to talk him down to just walking around with my eyes super squinted down at the ground. We walked practically halfway across the park when I hear "we have a reservation for 11:45." I open my eyes, and we're here (though...with more of a line):

I've wanted to eat there for quite some time and the wait certainly paid off. I felt like I was really in a castle (wait a minute, I was!), the food was great, the staff was friendly (wow, must I always sound like I'm reviewing things? anyway...), and my dessert...well...my desert was a once in a lifetime experience...

My combo-reaction to him trying to put the ring on the wrong hand and trying to hide from the Disney photographers:

So yeah...I knew it was coming on Valentine's Day. I know,I'm not supposed to know. But Konrad and I have been doing things...different...from the beginning, so why not just keep running with it? Plus, I never in a million years would have guessed that this is how he would do it. Though, I look back and wonder why I sold him short. I mean, he is my prince charming, and isn't this the magical way things happen in any Disney movie?

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2011-02-07T11:52:00.001-05:00

I went to weheartit.com to search for the three key words I think will essentially represent the next seven days of my life...

Anyone want to take any stabs at interpreting?

Also, due to the...part-mess/part-awesomeness that will be my next seven days, I'm not planning on doing any blog updates until February 15th, when I will reveal the answer to the puzzle. (Then again, knowing me, now that I've made the announcement that I'm not going to be posting, I'll wind up posting several times this week.)

Let's make it interesting...If anyone can correctly interpret these three images (before Valentine's Day), I'll award a prize.

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up Reading Challenge 2011

2011-01-31T13:33:00.003-05:00

Do you want a chance to "advertise" your reviews/blog? Are you looking for some recommended essential reads? Do you want a chance to win prizes just for reading and reviewing books? Are you still a kid at heart or are you a parent or other adult who works with kids?

In case you haven't already noticed, children's/YA books are my specialty, and sadly, when I was browsing this handy blog that has a compilation of reading challenges, I only came across maybe two that were specifically focused on children's books.
I did, however, notice the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die reading challenge (based on the list found in the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die) on Catie's blog, Pub Writes.
I thought this was a pretty spiffy idea, and I just so happen to own 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. So I'm taking Catie's idea (after adding my own personal touches to it) and running with it. May I present to you, my first attempt at ever hosting a reading challenge -

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up Reading Challenge 2011

Rules:

Sign up anytime between January 31 and December 30 (2011) using Mr. Linky below. I WILL NOT award entries into the giveaways (see below) if you are NOT signed up.
The official start date for the challenge is today (January 31, 2011), but I will accept reviews done any time in 2011.
Grab a button to display on your blog. A post on your blog announcing participation in this challenge is appreciated, but not required. Just keep in mind, more friends, more fun!

I will be posting a monthly link-up-type-thing where you can come back and link to each of your elligible reviews. I will be having monthly giveaways for books that will work as follows:

For each challenge-elligible book you have a review for (per month) you will get 2 entries (for books in the 0-5+ age range), 3 entries (for books in the 8+ age range), or 4 entries (for books in the 12+ age range) into the monthly book giveaway. (reward subject to change)
If you are reading a challenge-elligible book to/with a child and you include in your review the child's reaction(s) to the book (as I do in my Storytime Suggestion posts) or corresponding activities that go with the book, you will get 2 extra entries into the monthly book giveaway. And because I'm just so generous, even if it's NOT a challenge-elligible book, if you do this you can earn 1 entry (see? Even if you don't like ANY book on the list of 1001, you can STILL participate in this challenge!). (reward subject to change)

Books from other Reading Challenges can cross-over, as long as they are from 2011.

*If you ever notice this link is broken, please let me know right away. I will either hunt down another link or type the list myself, if I have to. Also, if you are looking for titles by recommended age, contact me and I can break it down for you.

Reading Challenges 2010 - Wrap-Up

2011-01-30T22:24:00.003-05:00

Well...I failed at all of my reading challenge goals for 2010. -hangs head in shame-

But at the same time I guess it's really not that big of a deal. I definitely read over 100 library books in story time, and I even read a couple more teen books than I officially "counted". My problem was that I couldn't bring myself to count them towards a reading challenge if I didn't review them (there's that perfectionist in me again...), since that was my whole reason for trying out the reading challenges - to find great (or not so great) books to review on my blog.

My life was pretty crazy for most of 2010. It had its ups and downs (thankfully more ups than downs) and I was a full time student and employee the whole year through. With any luck I'll pass the five classes I'm taking now and have at least the summer off to do whatever I want - like read.

All that being said, I'm not letting last years failures stop me from at least signing up for more reading challenges this year! I've managed to narrow my choices down to two challenges (plus the first one I am hosting myself), so look for that post soon-ish. I'm even going to try hosting my own reading challenge as long as the awesome graphic designer that is the love of my life can make me a button for it tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's what I did manage to officially accomplish last year (if you're interested in reading past reviews, I have a handy link to my archives in my navbar) :

Completed 4/12 Challenges

Read & Reviewed 21/100 Books

Read & Reviewed 4/12 Books

Follow Friday - 1/28/11

2011-01-28T18:10:00.005-05:00

It's time again for Parajunkee's Friday Follow! (Because it's Friday, so, obviously...)

This week's question is:

What is/was your favorite subject in school?

Well, at least this week I'm not afraid of losing followers... (see last week's post, if you're confused)
I think the last time I had a "favorite subject" was pre-high school. It was definitely history. I was homeschooled so I basically got to pick what I read/studied about, so I was pretty much obsessed with the Titanic and Ancient Egypt. I think I read every book (historical fiction and non-fiction) my library had on those subjects. I even made websites about what I learned about both of them.

I've been running aroud between work and I'm about to go take my boyfriend to his first ever fair (how can you not go to a fair in 25 years?), so I was a bit short on blog-time today, but I still managed to find two really neat blogs to follow:

Savannah at Books With Bite - I have no problem admitting that I'm a big fan of the Twilight books (especially working in the children's/teen department of a library), but I will admit, I've been getting tired of seeing practically nothing but vampire-lit published for teens. However, I found I really like the books Savannah reviews, plus I like her layout and think her vampire fang rating system is pretty awesome.

The Crazy Bookworm - I like so much, I think I'll just start from the top and work my way down...I like the header of her layout and the fact that she was able to find a "bookworm" who looks sexy, but not slutty. I like the font in the headers she uses for her posts. I like the features on her blog (like her Interview with a Blogger). I like the cute bookworms she uses for her rating system, and I like the books she reviews. Like. Like. Like!

Bloggiesta Wrap Up

2011-01-27T11:16:00.001-05:00

And I thought last Bloggiesta! I did a bad job of getting stuff done...
This time around I actually took the weekend off of church obligations, and I think I still got less done than last time...

What I got done -

Participated in Parajunkee's Friday Follow for the first time
Found a new meme (Read My Review at A Trillian Books) and wrote a blog post for it
Cleaned up my blogs I'm following & found a handful of new ones to follow (read my raving "reviews" about them at my Friday Follow post)

That probably took me just under two hours to do, and those are the only things I would consider directly blog-related. I have to say, though, that I loved being able to just be on Saturday. No school (probably not the wisest choice since I had to rush on Sunday evening to get everything done, but it was nice for a change), no church, no running around... And how did I spend my Saturday? Granted, I did try to start out the day blogging, but then my boyfriend's internet decided it hated me (should I count the time I spent trying to fix it as time spent on Bloggiesta!?), so I read. I read for hours, and I don't even read! I know, I know - slam on the breaks and back up, right? A blogger/reviewer/"librarian" who doesn't read? I guess I should really say I don't read from January - May. I used to love reading when I was a kid. My mom would take me to the library and let me pick out ten books to check out; I would take them home and have them all read that day (it's a good thing we lived about four minutes from the library). But then college happened. People tell you to read textbooks you're probably never going to reference again the rest of your life unless you come across a trivia question someday. I don't like being told what to do, especially when it comes to what I have to read. Therefore, the idea of reading for fun when I'm already bogged down with "necessary" reading for school (especially with now five classes and a full time job) makes me want to reach for a paper bag, and basically makes reading unenjoyable for me. Anyway, I read almost an entire book in one day, and unless it's the normal children's books, I don't usually do that. I haven't decided if I'm going to review it on my blog since it's an "adult" book, so I don't really want to count it towards Bloggiesta! time.

Anyway...

What I learned this Bloggiesta!:

Quit trying to be such a perfectionist - Quality of posts should be better than quantity.
One post a day when working full time, taking five classes, and...doing other things is something I should feel proud of.
Quit going back and trying to fill in days that have already passed with new posts. People miss things that way, and it gets too stressful to feel like you have to play catch-up and write new material.
Don't stop "advertising" your blog if you want more followers.

...Really just the excitement/anticipation of Bloggiesta! got me actively working on my blog again (even if it's not as much as I'd like), so I'm thankful for that. I've started to work on some of those "rainy day" posts, and I'm looking to start the 30 Days of Me challenge sometime soon, just to get me back in the habit of writing on a regular basis. And hopefully next Bloggiesta! I'll really be able to give it my best. If I pass the five classes I'm taking now, I'll be a 4-year graduate!

So, what did you learn this Bloggiesta!? Or do you just have other blogger knowledge/advice to share?

Read My Review - 1/22/11

2011-01-22T02:40:00.024-05:00

Ever heard of Read My Review? If not, that's okay! I hadn't either until yesterday afternoon.

If you've ever wanted to partcipate in one of those "hey come check out my blog and follow me!" memes but have wanted a bit more...depth(?) to it than merely posting to your blog's homepage, you should probably check out the weekly Read My Review meme over at A Trillan Books.

To participate in the weekly meme and "advertise" your blog you must have a review that fits the weekly theme.
For instance, this week's theme is Contemporary Young Adult, so I posted a link to my review of This Full House (you're allowed to use new or old, bad or good reviews).

If you decide to participate, I'd love to know so I can go check it out.

Follow Friday - 1/21/11

2011-01-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

[I'm pretty sure] This is my first time ever participating in Parajunkee's Friday Follow. I figured, what better way to spend the kickoff of Bloggiesta! than by letting others know that I'm back in business!

Apparently each week's follow comes with a question to encourage...I guess conversation?

This week's question is:

Who do you cheer for?

I guess I'll answer this question honestly, even though it will probably lose me a few old followers or put off potential new ones -closes eyes and holds breath- ... the Patriots. There, I said it. Against my boyfriend's (and about 98% of my other friends) wishes, I am, and have been for a while, a Patriot's fan. I think it happened during the 2004 Superbowl, when I SO greatly enjoyed dying my hair red white and blue in support of the team that I just decided they would be my favorite. During the next year I actually watched their games throughout the year and was just so impressed at how Randy Moss seemed to catch anything and everything that Tom Brady threw at him. Even though I was very upset that they got rid of Moss, I guess I'm still a fan. And contrary to practically everyone's opinion who hasn't known me since 2004, NO, it isn't because I think Tom Brady is hot (I'm pretty against guys having long hair as far as finding them attractive).

Want to know what other fantastic blogs I've found to follow this week (as a result of Friday Follow, of course)?:

Laura Ashlee at Ramblings of a (Future) Librarian - I'm just kind of in love with everything. The books she chooses, her layout is cute, I LOVE the owl that she uses in the layout and as a rating system, and hello? "future librarian"? So...me! I just wish I had an award lying around to give her!

Book Couture - I love how she's gun-ho on her first Bloggiesta! - She's an inspiration for me! I'm also digging her choices of books to review (YA) and the fact that she's okay with making posts of questions to her audience, rather than acting like she knows it all.

Jordyn & Yani at The Secret Life of an Avid Reader - I can'r believe I'm only their 12th follower! Maybe there's just something in the air about owls today...(go to their blog, you'll see what I mean) I love their headers and, again, yay for YA books! Plus, they're currently having a giveaway for Lauren Oliver's new release, Delirium. I've never heard of this particular YA book before (apparently that means I live under a rock) but it sounds awesome.

Bloggiesta! 4th Edition

2011-01-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

It's baAack!
One of my favorite times of the year...
BLOGGIESTA!

Bloggiesta! is a weekend event (in this case, January 21st - 23rd) for bloggers to help motivate blogging, hosted by Natasha at Maw Books Blog. I have been participating in the event almost since it started (since the second edition), and always really enjoy it. For the first time, this year I have been able to block out most of my schedule for the weekend (though I do still have work today) - I have turned down dates and even requests to help at church, yet I still feel a mild sense of depression over the fact that I was not able to get all my schoolwork turned in before this weekend.
...Note to self - Task 1 on the to-do list this weekend : Stop trying to be Superwoman.

Natasha's list of suggested things to do during Bloggiesta! weekend:

Write reviews.
Write backup posts for a rainy day.
Write that great post idea from three months back.
Work on series posts.
Write guest posts.
Put out invitations for guest posts.
Conduct and edit author interviews.
Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities
Clean up your tags, archives, books reviewed list, etc.
Create a text file (or Google Doc) of cheat sheets (html codes, post url’s, etc)
Improve your blog template, clean up sidebars, add a favicon, install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do.
Add or edit your about me page, review policy, disclosure policy, privacy policy, create landing pages (for example – an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
Any bloggy type housekeeping that you’ve been neglecting.
Clean up and update your challenge lists. Link up your posts with hosts.
Make sure all of your social network profiles are up to date. Be consistent in those profiles with color scheme, images, etc.
Go get a gravatar.
Visit the Blogging Tips group on the Book Blogs Ning and find ways to improve your blog.
Work on any specialized projects that you may have going.
Clean out and organize your feed reader and blog subscriptions.
Create an elevator pitch.
Make business cards.
Find a blogging buddy.
Analyze and re-evaulate your blog.
Back up your blog.
Learn more about blogging, read great articles, get inspired.
Make sure you have properly copyrighted your blog and know what to do when somebody reposts your material.
Brainstorm blogging topics.
Manage your feedreader.
Help other bloggers, answer questions, share your expertise (let’s face it – this is the best part of Bloggiesta!)
The sky’s the limit!

For more information and if YOU would like to sign up for this fourth edition of Bloggiesta! click here.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:04:00.019-05:00

I know, I know - long time no post.

I just wanted to wish any remaining followers a happy new year! (I spent my New Years Eve in Disney - I don't recommend it.) Also, between the weekends of January 21st and Valentine's Day, be on the lookout for some exciting news I'll be sharing here on my blog!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-09-20T20:10:00.000-04:00

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." - Unknown

Top Ten Picks: Favorite Books to Movies

2010-08-13T12:49:00.000-04:00

I have to warn you...I know I didn't just make this up but by the time I procrastinated from finishing this post, I can't find this "top ten" listed on Jillian's blog.
Anyway, you know it's been too long since your last [meme]post when the picture has changed unexpectedly on you so you no longer know what you're looking at.

Trying to get back into the swing of things, though, I'm back with my top ten picks of favorite books to movies. I'll admit, the criteria may seem a little...odd...to some. My top 10 picks are not in order of my favorite movie; rather, my top 10 picks this week are books I was glad to see turned into movies, in the order that I think best improved the book. Comprende? Maybe, kinda, sorta?

1. Shrek

Let's see if you understand what I meant about my order of the top 10 this week...Is Shrek my favorite movie? No. In fact, it's probably my least favorite of this entire list; however, did I think William Steig was on some seriously strong stuff trying to pawn the book version of Shrek off as a picture book for kids? Yes indeed! Was I glad to see it turned into a much more kid-friendly funny, cute, etc. movie? Very!

2. Peter Pan

Before you go criticizing my resonings for this being on my top ten...I know that J.M. Barrie wrote the book before the Disney movie came out; however, the Disney movie was so prominent in my young life (it's still my favorite Disney movie) and I just can't imagine me having wanted to read the book as a child without having seen the movie. Don't get me wrong, I like the book - I remember it made me cry the first time I read it, which is always a good sign if I'm that "into" it to care - it's just a bit more "grown up" than I think the [Disney] movie is. And as my Peter Pan shirt states, I'll never grow up.

3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Movie in 3-D = awesome and really cute | Book = dull illustrations and fairly boring.

Simple, right?

4. The Passion of the Christ

Technically this movie doesn't cover an entire book...then again, my number six covers several books, so...anyway... Part of me thinks it's "bad" that I was didn't get over-emotional reading about Christ crucified in the Bible; the other part wonders how you can't cry actually seeing a depiction of it.

5. Horton Hears a Who

Needless to say, after number three, movie adaptations of books stopped making my list due to "bad" books being "saved" by movies. I don't remember a lot about Dr. Seuss from when I was little, but now that I'm an adult, I have to admit, his ability to rhyme is uncanny. Don't you think? Just a bit? Haha, okay I'll stop trying so hard. But really, to see his rhymes go from the page to the screen with talented voices, bright colors, accompanied by that little annoyingly happy ball of fluff who eats rainbows and poops butterflies...what more could a girl ask for?

6. The Spiderwick Chronicles

I'm not going to use a bunch of space rambling about the books, I've already reviewed them here, but I do think I preferred seeing the adventure rather than just listening to it. Plus, Freddie Highmore is just so cute (in a little kid way...)!

7. Tuck Everlasting

I don't want to spoil the book or the movie if you haven't seen or read it (I recommend both reading and watching it), so all I can really say is that I think the ending in the movie meant so much more to a hopeless romantic (such as myself) than the ending in the book... (plus I really like Alexis Bledel) Thoughts? Opinions?

8. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I really enjoyed C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series as books, so I was a little wary going to see the movie (then again I even liked the BBC versions of the first four books, so maybe it's just a really hard series to mess up?). Something about the combination of Disney magic, battle scenes, and epic music, though, won me over for the movie as well (and can I just say how disappointed I am in Disney for dropping the series because it wasn't making them enough money).

9. The Princess Diaries

I don't have much to say about this one - again, it's not like the book was bad. I guess there was just something special about that charming Anne Hathaway/Julie Andrews duo (and Disney!).

10. A Walk to Remember

Congratulations. You've made it through my top ten picks. Let's see if you still understand my order...A Walk to Remember was a hard choice because the book was great in and of itself. Then again, it's always a whole 'nother "level" of-sorts to be able to watch the story come to life (especially if you don't have a very vivid imagination while reading). Plus with this story, the whole thing is so great, so sad, and it's almost like the book and the movie tell two [almost] completely different (yet awesome either way) stories.

So, what's your top ten?

Guest Review (Movie) - Despicable Me

2010-08-10T09:04:00.000-04:00

Remember how I went to Peru? I met awesome people on the trip - both in Peru and members of my mission team. As I mentioned already here, one of my new friends is a teacher who liked my blog enough to help me out with it.
Without further ado, I would like to present to you my first guest review! *(with minor editorial changes made by me...Juan likes to tell me how he has impressed even military aptitude test proctors with his brilliance, but his spelling is atrocious)

A “Juan-in-a-Million” review.

Being evil doesn’t always mean being bad…Does it?

Rated: PG for rude humor and mild action.

For ages 8 and up.

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is your atypical super-villain with an odd Russian accent. He lives in a dreary looking house that sticks out like a sore thumb in a small American neighborhood with a secret lair that is full of Oompa Loompa-looking minions that each have a very distinct personality. Gru's number one ambition in life is to be known as the greatest super-villain in all the world. There is just one problem…the biggest heist the world has ever seen was not done by him, but by a younger, more cunning villain by the name of Vector (voiced by the hilarious Jason Segel). Gru continues to look for help in his biggest scheme of all, stealing the moon! His evil plot comes complete with an Igor like assistant who creates very unique and sometimes strange weapons, and a plan to steal a shrink-ray, adopt three orphan girls that will challenge him in every way, and the use of robot cookies to once again prove to everyone that he is the number one villain of all time. What he doesn’t realize is that somewhere deep within himself, his Grinch-like heart is about to grow three sizes bigger than before.

Even with the predictable set up, Despicable Me still made me laugh, even at times that I didn’t want to. It uses a wrong vs. right atmosphere to teach a lesson, but strangely uses the wrong side of that equation to bring it on home. With a bit of mild humor and a ray-gun blast or two of violence, this family friendly movie allows laughs for the young and old.

Carell does a wonderful job voicing Gru and his hilarious “glasses wearing” helpers steal every scene even though you can’t understand a word they are saying. The rest of the voice cast is filled out by Nickelodeons “iCarley” Miranda Cosgrove as the oldest of the orphans, Kristen Wiig as the eccentric “mom- like” figure that is in charge of the “Home for Girls” orphanage, and the wonderfully talented and always surprisingly funny Julie Andrews as Gru’s un-accepting mother.

If you are looking for a fun movie that doesn’t make you think all that much, this is the movie for you. It is 95 minutes of mindless entertainment that has a feel good ending. I will be honest, I am not going to run off to the theaters to see it again, but I might take a gander at it when it comes out in a few months on DVD.

*The credits at the end of the movie are worth a second look for sure. Make sure you stay until the very end!

Juan's rating for this movie:

If you are interested in guest reviewing on my blog (for anything children/YA friendly), feel free to go here and contact me!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-08-09T08:37:00.030-04:00

I have three words for you - It is finished. Sure they've already been used before, like...when Jesus died on the cross...but either way, it's true. Hallelujah! I'm done with school and get a whopping 16-day break before starting the fall semester. Hopefully fall will be less rushed, being 16-week semesters instead of 6. I'm making it my goal this week to have a new post for you every day in celebration of my not only finishing but passing my summer classes!

What did I look up to get these image results? Freedom, of course!

Can I just say how much this last one reminds me of Mike Doughty's I Hear the Bells?

Thanks for sticking with me through my hiatus(es). I really truly appreciate it.

Where I Have Been/Am

2010-07-12T18:18:00.001-04:00

I've read several places/articles where people say bloggers shouldn't apologize to their followers for such things as lack of posting, but I still feel like I owe it to you all to let you know why I haven't been posting for a while.

The answer basically comes down to - summer classes. It doesn't help that I am a world-class procrastinator, have a full time job, spent a week in Peru (you can read my initial post about Peru here), and have picked up another volunteer shift at church. To spare you the boring details, I've been struggling since I got back from Peru to re-adjust and come to terms with some things in my life.

At least two of the guys on my mission team are teachers, one of them found my blog on my Facebook and apparently really likes it (Hi, Juan!). He knows I'm having trouble keeping up with my own school, so I told him he's welcome to guest review on my blog. When he responded with "I don't think I could do it at your level...you have a gift...your writing flows very smoothly", it occurred to me why I don't post unless I can put a lot of time and effort into it - I don't want to let my followers down; I don't want to give (pardon my French) half-assed reviews. I have always loved to write, and I write best (and personally enjoy it most) when I'm writing about what I want, when I want. So I do apologize for not posting, but I also hope you understand why. I want to have the best and most honest reviews, etc. written before I post them, so they take up a lot of time I just don't have right now.

Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to "formally" announce that I have no plans to write any more posts during the month of July. I will hopefully be back on the blogging train in the first week or two of August. Wish me luck in school this week - I have 2+ papers to write.

In the mean time, if you just so happen to be a teacher or children's librarian or children's/YA book reviewer and would like to contribute something to keep my blog active, please feel free to use the contact form found here. If you have a blog of your own it can even be old recycled posts from your blog (credit/links would be given back to your blog, of course). Thank you everyone for the support!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-06-28T14:46:00.000-04:00

"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." – Unknown

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-06-21T15:22:00.021-04:00

I don't always have major problems worth venting about in my inspirational messages, and I certainly don't always know what to say to others to be inspirational. A combination of this and my attempt to survive summer has inspired me to change my weekly Daily Dose slightly. If I don't have something witty to say or something I feel I need to share, I am going to instead post an inspirational quote by someone else to go with my weekly picture finds. Let's try it:

"The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." - Unknown

Review (Book) - The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha

2010-06-18T12:53:00.090-04:00

"In this adaptation of his blog www.1000awesomethings.com, Pasricha celebrates the simple pleasures of everyday living. Focusing on both tangible pleasures and simple experiences, Pasricha provides a contemporary take on everyday inspiration that skips the typical Chicken Soup for the Soul fare: "When you push the button for the elevator and it's already there," ("Ding!"); "When the boss goes out of town" ("Who's up for a three-hour lunch?"); "Peeling that thin plastic film off new electronics" ("Welcome to the world, remote control"). Other items get more substantial discussions, including the other side of the pillow, old playground equipment, hotel lobby bathrooms, the last day of school, and the five-second rule. Though tongue-in-cheek, Pasricha emerges a committed but inviting optimist, combating life's unending stream of bad news by identifying opportunities to "share a universal high five with humanity." Readers looking for simple, unsentimental pick-me-ups should find this happy browsing." - Publishers Weekly

Oh.
My.
Gosh.
I LOVE this book!
Seriously, if I could marry a book instead of a person, this would be "the one".

Allow me to start off with a confession - what with my crazy summer I was barely able to read any of this book. I understand...you're probably confused already...how could I possibly want to marry a book without reading it all? Well, the book is just THAT awesome! Though, I did make it a point to read all of the "awesome things" on the list (Pasricha explains why everything on the list is awesome, which is what I missed; yet, I feel all of the things on the list are awesome enough that we as readers shouldn't need a list as to why each thing is awesome, we should all have our own reasons why they are awesome).

I will be honest, Pasricha's writing style may not be for everyone - ocassionally witty, sarcastic, and just downright silly. I may just be as in love with the book as I am because I feel I have the same inner voice as he does, (if I weren't trying to keep my blog more professional, my blog would probably sound very similar to The Book of Awesome) but you should at least give it a try. I guarantee you'll smile.

The Book of Awesome is refreshing and inspirational - I challenge you to pick up the book, at least flip through some of it, and create your own list of awesome things. If you do, I would love to hear what's on your list. In case you're wondering, this is what topped my list:

Watching a groom's face when he first sees his bride walking down the aisle towards him

While I didn't catch anything super inappropriate for kids, I didn't read the entire book so I don't want to give any official "stamp of approval" [for kids]...maybe you can use it for your personal collection on a day you need a pick-me-up from dealing with misbehaving kids.

My Rating:

Stylish Blogger & Sunshine Awards

2010-06-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

I was quite shocked and certainly honored when I found out my blog received two awards this past weekend!

I would like to thank Lady Scribbles at Lady Scribble's Book Lounge for the Stylish Blogger Award:

Upon receiving this award I am supposed to list five random things about myself and pass the award on to five other bloggers. I will pass this award on to five other blogs whose layouts I love.

Random things:

I have only recently realized how to truly accept the phrase "life goes on", especially when relating to things that have deadlines. For instance, I would always get stressed about school/homework, but then I realized that the due date is going to come whether I'm ready for it or not, and, the next morning the sun will (most likely) rise. If I fail a class (I haven't yet, thank God), life is full of second chances.
I make awesome omelettes out of anything leftover in the refrigerator.
I prefer Star Wars over Star Trek any day.
I used to have an imaginary friend named Tion.
I stopped watching Buffy two episodes before the Season Two finale because I found it way too depressing for that time in my life. Now that I've lived it, I'm ready to see how it ends.

Stylish bloggers:

Linna at 21 Pages

Kate at I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!

Kat at Literary Enchantment

Natalie at Mindful Musings

Kristi at The Story Siren

I also received the Sunshine Award from Trini at A Book Lovers Review

To accept this award, I just have to link back to the person who gave it to me and pass it on to ~~twelve~~ other bloggers. I will pass this on to the ~~twelve~~ blogs I follow whose writers I find most cheerful/friendly.

1,000 Awesome Things

Abby at Abby (the) Librarian

Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century

Darcy at Just a Night Owl

Alee at Love Is...

Marie at Make and Takes

Cindy at Princess Bookie

Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings

Alyssa at Teens Read and Write

Okay, yes, I was supposed to pass the award on to twelve bloggers but nine struck me as ones I needed to pass this award on to, so I'd feel bad if I had to choose only three more and not others, so I made it nine.

Random fact number 6: Nine is my number, anyway.

Review[ish] (Movie) - A Walk to Remember

2010-06-14T17:15:00.003-04:00

This is a different type of movie review - more like a coherent list of why I love this movie. If you have any thoughts [on the movie], feel free to share. I tried to keep it as spoiler-free as possible.

Last weekend I was asked what my favorite movie was. I thought about it for a moment and decided that it hasn't changed in the past ?? years; it is still A Walk to Remember. So when I was asked why it was my favorite movie, I felt bad that I couldn't really give a reason. To fix this, I sat down with a notepad last Monday to watch the movie for the first time in a long time to take notes. I thought being distracted by note-taking would prevent me from coming to tears, but who was I kidding?

Reasons why A Walk to Remember is my favorite movie:

Because I love the soundtrack - especially “Someday We'll Know”.
Because I love the quotes – especially "It's like the wind. I can't see it but I feel it." And whose response to “I love you” would be "I told you not to fall in love with me”? I’ve watched the movie so many times I start reciting the lines before they’re said and either start laughing like an idiot or crying before the sad part even happens.
Because I love the characters -

Jamie is my hero/role model. She doesn't care what people think about her, she is faithful, strong emotionally and physically, at peace with dying, helpful, forgiving, smart, modest but still pretty, and it was her character that inspired Landon to want to change, and taught her own father lessons. She had a bucket list before [the movie] The Bucket List made it “cool” to have one. The comeback "He's too busy looking for your brain" is DEFINITELY something I would say. It would probably take both hands and feet to be able to count how many times I've heard the line "It's the quiet ones you gotta watch out for" about myself. She also makes passengers wear their seatbelts…go ahead and ask me how I almost threw someone out the windshield of my car who wouldn’t put on their seatbelt. Haha

Landon has the “bad boy” rep, but shows that chivalry is not dead. He could have had the girl who invited him over when her parents weren't home, but instead he chose the "good girl". He’s willing to defend a girl with his fist if he has to, asks her dad permission to date his daughter, and does everything for her – he helps her accomplish as much of her “bucket list” as possible, while totally respecting her modesty (i.e. the graveyard scene & when her sweater falls off her shoulder), and he doesn’t leave.

Because I love being connected to the story enough to feel the emotions. For some reason, I’ve always loved the frantic look Jamie gives Landon after he suggests she wants to be with him too. I could feel the line "I'm scared of not being with you." tug at my heartstrings. And he knew how to hug/hold her like he meant it.
Because I love the situations Landon and Jamie are put in together. I wish somebody would make me dance with them, even if we stepped on each others’ feet.
Because the last scene of the movie still leaves my face drenched.
Because I love love.

Random tidbits about me and this movie:

I saw this movie at least twice before I realized what the "WALK" to remember was.
It's the only book/movie adaptation where I cried more reading the book than the movie, and considering the first time I watched this movie in its entirety I sat directly in front of the TV with a box of tissues, I definitely didn't think that was possible.
I've never cared enough about any other movie to make a list of why I like it so much.

I made a bucket list after watching this movie -

Complete an 8-second ride
Conquer Summit Plummet
Cross the Med
Find all the Hidden Mickeys in Walt Disney World
Hug a sea lion
Indulge in some sort of all-inclusive vacation
Learn to read music
Run a marathon
See the Cliffs of Moher (in person)
Skydive
Stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower
Stay in a castle
Swim with Sharks
Take an ABD vacation
Visit all the Disney Parks around the world

Some "impressive" feats I have already accomplished -

Backpacked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim
Kissed a stingray
Scored a championship goal
Swam with dolphins
Won the Amazing [Cozumel] Race

Bloggiesta Wrap Up

2010-06-14T12:52:00.002-04:00

I feel rather loser-ish that I only spent two and a half hours on my blog this weekend, but I somehow managed to pass 200 followers and get two awards, so that made me feel a little better.

This was my original to-do list (major kudos to anyone who actually managed to finish their list):

Participate in the Book Blogger Hop at Crazy for Books
~~Visit the other blogs participating in Bloggiesta!~~
Attempt to make some sort of block scheduling for my time
~~Finish Geography & Ancient Greece homework~~
Write paper on gender in Greek Classics
~~Bake cookies~~
Participate in as many mini-challenges as possible
~~Finish blogging about my Cincinnati trip~~ (Technically, I got this done this afternoon, though, so I did not count this towards Bloggiesta! time)
Catch up on "Top Ten Picks" from Jill at Random Ramblings
Catch up on MizB's Friday Finds (Should Be Reading)
Catch up on everything else I've had almost ready, but never wrote down
~~NOT PULL MY HAIR OUT OVER THIS LIST!~~

I did manage to get my blog in at the "Hop" - though I don't consider it full participation unless I actually visit the other blogs and do a post. I also managed to visit all the other Bloggiesta! blogs that signed up before me and commented on most of them! I baked a bunch of cookies for the bake sale with some awesome company, and I only have about 450 words left to go on my paper. Oh, and my hair is still in tact.

Since I've reflected on my Bloggiesta! to-do list, I would like to also reflect on my 2010 New Years resolutions I made for the last Bloggiesta!

Blog-related resolutions:

Update my blog MUCH more often than last year. Last year I started my blog in January, had one post in January, one in June, one in September, one in October, then in November and December I finally kept up with my blog. I'm a full time student, have a full time job, and drive to the other side of the state at least two weekends a month, so it certainly won't be Bloggiesta! every weekend, but I want to try to update at the very least once a week. (Well, things change, I don't have a reason to drive to the other side of the state anymore so I guess I have less of an excuse for missing posts, but I think I've only missed one or two weeks - for the most part, I've at least been able to get up a Daily Dose)
Complete the two reading challenges I've signed up for and determine whether or not I'd be able to handle more next year. (Somewhere along the lines I picked up a third reading challenge. I wouldn't expect to have finished them by June, and I'm making it really difficult on myself to consider the challenges "complete" at all, since in order to count them towards the book count, I'm making myself review the books. On the other hand, since I will definitely not be taking summer classes next year, I think I'll be able to handle two or three challenges next year, as long as I can stay motivated to blog at the same time.)
~~Get 50 followers.~~ (202 followers and it's only June!? You guys are AWESOME!)

Non-blog-related resolutions:

~~Clear out my e-mail.~~ (I have successfully knocked my work and personal Inboxes down to 2-6 e-mails each)
Put at least $12,000 in my CD. (This wound up as an epic fail...)
Take a class on effective communication. (I'll have to attempt this in the second half of the year - all of the ones I have looked at have not fit in with my work schedule)
Convince my parents to put up our Christmas village. (I have a completely valid excuse for this one - It's not Christmastime yet.)
Buy more long-sleeved shirts. The past week and a half have made me realize that even in South Florida, apparently having only five on hand just aren't going to cut it. (I think I actually wound up getting rid of some - oops. I still have time, though!)

This week I finish my Gender & Society in Ancient Greece class, so hopefully next week I'll have a little extra time for blogging. Thank you for bearing with me - you guys are great!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-06-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

Saturday nights I volunteer at my church as a "teacher" in one of the preschool rooms. (Just another reason I didn't have much time to participate in Bloggiesta! this weekend) This past Saturday on my way in to "God's Town" (that place alone can be photographed for "inspiration" - it's like a mini Disney World Main Street shoved in a church) where the kids' rooms are, I walked past one of the fourteen other people who are on my mission "team" for Peru* and he asked "did you get the e-mail? We are supposed to be flying Spirit Air". Of course I pull out my handy-dandy iPhone to get the e-mail, and basically this is the content. If the pilots are still on strike on the 26th, we will not be going to Peru. I ask you all for your prayers that this not just be the devil trying to thwart our efforts to go help the children of Peru and spread the love of Jesus and grow in Him ourselves.

So, I dedicate these airplane pictures to pilots everywhere.** I think $200,000+ is a little steep, but, hey, what do I know? I'm just a librarian. Please come off of strike so we can go to Peru!

*Want to see my original post mentioning Peru and what I/we will be doing there? Click here.
**I did look for helicopter pictures and couldn't find any with cutesy text that I wanted to use. If by some rare chance you are a helicopter pilot, I didn't purposely leave you out. I tried.

Bloggiesta! Is Back!

2010-06-11T09:29:00.004-04:00

I learned something today! Bloggiesta! is NOT just in January, as I stated in my last Bloggiesta! introduction.

I'm guessing (?) Bloggiesta! is a bi-annual event for bloggers to help motivate...well...blogging! Hosted by the lovely Natasha at Maw Books Blog. Guess when Bloggiesta! is? This weekend! - June 11th - 13th. (For more information and/or to sign up click here.) I actually didn't miss the first day this time around - Hooray!

The mascot of Bloggiesta! is Pedro, which stands for Plan, Edit, Develop, Review, Organize.

All the other bloggers I've seen participating so far have put a "to-do" list in their introduction post. I'm warning you now, full time work + summer classes + church + somewhat of a social life = a very boring list.

Participate in the Book Blogger Hop at Crazy for Books
Visit the other blogs participating in Bloggiesta!
Attempt to make some sort of block scheduling for my time
Finish Geography & Ancient Greece homework
Write paper on gender in Greek Classics

Bake cookies (Recipe can be found here - I modify it slightly; ask if you want the "secret")
Participate in as many mini-challenges as possible
Finish blogging about my Cincinnati trip
Catch up on "Top Ten Picks" from Jill at Random Ramblings
Catch up on MizB's Friday Finds (Should Be Reading)
Catch up on everything else I've had almost ready, but never wrote down
NOT PULL MY HAIR OUT OVER THIS LIST!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-06-07T23:38:00.000-04:00

I have to write a paper that is much longer than I'm used to by the 15th - Topic: gender in Ancient Greek literature. Please forgive the lack of posting I'm sure will occur as a result of this, and enjoy the "school" pictures I found on We Heart It. I've posted an extra picture because I'm assuming I'll need extra motivation...

What do you do to motivate yourself to write things you have to, rather than just things you want to?

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-05-31T00:13:00.000-04:00

Since last week's Daily Dose's opening was "Woo-Hoo!" I kind of feel like the opening to this week's should be "Boo-Hoo!" In mere hours I will be boarding a plane to return home. Back to work tomorrow. I'm not sure how I feel about that just yet...

On the bright side, I am returning to amazing people I love.

So to help keep me in a vacation mood when I get home, and for anyone who may be reading this needing a vacation or returning from one themselves, I present to you some images I find inspiring:

And for those of you who might not be able to afford a vacation right now:

Cincinnati - Day 7

2010-05-29T23:59:00.018-04:00

Today was a day for playing games and picture taking (and more baking!).

I went to another library during opening hours in the daylight!

I was intrigued at the idea of keeping track of the summer reading program on a computer. I don't know why I was intrigued in this day and age of technology, but I was.

Amazing ceiling, and wonderful decorations for our SRP theme (Make a Splash/Make Waves)!

The children's section/"wing" of the library.

And then I made more of "THE COOKIES" for my mom's side of the family.

And by "more" I mean a mountain.

For the recipe, see my previous post. And please let me know what you think of them if you make them!

Cincinnati - Day 5

2010-05-27T23:59:00.067-04:00

Today was a lazy day. I showed my grandpa a police scanner app I found last night (you can click here to read about my first iPhone app adventure this trip), and the ShopSavvy app, which is an app that allows you to scan a barcode, and will then display the cheapest prices online and at local stores. (Both of these apps are free.)

Later, when I found out my grandparents hadn't seen Avatar* (after I got over my fantastical dellusions of buying them a blu ray player and the blu ray), the Redbox app** came to mind. We were both rather impressed when we found out the Walgreens down the street had the movie "in stock", and after putting it on hold, with one swipe of my credit card [at the machine], Avatar popped out.

Sometime between dinner and the movie I found some store bought cookies. When I found out my grandma only eats homemade cookies, I knew what I had to do. She just so happened to have all the ingredients to make my new favorite cookie I discovered two weekends ago - chocolate chocolate chip!

The original recipe can be found here.

I've made four slight modifications/suggestions to the recipe -

Substitute half of the butter for Crisco.
Use heaping cups of chocolate chips.
Melt chocolate over the stove, not in the microwave. I've had horrible experiences trying to melt chocolate in the microwave that winds up either turning the chocolate white or burning it.
Since the cookies turn out so dark, there's really no way of telling when they're done by the edges turning "golden brown". At the end of the 10 minutes, stick a toothpick in one of the cookies; if it comes out clean, they're done; if not, put them back in for another 30 seconds-1 minute and try again.

*To read my review of Avatar, click here.
**Reading this over, I feel like I should add an apology if I sound like an ad for Apple!

Cincinnati - Day 4

2010-05-26T23:59:00.033-04:00

After yesterday's post I thought you'd all want a break from so much reading.
Actually, it was just a very uneventful day. So this post is going to wind up being more of a question to my readers...

I taught my anti-card-playing grandparents how to play Shanghai Rummy today* (this made me feel very stupid for missing the trivia question "what card game has a version called "shanghai"?" within the past couple weeks). I won, which doesn't count for much since it was their first time, but they put up a valiant effort (and kudos to my grandma for not giving up like she said she was going to)!

This experience made me wonder - If anyone has ever tried to teach a group how to play this game, how did it go? Also, I know I work in the Children's department, but don't a lot of older people like to play cards? I know the Recreation Center in my city has "Bridge days". Does anyone work at or know of a library who does card game days for the older crowd (or any crowd, for that matter)?

*For "official" rules how to play this game, click here. We do not play with a limit to how many jokers can be used in what hands, and we only play 6 rounds (the same as deals 1-4 on the "official" site, then a round of two 4-card runs and one 3-of-a-kind, and lastly a round of three 4-card-runs).

Cincinnati - Day 3

2010-05-25T23:59:00.068-04:00

I got to stay with my dad's parents today. The highlight of the day was between going to visit my dad's crazy cousin and getting "kidnapped" and driven around downtown Cincinnati and Kentucky. But for the sake of my sanity, and therefore readability, we'll go in chronological order.

Within the past couple months I bought an iPhone. I bought it telling myself I was only going to get the free "apps", but, of course, I caved. One of the apps I decided to invest in was Shazam!

Shazam! is an application that, if you're listening to a song on the radio, in a restaurant, etc. and want to know what song it is, with a couple button pushes, will tell you not only the title of the song, but also the artist, album, lyrics, and a link to purchase the song in iTunes.

Even though we basically found a "warning" that the app was not designed to detect live songs, humming, or anything but recorded music, she was still determined to try singing. Originally determined to sing Leonard Coen's Hallelujah, she found her stash of Beyonce lyrics...

Everyone on the trip has been rather mesmerized by the seemingly limitless possibilities of the iPhone, but my dad's cousin was especially impressed by the Shazam! app.

I'll let the video speak for itself, but I will say it includes dance moves.

One might think after quality entertainment like that it just doesn't get any better. Actually, as I was walking up to bed, my friend who moved to Cincinnati from Florida called asking if I wanted to go get ice cream. I felt like we were on an episode of Gilmore Girls with all the quippiness. He said he really liked my hair, it would look so much better if I didn't talk as much. I said something about Hellen Keller (don't ask) and he made a comment about him liking her since she couldn't talk. I returned with something similar to "she couldn't see or hear either, so, yeah, she'd be perfect for you." Somewhere along the lines, the idea of ice cream got thrown out the window and somehow we wound up in downtown Cincinnati, then at a waffle house in Kentucky. But do you know what else is in downtown Cincinnati? A library! Sorry the pictures are dark, but it was about 12:30 A.M., we almost walked into a homeless person's "home", had a guy pull over to tell us we were in a "bad part of town", and...yeah - all sorts of fun stuff!

My picture of the fountain at 12:30 A.M., and some random picture I found off the internet of the fountain during the daytime.

Same story, different pictures.

Most of the library is already in one giant building, but the children's department and some other things are actually across the street in a different building!

Cincinnati - Day 2

2010-05-24T23:59:00.001-04:00

Today, we took my grandma to get an oil change, then I conquered Paris!

...Well, as close to Paris as you can get in Cincinnati. Which, in this case means getting a hole-in-one on a hick town (for lack of better words - not that I have anything against rural areas) putt putt course that has a "topless" Eiffel Tower on it.

After such a close bowling game yesterday, I reveled over my 1 point victory.

Go ahead and ask me what my "menu" for the day consisted of...

Two cheese coneys for breakfast, one for lunch, a chocolate milkshake and strawberry cheesecake for dinner, and a drumstick for dessert. As good as it tasted, I felt like every artery in my body was clogged, and had a desperate urge to go run the Flying Pig to try to fix it. I don't think I'll be eating like that again...

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-05-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Woo-Hoo! The first full day of my vacation! Just a quick post of vacation pictures I found on We Heart It:

Cincinnati - Day 1

2010-05-23T23:59:00.046-04:00

If you're only here for the library stuff, feel free to skip this weeks' posts (although at least in this post, a book is mentioned).

After beginning our first flight with the flight attendant announcing over the intecom that "we are aware the smell of fuel is spreading throughout the cabin..." we finally made it to the mountains!

Wait a minute...

That can't be right...

We didn't go to the mountains!

We went to Cincinnati!

(the above picture was actually taken in front of the giant mural on my grandparents' living room wall)

That's better!

Cincinnasti!

Apparently my five(ish)-year-old cousin calls the Ohio River "the chocolate milkshake river". And (as you can see from the picture) he's pretty much right.

Today has been fairly uneventful. Almost as soon as we got off the plane, we went bowling. I lost by five points the first game, then came in last the second game. The fact that I broke 100 each game was an accomplishment for me.

I have awesome news - not only did I finish The Odyssey today, but I got a 100 on the quiz I had to take on it! I'm debating whether or not I will write a review on it. I'm afraid I wouldn't have much to say about it.

To top off my night, I played (and won) two games of ping pong with my mom. Hopefully the rest of this week is accompanied by much more ping pong playing (maybe even a match on video?). Here in these parts, I am occassionally known as the ping pong queen. I used to have a shirt that said "I'm kind of awesome at ping pong", and now that I think about it, I'm kind of sad that I no longer have a clue where it is.

Tomorrow I may begin my quest to visit libraries in the area! I would like to have something library-related to show from my trip.

Vacation - Cincinnati

2010-05-23T00:02:00.001-04:00

It's time!

My mom and I leave for the airport at 6:30 (so I should really go to bed...)! I've always said any time I don't have to work or do school is considered vacation. Unfortunately, I still have school due this week, but I'm still going to try to treat this trip as vacation-esque as I can. I would like to be able to blog while I'm there, but no guarantees. I shall return on Memorial Day!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-05-17T15:31:00.001-04:00

My trip to Disney this past weekend was...interesting. I'm still debating whether or not to blog about it, since I didn't even get to go to Magic Kingdom, and what kind of post would be complete without a picture of Cinderella Castle?! Here are some Disney-esque pictures I did not take.

I want whatever camera took this picture:

I know I usually limit myself to three pictures, but this little guy is just SO CUTE!

The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Robert Fagles)

2010-05-17T15:07:00.000-04:00

Guess what my assignment is for school this week?

Read The Odyssey in its entirety, as well as read three lectures on the book, and a chapter about "Women in the Poems of Homer" in a different book. And that's just one class. I also have to read about 4 chapters (think 150ish pages in a normal-sized textbook) on diversity and globalization.

Why am I taking summer classes again?

Anyway, Homer is definitely book-related, so I figured I'd ramble a bit about The Odyssey. So far it's okay. Then again, I haven't even made it out of the first "book" yet. All in all, though, I'm actually comprehending about twice as much as I expected to. I think the information I read in "Women in the Poems of Homer" is helping me to understand what's going on a bit more, and I appreciate a bit of a heads up of what to expect before I dive into it.

395 pages to go. If you have read The Odyssey and have any tips to help me enjoy and/or comprehend the story more, I would super appreciate tips. I'd also be willing to read a review you might have written on it, if you'd leave your link in the comments.

On a similar note, I almost feel like I need to re-watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? but maybe it would be best to save for after I finish The Odyssey?

Did I mention what I get to read for the Summer C semester?

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-05-10T13:15:00.019-04:00

Welcome to the final week of my Jonatha Brooke/I'll Try "theme". To read about how this three-week "theme" got started, click here.

I'm a little worried about school starting again today. Yesterday I peeked at the syllabus for one of my classes and, wow, that's a lot of work to try to do amidst two weeklong and one weekend vacation. But, I'll try.

Maybe a little pixie dust is just what I need!

This picture makes me want to take our gallons of glitter at work, and put/decorate them in jars like this.

Announcements

2010-05-07T13:08:00.002-04:00

Apparently somewhere along the lines I decided that I wanted to have my 10-day break between semesters completely off from any sort of writing, even after I promised more blogging. I'm sorry. Honestly, I always have the best intentions... So then I got kind of depressed thinking how, after this weekend, it's back to school already. Which leads me to believe I really do blog mostly as some sort of stress relief, because now I'm all gung-ho to blog again.

Anyway, I have some news!

Tuesday I was "officially" put on the mission trip team to Peru. I'm SO excited; I've never been on a mission trip before, and I've only ever been out of the country to go on cruises or to the Bahamas. The trip is from June 26th - July 3rd, so definitely don't expect any blogging between that time. We will be flying to Cieneguilla and working with Place of Hope International children's home Posada de Amor (translated Spanish-English with Google Translate). If anyone would randomly like to make a monetary donation (even a dollar) to my trip, you can click here (it goes straight towards paying my way until my way is completely paid for, then the rest of it goes to Posada de Amor), but prayers for me and the other 14 members of my team (especially Miss Valerie - I feel I have to call her that because she just graduated with her teaching degree - congratulations, Val!) are just as appreciated.
Next weekend (May 14th - 16th) I will be in Walt Disney World (no blogging)! It should be a really interesting trip. I'm going with my best friend and then a handful of other people from church who I barely know, so I hope it's an awesome bonding experience.
May 23rd - 31st I am going "home" with my mom to Cincinnati (will hopefully still be able to blog) to visit family - yay!

I'm not sure how all of this time away is going to affect summer classes, but hopefully it won't have that big of an impact. On the blogging side of things, I would hope you guys wouldn't mind (maybe even enjoy) if I use my blog as sort-of a way to journal about my experiences on these three trips (or at least the Disney & Peru trips), even though it's totally not book-related...If anyone has a big beef with this, feel free to let me know and I will consider your opinions. If not, be prepared to hear about some interesting adventures! Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Friday Finds - May 7th

2010-05-07T13:00:00.027-04:00

Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry

“The year is 1902 – it’s been twenty-three years since Peter and the Lost Boys returned from Rundoon. Since then, nobody on the island has grown a day older, and the Lost Boys continue their friendship with the Mollusk tribe and their rivalry with Captain Hook. Meanwhile, in London, Molly has married George Darling and is raising three children: Wendy, Michael, and John. One night, a visitor appears at her door; it’s James, one of Peter’s original Lost Boys. He is now working for Scotland Yard and suspects that the heir to England’s throne, Prince Albert Edward, is under the influence of shadow creatures. These shadow creatures are determined to find a secret cache of starstuff that fell to London many centuries ago. The starstuff is hidden in an underground vault, which has only one key: the Sword of Mercy, a legendary weapon kept with the crown jewels. Molly is determined to locate and protect the starstuff, but when she suddenly goes missing, it is up to her eleven-year-old-daughter, Wendy, to keep it out of the Others’ clutches. Wendy has heard her mother’s stories of a flying boy named Peter Pan, and he may be her only hope of saving the world from a shadowy doom…” (inside cover)

Goddess Girls: Athena the Brain by Joan Holub

"Athena has always been above average. She’s never quite fit in at Triton Junior High, but who would’ve guessed that Athena is actually a goddess? Principal Zeus’s daughter, to be exact. When she’s summoned to Mount Olympus Academy, Athena thinks she might actually fit in for the first time in her life. But in some ways, school on Mount Olympus is not that different from down on Earth, and Athena is going to have to deal with the baddest mean girl in history – Medusa!” (back cover)

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

“On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity’s deepest fears: dragons.

Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she’s breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she’d rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them.

But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon interactions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?” (inside cover)

Book Blogger Hop - May 7th

2010-05-07T12:35:00.000-04:00

It's time for [my personal] week two of the Book Blogger Hop at Crazy for Books!

Jennifer's "About the Hop:" description -

"This is a weekly event where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!"

A "twist" she has added to the hop is to add to your post any interesting blogs you come across during the hop. I have found several new blogs to follow as a result of the Hop, but there were some *extra* special ones. I present to you -

Obsessed! - I'll start out with a confession: Generally, I can't stand blogs that have more than a two column layout. The amount of stuff jammed into such a small space makes me feel overwhelmed - something I do not want to feel when I'm trying to do something I enjoy (blog or read others' blogs). However, after getting used to Bella's layout, I decided I kind of like her skinny middle column - it's full of upcoming YA books and their release dates. From the home page I can say that I really like her choices of books to review and I can't wait to read them! The chatspeak amdist the reviews is a little distracting but it's not overdone. She's also having an awesome 21-book (3 winners/7 books each) giveaway right now, so go check her out and enter!

Afterthoughts... - I totally love the pictures on Rebecca's blog. From the non-related banner, to the picture book highlights, to the "porn for booklovers" (which, apart from the title, is totally family-friendly), I highly recommend checking her out.

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-05-03T13:13:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the second week of my Jonatha Brooke/I'll Try-inspired Daily Dose! To read about how I got started with this idea, click here. This week's images are about trust.

Friday Finds - April 30th

2010-04-30T16:22:00.031-04:00

Okay so I've come to the conclusion that MizB at Should Be Reading is awesome. Not only does she have the Teaser Tuesday meme, but she also created Friday Finds. Friday Finds is simply a chance to share books you think sound interesting that you only recently discovered. I think I will limit myself to three books a week.

Finally by Wendy Mass
“Rory Swenson has been waiting her whole life to turn twelve. And she’s got a list to prove it. Whenever Rory asks her parents for something, they always say, “When you’re twelve, when you’re twelve, when you’re twelve…” Well, in exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen. Rory’s life will officially begin!
Fun, funny, and full of surprises, this is a story about wanting to grow up even when the universe seems to be telling you to wait.” (inside cover)

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti
“Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are practically strangers, and then there are the ones no one else even notices. Trying to fix their lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her own needs to the side is part of the deal.
So when her older sister comes home unexpectedly married and pregnant, Scarlet has a new person to worry about. But all of her good intentions are shattered when the unthinkable happens: She falls for her sister’s husband. For the first time in a long time, Scarlet’s not fixing a problem, she’s at the center of one. And ignoring her feelings don’t seem to be an option…” (inside cover)

Fire Will Fall by Carol Plum-Ucci
“ShadowStrike poisoned the water of Trinity Falls two months ago. Now the Trinity Four, the teens most affected by the poison, have been isolated in a remote mansion and are under twenty-four-hour medical care while scientists on four continents rush to discover a cure.
For Scott, Cora, Owen, and Rain, life is anything but peaceful at the old Kellerton mansion. Boredom and resentment build as they struggle with annoying – and possibly fatal – symptoms, while dueling with their own personal demons.
Meanwhile, U.S. operatives scour the world for the bioterrorists responsible for this heinous crime. But the two teen virtual spies who chased the extremists across the Internet prior to the attack are convinced that ShadowStrike is closer than USIC agents think. The danger remains very real – for Shadow Strike has every reason to pursue the Trinity Four, and their evil plan will unleash a new designer virus even deadlier than the first.” (inside cover)

My Hunger Games fan-made cast list.

2010-04-28T13:02:00.003-04:00

I dont remember what I was looking for when I came across the fact that, OH MY GOSH, they're making The Hunger Games into a movie?! Practically every Google result was a fan-made cast list, so I decided, hey, why not jump on the bandwagon? I've never been one to try to match actors to what I imagine [book characters] to be, so I sort-of had to go with a variety of selections from other lists. (*The one thing I can compltely picture is the muttations looking like those dog-type creatures from Avatar*) Honestly, I'd be perfectly fine if all the actors were no-names, just as long as the book/movie adaptation doesn't suck! (Hint: casting Megan Fox as Katniss would make it suck). If you have your own "fantasy cast list", please share!

Cato

Kellan Lutz

Gale

Taylor Lautner. Sorry to those of you disappointed with seeing Twilight actors in every movie, but this was the only actor I could actually place to a character from the book before I looked at others' lists.

Glimmer

Hayden Panettiere

Haymitch

Jack Nicholson

Katniss

Camilla Belle

Peeta

William Moseley

Rue

Jodelle Ferland, even though she still freaks me out (Silent Hill) and has the wrong color skin, she was the only one I was able to find with "the eyes".

Thresh

Drew Roy, but they'd have to rough him up a bit.

Teaser Tuesday - The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

2010-04-27T16:44:00.002-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
The "rules" are as follows:

Grab your current read
Let the book fall open to a random page
Share two “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
*NO SPOILERS*
Include the title of the book

""I suppose you don't stand much of a chance if you think that happiness is the absence of unhappines," he said. "Good luck ever being happy, then.""
~p. 120 of Deb Caletti's "The Six Rules of Maybe"

*Fair warning, I'm not promising I'll always be able to abide by the "two sentence" rule. Hope you guys don't mind!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-04-26T11:59:00.024-04:00

A random tidbit about me, if I haven't mentioned it before: My favorite Disney movie is Peter Pan. While Return to Neverland definitely doesn't reach the same level, I really like Jonatha Brooke's theme song (I'll Try) from the movie, especially the line "all the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust..." I was originally going to post one image of each [faith, trust, and pixie dust], but there were so many lovely/inspirational pictures for all of them, that each of them are going to get their own week! Up first, faith:

Matthew 17:20 - "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

An apology to you, my wonderful readers/followers!

2010-04-25T19:06:00.001-04:00

I've taken the past two(ish) weeks off blogging to concentrate on this last push for this semester [of school]. Finals are the beginning half of this week, and I expect to have to use the last two days to recoop so I don't burn myself out on writing before the summer semester starts, so I will probably be missing for the rest of this week, too.

The good news? We finally started our new schedule at work where I get (almost) all weekends off! I hope to be able to use these days to catch up on blogging - especially this weekend. No excuses! Wish me luck - I do have an awful lot of material ready to blog about, I just haven't been able to motivate myself and/or find time to do so.

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-04-19T11:58:00.000-04:00

I've put a rather random theme to this week's Daily Dose...Anyone who knows me knows I don't dance - not that I can't dance, I basically just refuse to dance with other people present. My beautiful friend Alexis inspires me how she just lets loose and doesn't care what anyone else thinks; so, I dedicate this week's Daily Dose to her!:

Find me a castle to dance in front of, and I'll dance, too.

Review (Audiobook) - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2010-04-13T11:14:00.000-04:00

I would like to do something with this post that will make it a little unconventional...I will still be featuring an audiobook and writing a [mini] review on it, but as opposed to every other book I've reviewed, I'm not going to share the summary [of the book] with you. Why? Because as I was listening to the first CD or two, I realized that I myself had begun this book without reading the back cover to find out what it was actually about. This is a rarity - I found myself enjoying the book while being surprised about what was happening; though, I will admit, by the end of the first CD I read the back cover to see if I was correct in my guessing as to what was going on.

This audiobook is read by Carolyn McCormick. She's no Josephine Bailey, but she still has a pleasant voice to listen to. I was a little disturbed how she made a cat with worms sound cute, though. And I commend her for trying to voice a man imitating a woman.

Once you listen to (or read) enough of the story, parts of it are somewhat predictable, but there is also so much originality to the story, it didn 't matter. The book is beautifully written, yet the plot almost makes you wonder what happened to the author to give them such disturbing ideas. I almost cried once, but managed to hold myself together (yay, me!).

I was so engrossed in the book that I would spend my lunch breaks sitting out in my car so I could listen to the story (I would have picked up a hard copy to read when I couldn't be listening, but there is still a large waiting list at our library for it). This is the only book (that I can recall) that I have liked so much before I even got halfway through the first book, that I picked up a copy of the second book to have on hand to read once I finished the first.
Okay, is it really killing you to know what this book is about (if, by chance, you don't already know what it is about)? I'll give you a small hint - take The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the movies Death Race and/or Gamer, and the reality TV show Survivor, melt them all together and stir in Suzanne Collins's unique-ness, and you have: The Hunger Games.

My Rating:

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-04-12T11:53:00.035-04:00

This past week (espsecially the weekend) has been insane. Friday I played soccer and got hit by a soccer ball that was kicked by a guy who obviously didn't care that he was playing against a girl (the hexagon mark is still on my leg), Saturday I played kickball and ran into a tree, and Sunday an elevator tried to crush me! I don't think I was home more than a couple hours of waking time all weekend, so I certainly haven't spent much time on the computer. My apologies for the lack of posts. However, I did get an iPhone on Thursday! Hopefully this means I'll finally be able to write some of my posts that required I take pictures... Have a great week everyone!

Haha sorry but I had to put this one in. Saturday, Christ Fellowship had a church-wide picnic. We had a kickball tournament - I ran into a tree (unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that), but our team was victorious! I surprised everyone (including myself) with the catches and kicking I was making, and our captain (green shirt) made me VIP. He tried to make me take the trophy by myself but I said I would only help, since I didn't win the game on my own.

Top Ten Picks: Books You Have To Read At Least Once

2010-04-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

I found this meme over at Random Ramblings. Jillian offers a weekly thought-provoking question that requires listing our top ten picks of "x" (whatever that week's topic is). This week's topic is Books You Have to Read at Least Once. After a great deal of thought that required me to eliminate some of my personal favorites, I have come up with my Top Ten Picks: Books You Have To Read At Least Once:

1. The Bible

Whether you choose to believe in its contents or not, the Bible is one of, if not the oldest book full of history, adventure, death and life, happiness and sadness, encouragement, letters, prohpecies, poetry, romance (including the ultimate love sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins), and more. I have yet to finish reading the Bible in its entirety, but I still am in awe when I think of how many different stories and genres the one book itself contains. *I highly recommend picking up a translation that you feel most comfortable reading, so as not to put you off the idea of reading it altogether.

2. The Robert Langdon Series

I haven't finished The Lost Symbol yet, but if it is anywhere near as good as Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code, it won't disappoint. That's right, I've just made the leap from the Bible to one of the biggest controversies in the church. I don't understand why Christians made such a huge cacophony over these books. Maybe it's just because I've grown up in the library, but people need to realize these books are just fiction, and to my knowledge, Dan Brown has never tried to pass them off as anything else. So, don't read these books if you can't discern between fact and fiction, and don't read these books if you are doubting your faith. But if you can handle a fictitious Indiana Jones-type adventure story based aroud components of the church and/or Bible, humor yourselves with these books. Any adult book that I was able to get through before I hit my teenage years I consider an impressive feat.

3. The Shack

Yep, I'm back to that whole "Christian-thing" again. Yet, this book also has stirred controversy in the church because, again, as a work of fiction, the author has changed some things to a sort of his type of view on how things may or may not be. If you ask me, I'm all for reading an amazingly written story about my heavenly Father. Even better if a non-Christian can pick up the book and enjoy it because it is slightly less traditional than the Bible. If the reader relates to the main character enough, it might even lead them to a church to find out more about the Trinity *gasp* but we can't have any of that because it didn't come directly out of the Bible? I don't think so. If you're looking for an amazingly inspirational story of healing, hope, love, and peace (but don't mind shedding a few tears), PLEASE pick up and read this book.

4. Harry Potter

Ah, yes, again the leap from religion to "evil". Again, Harry Potter is a work of fiction. If you feel you might be compelled to turn Wiccan if you read this book, please don't read it. However, I would recommend this book if you'd simply like to relate to a child who was able to escape his "normal" life [by being sent off to a magical school]. Side note: If your child doesn't enjoy this book, please don't force them to read it. I tried reading it when I was about 11 and I couldn't get into it enough to make it through the first couple chapters. However, a year or so later, I tried again and liked the first three books so much that I read them each seven times. Not everyone will be in the right "mood" to read the same book at the same time. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter, as long as they're reading something. You could always try showing them the movie, and if they think the movie was awesome they are more likely to pick up the book.

5. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Another religious and controversial book on my list - get over it. Many people, Christians or otherwise, are afraid of death and/or dying. You won't find mansions and streets of gold in The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Instead, this book explores the idea of what if you could design your own Heaven? I believe what the Bible says about Heaven over this book any day, but the concept does kind of make sense - if you get the choice of spending eternity somewhere (mine would be Disney - oh I hope there is a Disney in Heaven), not everyone would choose the same place. Regardless, it makes for a wonderful story (I read almost the entire book over my mom's shoulder on an airplane ride to Cincinnati). *Have tissues on hand.

6. The Hobbit

Okay. Done with the controversy. That is, if you don't account for the fact that apparently J.K. Rowling's wizardry writing comes from the devil but J.R.R. Tolkein's is of divine inspiration... Anyway, on to the literature! I recommend The Hobbit because it is just as good and adventurous of a story as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in way fewer pages. Even if you haven't been able to make it through the LOTR trilogy (I haven't been able to make it through The Two Towers), at least give The Hobbit a chance. Random tidbit: I don't think I've ever known a book to have so many different covers!

7. Make Lemonade

I've known the phrase "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade" for as long as I can remember, but I don't think I ever expected this story to be quite as...difficult/harsh as it was. This is a coming-of-age story of sorts. The main character is a girl who lives in the slums, but boys can just as easily relate to her challenges of dealing with school and trying to find a way to make money. Similar to A Child Called "It", this book will (more likely than not) make you thankful for everything you have, even if "everything" isn't that much, but with less violence.

8. Amelia Bedelia

I had to add Amelia Bedelia to my list of books to read because it's the only book/series I can think of that span just about every age gap. Children love Amelia Bedelia to laugh at her goofy-ness clearly visibly in the pictures, even if they don't understand the puns, adults understand the puns, and grandparents...well, grandparents should just love reading with their grandchildren!

9. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

This is a great coming-of-age series for girls, each book told from a different "member" of the "sisterhood"'s point of view. These books could be totally unrelated to pants and still be just as amazing. When you get down to it, this is simply a great story about adventure, friendship, and love.

10. Trixie Koontz

If you're looking for heartwarming, inspirational, and/or uplifting words (in dog language, though, of course), read anything by Trixie Koontz. Complete with adorable pictures and a strong dislike towards cats, Trixie's words can delight all ages. Psst, honestly I like Trixie even more than Marley!

Resource (Website) - Kevin and Amanda's Fonts

2010-04-05T19:07:00.001-04:00

I know a lot of bloggers are already familiar with Kevin and Amanda's fonts, but just in case you aren't, I wanted to list them as a resource (I also wanted to be able to delete the link from my favotrites while still having a way to find the website again).

Kevin and Amanda's fonts aren't just for bloggers (in fact, I'm too lazy to try to follow the complex directions to use the fonts on my blog), they are great for scrapbooking, or just to have a new font to use in MS Word.

I don't really understand why the fonts are separated between handwriting fonts and scrapbooking fonts - the scrapbooking fonts had to have come from someone's hand, didn't they? But they're all free, and they're really cute! If you don't find any handwriting fonts that you feel accurately reflect your own handwriting, as of April 5th, Amanda is still accepting YOUR handwriting samples to turn into fonts!

No matter what you decide to do with the fonts, I highly recommend checking out Kevin and Amanda's fonts! If you really enjoy their stuff, they also have links to their main blog, recipes, photos, and scrapbooking.

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-04-05T12:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Easter! I am recovering from the busy weekend spent at work and church. I would like to dedicate this week's Daily Dose to Resurrection Day! My Savior died and rose again. Did yours?

And then there's the cute Hallmark-aspect of Easter:

Book Blogger Hop - April 2nd

2010-04-02T23:54:00.050-04:00

I would like to extend a big thanks to Jennifer at Crazy for Books. I participate in the Friday Follow, but she has created a Book Blogger Hop. Hopefully this will be a great way to network with other book-related bloggers.

Jennifer's "About the Hop:" description -

"This is a weekly event where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!"

A "twist" she has added to the hop is to add to your post any interesting blogs you come across during the hop. I have found several new blogs to follow as a result of the Hop, but there were some *extra* special ones. I present to you -

Royal Reviews - Ironically, I did not find this blog as a result of a link on the blog hop, but rather it was a link I found on one of the McLinky blogs. From what I've seen in a very short time, it looks really neat. The theme is similar to my blog (as you can tell from the title), only many bloggers contribute to Royal Reviews. I really like their header, and I love how each of the contributors have their own avatar and nickname to sign their posts with.

Forever Young - I had to add this blog to my list simply because of the feature Saturday Link Party. I don't know if Jessica created this weekly meme but I know she did an amazing job of "rounding up" links! I actually had to read almost every one of the links she had - they were just that interesting.

Review (Audiobook) - The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

2010-04-02T13:49:00.001-04:00

"It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength to turn catty schoolgirls into loyal friends, and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild.

Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances with headstrong Felicity and timid Ann; with Kartik, an exotic young Indian man whose companionship is forbidden; and with the fearsome creatures of the realms. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order, the mysterious group Gemma's mother was once part of, is grappling for control of the realms, as are the Rakshana. It is there that the girls meet their adored friend Pippa, who is not the same...or is she? The power to change everything - both in and out of the realms - rests in Gemma's hands." (back cover)

A sad thought occured to me at the very beginning of this story as I was getting back into the series: This is a wonderful series, but let's face it, most girls these days don't want to read about corsets and women empowerment, they'd rather be reading about...well, sex and how few clothes they can wear while still being allowed out of the house.

Still, Josephine Bailey does not cease to amaze me. After reading the majority of the series with some sort of European accent, her American accent for Lucy Fairchild made me wonder if she was really English at all (though if you read the back cover it does say she's from London). The beginning of the book did not have quite as lengthy of an "introduction" of sorts (which is surprising considering this is the longest book) that gave a recap of the happenings in the previous two books, but it was still a worthy effort and better than nothing.

This was the first and only book in the series that made me cry, which is surprising because I freely admit I'm a wuss. Two quotes really stuck out as relevant to the point I was at in my life: "There is never any turning back; you must go forward." and "Before we can see properly we must first shed our tears to clear the way."

I only have one real criticism about this book. When the Gorgon informs Gemma and her party that the forest is burning, all of a sudden in pretty much the next sentence, the girls are just there. It was such a choppy transition that it was one of the very few times I actually rewound the CD to make sure I hadn't just zoned out and missed something. I know they're in the realms, but I don't recall ever hearing they could randomly teleport places. With the length of the book, I think Bray could have spared a couple seconds to explain how the group got to the forest.

Obviously I'm not going to tell you how the book ended, but I will say that I liked The Sweet Far Thing's ending much better than Rebel Angels'. There is actually closure with this ending and it doesn't seem such a sudden "oh the problem is solved, we can end the book now"-type ending. Several chapters were dedicated to the ending rather than several sentences.

Amazon recommends this book for Young Adults. As with the rest of the series, however, I would recommend you listen to/read it first before recommending it to younger teens due to sensuality and sexuality.

My Rating:

Anyone else who has read this book, please feel free to leave comments either with your opinions or links to your blog review. I also think this could be a great series for which to write a "fanfic" fourth book.

$30 Barnes & Noble Online Gift Certificate Giveaway Result!

2010-04-01T20:57:00.001-04:00

I would first like to thank you all for entering my first contest! I never thought it would draw as many people as it did, which actually made it more difficult to deal with my 50-follower giveaway. Now I know to make sure to always hold giveaways on time, instead of late. haha

So, there were a total of 149 entrants and with the extra entries there were a total of 282 entries! Random.org randomly selected the winner today and the winner drawn was throuthehaze! She has been contacted to verify the e-mail address (since the gift certificate has to be sent to an e-mail address) and will have until Saturday (April 3rd) to contact me back to confirm the e-mail. In case she doesn't check her e-mail or anything else like that goes wrong, I have also used Random.org to select two alternate winners. I will keep them written down rather than posting them so I don't falsely get anyone's hopes up.

Again, congratulations to throuthehaze! To everyone else, there are still 8 spots I need filled before I can draw a winner for my 50-follower giveaway, so why don't you head over there to enter?!

*To those of you waiting on an actual review, I super apologize! I have two of them almost finished and ready to post! At least one of the two should be up tomorrow!

Giveaway Reminder

2010-03-31T12:53:00.002-04:00

Today is the LAST day to enter to win a $30 Barnes & Noble Online Gift Certificate here on my blog! NO comments posted after midnight will be accepted as an entry. I will draw the winner (and 2 substitutes just in case) using random.org tomorrow when I wake up and announce the results on the blog.

On the bright side, there is still time to enter my 50-follower giveaway. I still need 9 more entries, then that contest will be closed as well.

Also on the bright side, I have an Oceanography exam to take this evening, so after that, the rest of this week should be clear for blogging!

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-03-29T19:52:00.000-04:00

I hope you all don't find this boring, but I would simply like to use this week's Daily Dose to share my recent "revelation" if you will. The quote in the first picture, I think, goes quite well with my favorite quote from the next book I'll be reviewing, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Don't forget there are only two days left to enter my giveaway for a $30 Barnes & Noble Online Gift Certificate. I also still need 10 more entries in my 50-follower giveaway before I can draw a winner.

Now, bring on the rain!

Interview with Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century

2010-03-27T19:29:00.020-04:00

I think signals have been mixed between Kristen of Bookworming in the 21st Century and myself. My interview was up too early, then it was rescheduled, then I went to go look to see if it had been posted yet and it turns out it was posted like two weeks ago? Either way there is still time to check out my "interview" on her awesome blog!

Remember, I'm also interested in starting a weekly spotlight. If you'd like a chance to be featured, feel free to e-mail me, comment - whatever works for you. I'll keep a list of those interested and start up when I've gotten enough sign-ups.

Daily Dose - Weekly Inspiration

2010-03-22T12:23:00.002-04:00

So I have seriously considered buying "Ooh Child" as a ringtone for my cell phone (see my newfound obsession with that song in last week's Daily Dose), but they don't have the version by The Five Stairsteps for my phone. If you have any suggestions of similar songs, comment and I'll see if I can find those. I've had my ups and downs this past week - actually it's probably more like downs and that even line you see on monitors when hearts stop - thankfully most of the time I've spent "even". I would like to thank my wonderful friends for this, who have kept me busy almost every night so I don't have time to sit around by myself brooding. I've also applied to go on a mission trip to Colombia this July. Please cross your fingers, wish me luck, pray...whatever it is you think will help me get accepted to go on this trip. I promise I will try to get back into regular blogging by next week! I just have to check on some school things first...

This contains a portion of Psalm 30:5 "sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning". I believe it also says "only if you believe with all your heart that morning will follow your mourning".