Book Ge3k

John Green Week January 3rd - 10th!

2012-01-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: The following is unedited and was formed by putting thoughts into words with no direction.

Dear John Green & other Nerdfighters but especially John Green,

You are amazing. Yes, that is how I am going to start this letter that you may never read. You are truly inspirational and although I will admit that I haven't been watching you from the very beginning of Vlogbrothers, I have for the past two and a half years been using you. For that I apologize.

"How have you used me?" you ask.

I constantly and uncontrollably stalk you on the internet. Now, don't freak out. Essentially how this works is I will have a bad day or I will feel down about my life and I watch your videos, read your tweets, statuses, rants and words of awesomeness and suddenly I feel motivated and inspired to get back out there and try again.

So many times in life I am stressed, pressured, overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated and many times throughout the monotonous daily structure of my day I sometimes contemplate why it is I do any of the things I do. Is it to pay the rent? Is it to put food on the table? Is it so that I can have luxuries such as internet, cell phones, and books to read? Well, yes, but what does any of that do if life is a grey matter and the only enjoyment is the sparks of pleasure here and there that materialistic objects bring into my life?

You have changed that for me through your works of literature, through your encouraging and humorous videos and for the community in which you have ignited. You lead by example and I believe that is one of the many reasons why so many people follow you. As an adult I can say that you are my role model and not feel embarrassed about it.

You have helped me put reason to the actions that take place in my life, not only because I have to do them, but because in doing them I can turn mundane tasks into tasks that help change other people's lives and spread positive thoughts onto others who in turn do or say something to someone else who because of being influenced by the positive rather than the negative decide something as big as not to commit suicide to something on a smaller scale such as not to give somebody the finger if they get cut off in line.

So thank you, John Green, for letting me use you and your influence in order to better my life and people's lives around me.

P.S. Try yelling "Don't forget to be awesome" to someone who pulls out in front of you, skips you in line, says something mean to you, etc .See their reaction. You will either get a weird look or the person will smile and say thank you or laugh, or maybe ask you what that means. Either way, you have had the opportunity to make someone else's day a bit brighter, just as you have made mine.

Nerdfighter signing out,

Chloe Doe by Suzanne Phillips

2011-12-30T22:56:00.000-08:00

Chloe Doe by Suzanne Phillips

Release Date: 2007

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

GoodReads: 3.36 out of 5

Pages: 192

Buy It:

WARNING! Adult Content!

Chloe Doe chronicles a 17-year-old girl's tumultuous path to becoming a prostitute and her ultimate transformation back into mainstream society. During her therapy at Madeline Parker Institute for Girls, Chloe slowly reveals aspects of her painful past--the stepfather who abused her sister, the mother who let it all happen, the need to love and be loved--and faces the future she finally decides to build for herself. Told in heart-wrenching language that's sometimes caustic, often ironic, and always authentic, Chloe Doe is certain to find a place among classics about teens that triumph over their loneliness and desperation to find hope.

The huge warning above is because I have encountered and read a lot of reviews from younger crowds who were terrified after reading this book, some even going to say that they filthy after having read it and are disturbed by it. It's true, the book is about an issue that we can only hope doesn't happen, but the fact is that it does happen; everyday.

Chloe's journey is one that sends a message of finding strength when in the deepest and darkest moments of life. She has a childhood that is filled with abuse and a mother who does nothing to stop it. She becomes a prostitute in order to survive, a job that she shamelessly says she is good at. There are many parts in the story that are gut wrenching and I had to put it down for a moment to fight back tears. It was the holiday season while I was reading it, I didn't exactly feel like crying!

The message is very important in this book and while for some people it is very hard to swallow, it is a short read that demonstrates perseverance.

Thor

2011-12-30T00:08:00.000-08:00

No, not that rainbow road! I mean the one that leads to Asgard.

Yes, something like that. I mean Thor the movie,the one staring that hunk, Chris Hemsworth.)

Yes, that one. I had wanted to see the movie when it came out, but as things go in life, it wasn't until it became a $1 commodity at Redbox that I got to get my hands on it. I like comic books, but I will admit that I am not very well versed and do not know everything there is to know. This movie opened up my eyes again to comics and reminded me how amazing the stories are. It's not like I didn't know, but I spend a lot of my time on social networking sites rather than doing things that actually help me become a better writer (and geek.) So, it is one of my 2012 ambitions to stop spending so much time goofing off on Facebook and Twitter and reading more great stories! If you haven't seen the movie, you should definitely do so. Even if you are not into comic books, the movie is brilliant, action packed, and has that hot guy in it! ;)

Anyone else out there who likes the movie and/or comic book?

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

2011-12-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

Release Date: January 10, 2012

Publisher: Razorbill

GoodReads: 4.33 out of 5

Pages: 400

Buy It: Amazon

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

I loved Across the Universe by Beth Revis and love Beth Revis just as much. In case you have not read Across the Universe, you have about two weeks to do so and I highly recommend that you do! A lot of people that I know were a bit hesitant to pick up a book that seemingly zaps us into a sci-fi world, but Beth Revis herself admits that the sci-fi element isn't too overpowering and I agree! If you are a bit nervous for that reason, then don't be. Beth Revis' world revolves around mystery and relationships, action and emotion! A Million Suns certainly delivers and I was not disappointed.

In the first book, Godspeed felt claustrophobic and foreign. In the sequel, Godspeed felt familiar and unexplored. We get to see through Elder's eyes when dealing with obstacles and chaos and through Amy's eyes when dealing with confusion and raw emotion. Elder and Amy's relationship does not disappoint me one bit! In fact, I find that Amy's thoughts of the relationship are sound and perfect. Besides, they are trapped on a ship together, should she not think the way she does? (You MUST read to find out!)

This book was sociologically and psychologically interesting and I think that the different people that we meet on board the ship really help to understand the magnitude of this "project." There were many parts where I felt sad for the humanity of the ship and the situation that they now found themselves in. However, Elder did the best he could and more importantly he always did what he thought was right.

So, without giving away any huge spoilers, this book was very gripping and kept my attention, more so than the first installment. I continued to flip the pages feverishly, wanting to know what Elder and Amy would experience next, or what they would reveal through their own thoughts. I particularly like scenes when we are in their heads and I always felt like I was in their minds with them. Which goes to show great writing on Beth's part! The end of the book was VERY gasp worthy and surprising for me. I can't wait to read the final installment of this trilogy! Bravo Beth Revis and I love you! <3

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

2011-12-24T22:37:00.001-08:00

Random Magic Tour

2011-12-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

Songs of the Season

Event production by

Random Magic Tour

Sasha Soren (Random Magic)

Dec. 10-25, 2011

Welcome to the Songs of the Season music hop! You're invited to join us every day from December 10-25, to enjoy a virtual round of caroling.

Every day, you can visit a different blog to find another wonderful music selection, handpicked by a variety of great hosts.

Event Schedule Here!

Title: At Christmas, Merry Christmas Baby, Christmas Means to Me My Love,

Artist: Hanson

Available at: Amazon

Okay, so this is super cheesy, but I used to be a HUGE Hanson fan circa 1997 until I was old enough to know better. I was OBSESSED! Well, this album in particular has stuck with me throughout the years as I have grown into adulthood. My mom and I have always secretly shared the love for listening to this album during the holiday season. There is just something so bittersweet about about it and it holds a lot of memories for us! There are fast, upbeat songs and slow, chilled out songs. Perfect for all the emotions that the holiday season brings us! I have warmed this album up to people who even hated Hanson prior to hearing the album! Turn it on and nobody really seems to know that it's Hanson until you point it out. It still gets me in the Christmas spirit 14 years later! Can you believe it has been that long ago?

Title: The Chipmunk Song

Artist: Tegan and Sara

Available at: Amazon

Tegan and Sara are one of my favorite bands so to hear a song that reminds me of the holidays plus Tegan and Sara singing = AMAZING! They have such great harmony and the music is slow and relaxing. For me the holiday season is about reflecting upon the past year and setting goals for the next one and this particular song just puts me into a relaxed state of, "It's okay. It's time to rest a bit and then we can worry about next year when it gets here."

By the way, I am super obsessed with warm smells during this time of the year. Like cinnamon and nutmeg, chocolate and apple pie! It really puts me in an amazing mood when I can listen to music and have a nice candle or incense burning in the room. What do you like to do to get in the holiday spirit?

If you have a favorite song, feel free to share in the comments. Thanks for stopping by, and hope you have a chance to enjoy some Christmas goodies on the way to your next stop on the hop!

Event production by Random Magic Tour

Find Random Magic: Print | Kindle

Explore Random Magic: YouTube | Tumblr | Twitter

Hunger Games!! And Lenny Kravitz?

2011-12-09T00:29:00.000-08:00

Look at them altogether! I am so absolutely excited for The Hunger Games movie and I am going to be re-reading all of the books and re-reviewing them before the movie comes out just because I want to dust off my memory. It seems like so long ago since I first read the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy and I remember being so stunned by the book. I still need to read Battle Royale to compare the two books, now knowing that the book isn't as original as I initially thought it was, but it still does not take away the amazement that I felt when I began the trilogy. I like all of the actors that were cast for the movie, though at first when I saw Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, I had to tilt my head to the side and say, "What?", but I think the more I see pictures of him on set the more I get comfortable with him.

I saw Breaking Dawn on opening night and I think the best part of the whole entire movie was the trailer for The Hunger Games. My friend that was with me had never heard of The Hunger Games and her reaction was, "Wow. That looks really good. Intense." My response was, "You have NO idea." I think the movie is going to go really well for the people who have never read the book before, but just like any other book turned big screen, I don't expect everyone who read the trilogy first to think it is 100% true to the book, but for the most part I think we are going to be pleasantly surprised!

Coming Soon: A Million Suns

2011-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Just a preview.. review coming soon! ;) EXCITED!!!

Decoden: Japanese style DIY!

2011-12-03T01:02:00.000-08:00

So some of you know this side of me, but some may not! I absolutely love Japanese style fashion and all things kawaii (cute)!! I am a huge lover of San-X, Sanrio, and other brands that create kawaii characters/products. Most people only know Sanrio for certain characters such as Hello Kitty, but there are many more characters where she came from! Perhaps I'll make a more in depth post about that later, but I wanted to show you the cell phone case that I will be making soon! I plan to document it in photos and possible make a video! It will be my first time doing decoden on a cell phone case! Here is the kit that I am using.

Delicious!

2011-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love the smell in the wind and the flavors that come with the different foods and drinks available to us in the fall. Look at those apples filled with apple cider! It looks so good, mouthwatering! I am going to try this out!! The fall air reminds me of a particular tree I used to sit in when I was a kid. I was only able to sit in it in the fall because the branches were too heavy and big with leaves otherwise and in the winter it was too cold! I used to sit in that tree for hours and read. Then I would go in the house for a treat to get warmed up!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups apple cider (You can buy it at any grocery store—just make sure you get “cider” and not “juice.”)
1 ½ tablespoons caramel sauce or dip
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
whipped cream
caramel flavored syrup

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan.
Heat over medium-high heat and stir (don’t let all the caramel stick to the bottom of the pan).
Once the cider is hot and all the caramel has melted, pour into a mug.
Top off your drink with whipped cream and lightly drizzle caramel syrup to your liking… and enjoy!

***What is one of your favorite fall time treats?***

Follow Friday! (so late)

2011-09-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? Why and to what?

Everyone has mostly picked Twilight, so I try really hard to pick something DIFFERENT, but the fact of the matter is that book just needs some HELP!

I never actually read Breaking Dawn. I think I got to the first 100 pages or so before I sat it down and gave up on it. Then it sat in the back of my car and the sun turned the pages yellow and the cover deteriorated and I threw it out. SO! With that said, I don't know exactly how it ended, but I do know that the whole entire series needs to be revamped. It is pretty clear that most of the readers who like the book take it for what it is, a cheesy romance novel, but the other side of the spectrum knows that the characters, plot, and development of the entire series was done pretty poorly. Maybe there are some people who think that the books are great based on those factors, but I disagree.

Anyway, I would make the main characters more honorably and less ditzy and I certainly would have made the plot point be more about the whole vampire vs. werewolf aspect instead of the love interest vs. love interest. That's my piece. There are more intelligent and more well thought out plans for the series and I will take any of them over what we got.

Bargain Books!

2011-08-28T02:20:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't know if this has been done by anyone else before, so if you know someone that has let me know so that I can give them credit. With the tough economy and our growing love for books, sometimes we need to shift through the bargain racks to see what we can find on sale. Every week I will list a few books that I have found that are good deals & good reads!

Soulless by Christopher Golden

Times Square, New York City: The first ever mass séance is broadcasting live on the Sunrise morning show. If it works, the spirits of the departed on the other side will have a brief window -- just a few minutes -- to send a final message to their grieving loved ones... full description here. This is an intriguing Young Adult horror, the book has been described as "truly horrifying" and "devours you in one sitting" and you can get it for only $3.98 on Amazon!

The Luxe by Anna Godberson The story opens in 1899 with the funeral of Elizabeth Holland, a well-bred beauty said to have plunged to her death in the Hudson River. The narrative then travels back several weeks, tracing the relationships and events that have led to the somber assembly. This tangled web includes not one but two sets of star-crossed lovers; an upstairs/downstairs romance; a scheming social climber; a bitter servant girl; and oodles of money, all set in a Edith Wharton via Hollywood vision of Old New York. Find it at Amazon for only $3.48.

Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot Katie Ellison is a big-time liar: she is running for the title of Quahog Princess, but she can't stand the clams her town is famous for, and she juggles two boyfriends. But the lie that weighs on her soul the most is the big secret that she is keeping about her former best friend, Tommy. To complicate matters, Tommy suddenly returns to town after a four-year absence that began after he spilled the beans about local football players who cheated on their SATs. Katie sorts through her attraction to multiple guys, including Tommy, who became all grown up and gorgeous while he was away. Lightweight and predictable, this is still an enjoyable read that's sure to be popular with Cabot's many fans. A Bargain on Amazon for only $2.24!!!

Follow Friday

2011-08-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would

it be and what role would you play in that book?

I would probably write myself into a book like The Iron Fey series. I would want to play one of the mythical creatures that make up the Summer Court because I find them whimsical and fun! I would be one of the fae that seduce people and make them lose control of their senses. I think that would be interesting!

If you are new to my blog, leave a comment and I'll follow you! :)

Top Ten Tuesday!

2011-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday which is a weekly feature/meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week she has given us the liberty to choose any Top Ten list that we want to create. I have chosen to do:

TOP TEN BOOKS IN MY TO BE READ PILE THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN RELEASED!

1. A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2) by Beth Revis - I am lucky to have been able to get my hands on an ARC copy of this book. I will be receiving it sometime in October. Comes out in January 2012!

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - This book is currently available for pre-order. John Green is signing every single copy that is pre-ordered out for release in January 2012! Sooo excited! NERDFIGHTER FOR LIFE!

3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - Debut novel for 2011, comes out in November, I follow the author on Twitter and read her blog. She is brilliant and makes me happy.

4. Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson - 2012 debut, the cover is so beautiful and haunting. It is a dystopian. I am in love with dystopians recently!

5. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows - This is the first in a series of books about reincarnation. Definitely interesting! It comes out January 2012. Gosh, I am tired of waiting for these awesome books!

6. Fever by Lauren DeStefano - If you haven't read Wither, the first book in this series, YOU NEED TO! Fever doesn't come out until January 2012, like everything else.

7. The Archived by Victoria Schwab - Not sure when it's coming out, but I love Victoria Schwab. Her writing is so poetic, enchanting, beautiful. It is a must read just because she wrote it, and the plot seems VERY interesting.

8. Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey - The cover is so beautiful. Again, doesn't come out until January! It involves fairies, dragons, and humans all at war with one another.

9. Glimmer by Phoenbe Kitanidis - Two people lose their memory and fall in love?! Mystery and romance.

10. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Oh my gosh, look at this cover. It is gorgeous. It's about a cyborg named Cinder. CYBORG? Yes!

Alright, so there are tons and tons more, but this list can't go on forever! I hope I introduced you to some new books that have yet to come out. All of these come out in January 2012 and they all look amazing. What is your Top Ten Tuesday? :)

On Writing a Novel

2011-08-15T03:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes writing a novel is like getting lost in Wonderland. You are not sure which turn to take, what characters to trust, or what scene will result in the outcome that you envision. Sometimes you don't even know the outcome. Maybe you know the outcome, but you're not sure how you are going to get there. Perhaps the world you have created in your mind does not come out right, the words do not seem powerful enough, or you can't string them together in the right way to make it flow like the images flow in your mind. You procrastinate out of fear more than anything, despite blaming it on the internet, books, family members, or work, because nothing is more scary than facing yourself; your toughest critic.

Sometimes you find yourself falling into a road block, a point where you look at your 150 pages of hard work and wonder if its even worth it to continue, so you drag your feet along the path that you've created and hope that when it comes to an end, there will be something soft to catch you.

You wonder if anyone understands what you are going through, the madness, the stress, the guilt, the feeling of possibly not being good enough, the thought that your idea is possibly the worst idea to ever be put into words.

You cry a lot.

But then something amazing happens. You meet people who know what its like, who understand, who have their own crazy world inside their head that they are trying so desperately to get into words.

You talk about your ideas together, your stories, your dreams, your hopes, your wishes. You keep writing; you are inspired. That road block doesn't seem so hard to get past anymore. Wonderland is wonderful again.

The writing community through blogs, Twitter, and YouTube have been so helpful, supportive, and kind. Thanks to all of you! I consider you all my friends.

( @kadabrafreak890 @GiveInToMeMJJ @thatwritergirl7 @GrouplyHuggg @TheCStevens @word_sprints and any other CampNaNoWriMos that have been there along the way.. I LOVE YOU! )

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-08-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Release Date: January 11th, 2011

Publisher: Razorbill

GoodReads: 3.88 out of 5

Pages: 398

Buy It: Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

See that face up there? That is the face I made while reading this book. I originally read it with Chapters Book Club (click to see!) which is a collab channel I am part of where we read books with the subscribers. Across the Universe had tons and tons of votes! There were so many people who were excited to read the book and for good reason!

It was amazing! I love that it is a Young Adult book but it delves into sci-fi and murder/mystery. Beth Revis did a phenomenal job of showing us what the space ship was like, so much so that I was extremely claustrophobic while reading it! I fell immediately in love with the book at the first chapter. It is so heartfelt and sad! I seriously cried! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the world in which Amy found herself in and was intrigued by the history of the ship.

The story kept me guessing. I was never really sure where Beth was going to take me next. It was truly mysterious and on-the-edge of your seat type action! If you are not a sci-fi lover, don't worry! Give it a try, because the science is not overwhelming. It is more character and story based than compound measurements and chemical reactions. This is a must read!

I can not wait to read A Million Suns, the next book in the series. Love ya Beth Revis!

Ash2Nash Tour! Beth Revis, Julie Kagawa, Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab & More!

2011-08-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there lovelies! I had the great pleasure of attending the Ash2Nash Tour which featured some of my favorite authors!

Julie Kagawa - The Iron Fey Series
Beth Revis - Across the Universe & A Million Suns
Myra McEntire - Hourglass
Victoria Schwab - The Near Witch
Ruta Sepetys - Between Shades of Grey
Rachel Hawkins - Hex Hall, Demonglass, Spellbound

Unfortunately my seat wasn't very good for picture taking, but this is a picture of Julie Kagawa. I think person that she was talking to was the guy taking pictures while the authors were answering questions!

On the left, Julie Kagawa (The Iron Fey Series) and on the right Myra McEntire (Hourglass).

Julie was very sweet and I learned a lot of things about her and her writing career that I was not aware of. She is a big fantasy fan like myself! I loved her dragon shirt! Yay dragons! A woman after my own heart! Myra McEntire was witty and I was surprised to learn that she is from Tennessee! As is Victoria Schwab! One of the questions Myra was asked was what inspired her to base her book setting in the south. Her answer was something like, "I wanted to show that in the south we have TEETH and SHOES." I loved that she was from the area and proved through her writing that the south is not what some people portray it to be. (Not exactly like that but you can see 30 minutes of video footage here that I recorded) She was so funny! And I loved her accent!

Victoria was genuinely kind and her story to publication was truly inspirational.

This is a picture of Ruta Sepetys who wrote Between the Shades of Gray, which I have heard such good things about but have not got around to buying it (lack of money atm so I unfortunately was not able to purchase any books.) Her story is incredible and to imagine how much we take for granted in the U.S.

Julie signing my copy of The Iron Queen. She signed all three of her books for me! :D Beth Revis also signed my copy of Across the Universe but I was unable to get a picture of her signing it, but here is a picture of what she wrote!

Beth was absolutely hilarious! I loved her story about how she would run into the closet trying to get into Narnia. So hilarious! And her story to publication was also very inspirational. She had written many books before Across the Universe and was unable to get published, but she kept trying! She didn't give up! Across the Universe was her 11th attempt, but she had the strength to keep going and I am so very glad that she did!

Rachel Hawkins was also quite hilarious! "Bodice ripping" forever! ;) She was very down to earth and well, just watch the video I took! She was so funny. :D

I am sad that I was unable to get copies of Hourglass, The Near Witch, Hex Hall, Demonglass, and Between the Shades of Grey signed but I was just too broke to buy all of those books, but someday I hope to meet these wonderful, talented women again! Today at 5PM in my hometown, Victoria Schwab will be having her launch party for The Near Witch so I am going to try and purchase it then and also get her to sign it. :D :D

Here are the videos I took of the authors @ the event! Check them out!

Since I was unable to get many good pictures, I took some from here to repost to you guys!

Lorcan by Chloe Wendell

2011-08-06T00:56:00.000-07:00

Lorcán by Chloe Wendell

Release Date: March 22, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

GoodReads: 4.67 out of 5

Pages: 66

Buy It: Lorcan

There was a lot of action packed into this novella! I went into the story thinking that I had a bit of a grip on what it would be about based upon the description/back cover, but it completely surprised me which is a wonderful thing! The story and characters are both unique and I found that to be very refreshing. I get tired of reading about plots and characters that were picked out of a cookie cutter list of available outcomes.

Scout was kickass! I absolutely loved how despite her background she is very strong and even when forced to be dependent, she is very independent. She is a strong female character that I can't wait to see more of.

Lorcán, now he is quite unpredictable! I don't want to give away spoilers, but he goes from being a bit closed off and reserved to being very interesting!

I enjoyed watching how these two characters end up in each other's lives and I can't wait for the full novel to see what happens. As far as the writing, I enjoyed the author's style and loved how the Irish theme played through out the story. The four-leaf clovers printed on the pages throughout the book ended up being something more meaningful - great symbolism there!

Music Findings!

2011-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

2010 debut album from the new sweetheart of British Pop. With her unique blend of Folk influences and Electronica she is already a firm favorite amongst tastemakers and bloggers alike. Lights features 10 tracks, including the singles "Under The Sheets" and "Starry Eyed".

So I am completely late when it comes to Ellie Goulding, but I discovered her randomly on YouTube one day while trying to take a stab at my word count on my latest novel. I find her music refreshing, positive, and enchanting. I love the electronic music with her unique voice blending together to create tracks that make me listen to them on repeat. She has sort of a folk music sound to her voice, very soulful. Check her out!

CampNaNoWriMo & Ash to Nash Tour!

2011-08-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

So! I am currently participating in CampNaNoWriMo. Want to follow the craziness!? Follow me on Twitter @ bookge3k and I will follow back! I love chatting with fellow bloggers/writers/vloggers on there! I used to hate Twitter, but I have met some really awesome people.

Things I have learned during CampNaNoWriMo:

1. I waste a lot of time doing unncessary things such as checking social networking sites, watching YouTube videos (sometimes even the same ones over again), and stalking the forums on the NaNoWriMo page.

2. I really can write a lot and come up with good scenes when I am told by someone else a set amount of time and a specific time in which to write. This goes to show I work well under pressure.

3. I really hate having a day job and all I want to do is write.

4. There are so many amazing people in the NaNoWriMo community, I hope to stay in contact with them after this is all over!

BY THE WAY...

I am so excited because Ash to Nash is going to be in Nashville, TN! I just found out! On Monday the 8th, Beth Revis, Julie Kagawa, and others are going to be @ Barnes and Nobel in my area. I will take footage/pics and get 10,000 things signed. :D

Prince Harry Becoming a Comic Book Hero!

2011-07-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wait, what? Okay so Prince Harry will become a comic book character, courtesy of Bluewater Productions. "The Royals: Prince Harry" is scheduled to launch in August and it will contain Harry's upbringing with his mother Princess Diana and his father Prince Charles. It will be published in two formats: a 32-page comic book and a special graphic novel.

I admit I was a bit thrown off by this news, as comic books hold a special place for me and I don't like new things infiltrating my childhood. On the other hand, I can't say anything negative towards this decision because I'm sure the Royal family life will be interesting to see in comic book form, if not it will at the very least generate a lot of sales. Interesting.

Game of Thrones Series/HBO News

2011-07-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Thursday HBO executives announced that they were thrilled with the success of Game of Thrones on HBO, however they have no guarantees that the TV series will cover all the books in the series.

I don't know where the show will end, as opposed to the books... it would be fantastic to be able to say this show will go on for 10 years, and do every aspect of the books. I don't know that will be the case.. we'll see, but we are doing this without any predetermined idea of the number of seasons.

I personally haven't seen the TV show but I am enjoying the books. I prefer to read the books first and then watch the show, but I hope that it does continue on. If the TV show is just as good as everyone has been saying (granted their are 13 nominations for the 2011 Emmy Awards, so that is saying something) then I would want to watch the show after I am done reading the entire series.

The most exciting thing about the whole ordeal is that a fantasy writer was able to land a deal with HBO to have his exponentially long and eloquent series turned into a show to begin with. It is a rare occurrence that something as epic and in the fantasy genre becomes so popular! (13.5 million views, anyone!?)

Game of Thrones review coming soon. :)

Random Questions!

2011-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Q: What is your daily life really like? My daily life consists of college, working full time on a late schedule which in turn makes me stay up all night and sleep all day. I cram as much fun time in between these two things as possible, including reading, spending time with friends and family, and writing! I am currently working on a book about dragons!

Q: How much time do you spend reading? Probably about 30 to 45 minutes on an average day, but when I have more free time I will read for about 3 or 4 hours a day, usually on the weekend I can finish a book or two.

Q: When will you be famous? HA! Well, I'm not worried about being famous. If I never become famous, that's okay. It's my family and friends who matter most.

Q: Why do you enjoy reading? Definitely because of how it whisks me away into a different world, a different scenario, a different country, a different culture; whatever the case may be. It is a form of escapism, but it also teaches me and inspires me.

Q: Where would you most like to travel? This is hard because there are so many places I want to go, but I guess the number one place on my list would have to be Ireland. I am in love with Irish folklore.

{ These questions came from Good Golly Miss Holly. She does a meme called 5x5 Q's which I want to start participating in! So I grabbed the questions. If you want, you can respond to these questions and next week we will do 5 different ones! It's a little different than what she does, she has a specific person answer, but I'd rather us just all answer! :) }

I am not Esther by Fleur Beale

2011-07-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

I am not Esther by Fleur Beale
Release Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Hyperion
Goodreads: 3.71 out of 5
Pages: 258
Buy It: Amazon

Imagine that your mother tells you that she is going away. She is leaving you with relatives whom you have never heard of-and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed to a biblical one, Esther, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. You don't know where you mother is, and you are beginning to lose your own identity.

This was such an emotionally charged read. Kirby is a girl that I feel strongly connected to for many reasons, but let's begin at the beginning. She lives with her mother, Ellen, who is a nurse but despite her position at a hospital she is very irresponsible and Kirby has to take care of the "adult" things around the house such as paying bills, grocery shopping, and cleaning. It has just always been that and Ellen's love seems to make up for it in Kirby's opinion. However, Ellen is very child-like, right down to the fact that Kirby has to make sure that all the money doesn't get blown because Ellen loves to shop. She is sort of a ditz when it comes to being a mother.

Suddenly Kirby is sent away to stay with relatives that Ellen never talked about, in fact she refused to tell her daughter about her childhood so Kirby had no clue that anyone else existed in the family. We soon found out that it is for a good reason! But I won't give away the plot, it is mostly the setting that I wish to discuss.

Kirby's "relatives" end up being the equivalent of cultists, taking theism to an extreme level. The lifestyle that the Pilgrim family live is so beyond frightening to me. They go as far as taking away Kirby's name and giving her a Biblical one, just like everyone else that is in the "Fellowship". They follow the Bible to a literal extent, declaring that men are the only ones that get to make decisions, women do what the men say and everything that they do must be "seemly" meaning that they must wear their skirts down past their ankles, blouses that go all the way up the neck and sleeves that go down past the wrists, their hair must be pleated into a tight braid and then a scarf must be worn over it, so as to not tempt men. The women's duties are to get married, pregnant, and then tend to the children and house; nothing more. Marriage is pre-arranged and picked by a group of Elders at the "Fellowship" church. You can ask for one year to postpone marriage, but that is it, one year. By the way, you are ready to be married at age 16. Glorious. Just like the Lord wants it, right?

There is no television, telephones, newspapers, books, music, nothing. Only the Bible. And say something ungodly or against what the man of the household declares as proper and you will spend the day locked up in a room being forced to study from the Bible with only bread for a meal three times a day. This is used a form of punishment and if that wasn't enough, if you decided that you weren't going to do what you were told, the rest of the family would have to get on their knees and pray for you until you decided that you were going to do as you told. One of the children of the house told Kirby that they once stayed like that for two days. TWO DAYS?! Absolutely insane. The whole entire community of supposed "Christ's children of the faith" are totally, entirely, without a doubt insane and this book creeped me out. To think that people really do live this way!

Upon finishing this book, I began doing research on cults and theism extremists in the United States and I can't say that I am pleased with the results. There are more people out there that live like this than I realized. It is sickening to think that these type of religious crazies actually reside in the same state that I do, no more than an hour from where I live. Of course they will never read this blog because they think that electricity is the devil, but to them I say shame on you for the abuse that you put your children through. It is one thing to practice religion, it is another thing to use it as an excuse to bully your children and get away with it.

I'm going to stop ranting. It was a great book. It is a must read! You will sigh in relief at the end and at the same time, shutter in disgust.

2011-07-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

My YouTube review: Coming soon!

Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey

Release Date: January 1st, 2011

Publisher: Harper Teen

Goodreads: 3.74 out of 5

Pages: 240

Buy it: Amazon

Rhymes with Cupid and is about a girl named Elyse who, after a terrible heartbreak last Valentine’s day, has sworn off dating as well as celebrating the February 14th holiday. Both things are a bit of a problem, though, since a) she works at a gift & stationery store, surrounded by tacky, sparkly cards and annoying singing Cupid dolls and b) she ends up meeting this guy named Patrick who works in the same mall and is her new neighbor and her driving instructor and is really cute and incredibly charming… which, you know, might be okay except for the whole ‘sworn off dating’ thing and the fact that he seems to be into her best friend.

It's a little bit too late or too early depending on how you look at things to read a Valentine's Day story, but that is okay! This was a cute story that I enjoyed even though there is no snow on the ground. Actually, it's a million degrees so this book helped me keep cool! The author created a scenario that could easily happen to teens/young adults so it was relateable and none of the characters were annoying! Dina was a sweetheart, everyone should have her as a best friend. And Patrick is SO cute and the perfect boyfriend. Check this story out if you are looking for a quirky romance!

Huge In My Mailbox!

2011-04-19T02:25:00.001-07:00

This is the short version of my In My Mailbox - to hear about the books just watch the long version on my YouTube Channel.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

2011-04-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

My YouTube review: Review

Release Date: February 1st, 2010

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Goodreads: 4.10 out of 5

Pages: 363

Buy it: Amazon

I waited way too long to read this book. I bought the series when The Iron Queen came out and it has been sitting on my bookcase. I finally broke into it and couldn't put it down. It was a wonderful read that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen and it was also written very well. The descriptions emerge you into the world of Nevernever and the plot keeps you turning pages well into the wee hours of the night.

I loved that Kagawa took A Midsummer's Night Dream and created it into her own unique story. The characters are familiar because of Shakespeare, but Kagawa put her own twist on them. I see this as being a movie! A beautiful movie!

The characters are loveable and hateable depending on who you meet. I don't care for either Queens, be it Seelie or Unseelie, but they are evil and mean so its okay to hate them. The love triangle is so subtle that it is manageable and doesn't make you want to poke your own eye out so you can't read it anymore.

I just LOVE this book and can't wait to pick up the little novella that Julie did to read between this book and the next. This one is a must read for people who love faeries, adventure, and a well developed and put together storyline that has NO PLOT HOLES. Thank you Julie for being an amazing writer.

Butterface by Gwen Hayes

2011-04-02T08:11:00.001-07:00

Butterface by Gwen Hayes

My YouTube Review: Vlog Review

Release Date: April 21, 2010

Publisher: Self-published

Goodreads: 4.14 out of 5

Pages: 17 or 8,000 words

Buy it: Amazon

When love isn't lucky...or pretty.

The scars on Beth's face aren't nearly as deep as the ones she nurses on the inside. She was born with hemifacial microsamia and was supposed to feel "lucky" that she wasn't as disfigured as some people.
One boy, Lucky O'Leary starts to find the cracks in her hard shell and finds himself falling for her. Only Lucky has a secret--he needs to bring Beth to a "dog dinner" or lose his spot on the team. She can't find out that the guy who brings the ugliest date wins a prize.

Butterface is a must read. It is absolutely adorable, sweet, sad, and relays a positive message to readers. Beth is self concious about her facial deformities, but Lucky sees past what everyone else sees and finds her heart. Gwen Hayes delivered a beautifully written short story that leaves me wanting to read more. This one is a must read! It's very short so there is no excuse not to read it.

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

2011-04-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hopkins
My YouTube Review: Vlog Review
Release Date: March 17th, 2010
Publisher: Lulu
Goodreads: 3.89 stars out of 5.0
Pages: 261
Buy It: Amazon

Teenager Alice Bonham's life feels crazy after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave, he's unlike anyone she knows. Then she meets his brother, Peter. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. Falling for two guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood

Despite my YouTube rant, this book isn't that bad. The biggest problem that I have with it is that it is so much like Twilight in the way that the vampire are super rich, super powerful, incredibly hot and irresistible and that the female role played by Alice is spot on with Bella Swan. It also doesn't help that I am uber tired of vampire stories, but that is no fault to the author or the book. The basic concept is not unique, but that doesn't mean that it's not entertaining. I have no quarrels with the writing and think that it is a decent read. With that being said, let's talk about some characters as they are what got me through the book to begin with.

Alice, our main female character, is a girl living in the shadows of her best friend Jane. She's not good at school or rather she doesn't care about it. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother, but she is close to her brother Milo. She so easily would give up her life to live with the vampire family along side of Jack and Peter. Not unlike many teen Twilighters.

Jack is the boy next door vampire, if there was such a thing. He plays video games and likes all the cool music. He is easy to talk to despite his big secret and that makes Alice very comfortable. He is basically awesome.

Peter is an asshole. That is all.

Mae and Ezra are the mom and pops and the reminder throughout the story that the whole lot of them need to stay grounded, despite the situation.

If you can't tell, I'm 100% Team Jack. He is right for Alice, in my opinion. If you like mushy vampire stories or Twilight, then definitely check this book out and see which side you are on. This book is first in the series of at least 4 books, but there may be more. I am going to lay off the vampire stories for a while, however.

Radiance by Alyson Noel

2011-03-26T03:13:00.000-07:00

Paperback, 183 pages

Published August 31st 2010 by Square Fish (first published August 24th 2010)

http://www.alysonnoel.com/IMMORTALS/radiance.php

Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . .

I picked this up on my iPod through the Clearance list for basically nothing, otherwise I would have been disappointed. I have never read anything by Alyson Noel, not even The Immortal series from which Radiance came and I had no idea that it was considered a middle-grade book. I thought that for what it is, it was a cute and easy read only after knowing that it is for a much younger audience than YA is intended to be for. If I were 8-10 I would give this a much better rating, maybe?

My biggest gripe with this book is that nothing happens. Riley dies too young and goes to Here & Now, Alyson's version of what lies beyond death. She is given an assignment and goes and de-haunts a haunted castle and then goes flying with her guide, Bodhi. Then the story ends. It's very short which is good for the audience that it is intended for, but just not for me. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters, they were just normal fill in the blanks. After finishing this one I read other people's reviews and from what I gather maybe it would be better if I read The Immortal series so as to better like this story. If I do and it changes my opinion, I will adjust this review accordingly, but for now, not my cup of tea.

Follow Friday!

2011-03-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't participated in Follow Friday in a while so just thought I'd join in! Leave a comment and I'll be sure to follow you! Also, if you are new to my blog, be sure to enter my YouTube Subscriber Giveaway! You have the chance to win Elixir by Hilary Duff or The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

Click here to enter!

The question of the week is:
How did you come up with your blog name?

Mine was pretty simple. I am a book geek, among other things that I am geeky about. Originally I was going to have a music geek, movie geek, etc attached onto this blog, but I am going through some things in my life that limit me to choosing a few hobbies. [Work, school, surgery.]

I am a video game geek as well and in the video game world (also in the internet world) there is a language called L337 sp3ak or leet speak. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters. For example, leet spellings of the word leet include 1337 and l33t; eleet may be spelled 31337 or 3l33t (wiki for more information) so I chose to use ge3k to make it a little bit more geekier. =]

Sooo, that's it from me! Follow & comment! =]

Update + Subscriber Giveaway

2011-03-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! I would like to invite you all the enter my book giveaway contest! The two books up for grabs are Elixir by Hilary Duff and The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. My last review was on Hilary Duff's Elixir. The Neverending Story is the book that the movie The Neverending Story was based upon. It's easy to enter to win! Just subscribe to my channel and in the comments on YouTube leave me a message saying which book you are interested in. On March 20th I will announce winners. The winners will need to contact me so I can get your information to send you the book! I will give the winners 48 hrs and then I'll have to pick someone else to get the book. Winners will be chosen at random, using a random generator.

It's easy to subscribe and it's free! If you don't have a YouTube account, it's super easy to do so as well. Good luck!

Bookcase Tour Part 2

2011-02-28T00:22:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of bookcase tour!! =] YouTube made me do two seperate posts, sorry it's split up. =/

Bookcase Tour Part 1

2011-02-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

Hello! So I have finally gotten my books onto a bookcase. I had to be pretty picky about what I put on it because all of my books didn't fit, but I think I have room for two more bookcases in my living room and then three more in my bedroom! So eventually I'll get there! The video looked a lot more bright and high quality before it was uploaded to YouTube. I am trying to find a way to stop it from degrading, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this video! :)

Elixir by Hilary Duff

2011-02-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hardcover, 327 pages

Published October 12th 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

I found this book while shopping at the grocery store and my first reaction was tilting my head to the side and going, "Oh, Hilary wrote a book? Huh." And without giving it another thought it ended up in my grocery cart.I like Hilary Duff's music, the cute movies she makes, and I used to watch Lizzie McGuire when I was in high school. I think she is overall a very talented person, but I wanted to go into this book with no pretenses and not allowing any of my fandom for Hilary in general carry over to the book without first reading it and being able to form an opinion about the story and the writing.

Clea, the main protagonist who narrates the story, was too flat and too annoying to me. At the beginning of the book I thought she was a normal YA protagonist, there was nothing special about her which is neither good or bad. However, when the meat of the plot came I found her to be dry and disappointing. I felt as if she already knew the answers to all her own questions, as if she already knew what the outcome of each predicament she found herself in would be. The best example is in a scene where she found paintings in Sage's (her hunky soulmate) room and began questioning Sage and his motives. We could've easily been played to think that Sage was ANYTHING but it was so OBVIOUS.

The "chemistry" between Clea and Sage seemed forced. I didn't feel that Clea loved Sage or had any sexual tension although we are told that she does and in one scene she runs to the bathroom crying because Sage didn't meet her for breakfast. She seemed like a child crying for a toy rather than a young woman longing for her lover.

The best part of the entire book for me is one particular scene when Clea, Sage, and Ben (her longtime best friend/love interest) hold hands with a key character (Magda) and we are given a bit of insight as to Sage and Clea's background with one another. I find that the book leaves a lot of questions unanswered which is also annoying, but I find that it is left that way so that Hilary can continue with a sequel.

Overall I think the story is attractive, but I feel like I have read it somewhere else before so I don't think it's particularly unique, but its at least enough to keep you reading and wanting to know the end. Which, by the way, the end was very ambiguous and open ended.

Cover Art: 4/5

Characterization: 2/5

Plot: 3/5

Writing/Style: 3/5

Overall I give it 3/5 book ge3ks

A Girl's Guide To Falling In Love With A Zombie

2011-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

A Girl's Guide to Falling In Love With A Zombie

Richard Denney

Paperback/e-Book

Expected publication: March 22nd 2011 by RD

Free until March 22nd @ GoodReads

Rebecca Willis is a 17 year old survivor of a zombie pandemic who’s still in love with her high school crush Lance Tanner, who just happens to be be a zombie. But when things begin to threaten her ties with Lance she must choose over saving her own life & the lives of her friends or saving her zombie.(With a pop of comedy, horror, romance & suspense! Debut Author Richard Denney takes you to a new zombie-level with the first book in the two part series!)

I have never read anything like this and I am quite impressed! I love zombie movies and zombie video games and have heard the zombie premise twisted and spun in every way possible, but not this way! The idea is definitely unique.

Rebecca is having a hard time letting go of her crush Lance who is now a zombie and I felt sad along beside her. I felt like Lance was more than just a crush to Rebecca, but also a reminder of how life used to be before the zombie pandemic. It's almost like she feels she will let go of any hope that life will go back to the way it used to be if she lets go of Lance. I don't know if that is how we are meant to perceive Rebecca's relationship or lack thereof with Lance, but I know that if I were in that situation I would want to keep something around to remind me of my old life. It's like the question we ask our friends, "Would you shoot your mom if she turned into a zombie?" It's a hard decision.

There are bits of humor here and there which brings a bit of fun to the whole ordeal. One of my favorite funny passages from the book is:

“ Mee uhh graantttmm,” he says. I smile. That’s the first time he’s ever spoken to me as a zombie.

I just imagined this in my head and laughed. Poor Rebecca! I don't want to give away anything else, so good read it! It's definitely worth it. The sequel, A Girl's Guide To Breaking Up With A Zombie will be out in the Fall of 2011.

Richard Denny is a debut author and can be found on YouTube @ Devvour Book Reviews and his blog at Devvour Book Reviews & More. Download the e-book of A Girl's Guide to Falling In Love With A Zombie on GoodReads. The book will be published and available for purchase on March 22nd.

I give this book 5 out of 5 book geeks.

No Name-Calling Week (January 24th - 28th)

2011-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

I learned from Jessica over at Confessions of a Bookaholic that today marks the beginning of No Name-Calling week. I visited www.nonamecallingweek.org and read more about this cause and it is something that I absolutely have to support. The following information is located in the FAQ section on nonamecallingweek.org.

WHAT IS NO NAME-CALLING WEEK?

No Name-Calling Week (NNCW) is an annual opportunity for students to discuss their experiences and feelings towards name-calling and bullying in schools. No Name-Calling Week 2011 will be held from January 24-28. Every year thousands of educators conduct NNCW activities in the classroom. Visit www.nonamecallingweek.org for more information or to get activity ideas for your school.

THE HISTORY OF THE NO NAME-CALLING WEEK PROJECT
No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a young adult novel entitled "The Misfits" by popular author, James Howe. The book tells the story of four best friends trying to survive the seventh grade in the face of all too frequent taunts based on their weight, height, intelligence, and sexual orientation/gender expression. Motivated by the inequities they see around them, the "Gang of Five" (as they are known) creates a new political party during student council elections and run on a platform aimed at wiping out name-calling of all kinds. Though they lose the election, they win the support of the school's principal for their cause and their idea for a "No Name-Calling Day" at school.

Motivated by this simple, yet powerful, idea, the No Name-Calling Week Coalition, created by GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and consisting of over 40 national partner organizations, organized an actual No Name-Calling Week in schools across the nation during the week of March 1-5, 2004. This year, No Name-Calling Week will take place the week of January 24-28, 2011. The project seeks to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools, and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities.

HOW CAN WE HELP!?

It's easy! Grab a button to put on your blog or site or create your own blog post about this great cause. We must spread awareness of bullying to prevent it. It existed when my parents were in school, it existed when I was in school, and it still exists today. I have nieces and nephew still in middle school/high school and I am going to forward the lesson plan information to their schools in hopes to at least educate the schools that there are resources for anti-bullying. I can't control if they don't do anything with the information, but we have to at least try and spread the word.

Aces Up

2011-01-24T01:23:00.000-08:00

Aces Up

Lauren Barnholdt

Paperback: 288 Pages

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers August, 2010

Amazon

Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.

When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.

Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition money or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?

This fun, sexy, recession-proof story is a bubbly summer read with surprising depth—great for fans of Sarah Mlynowski.

This is the first title I have read from author Lauren Barnholdt from an ARC Tour over at Good Golly Miss Molly. The story could've really gone anywhere given the title and summary on the back of the book. We have all been under the weight of financial turmoil at some point in our lives. Many of us are right now. I personally stay in financial turmoil, being that I'm a college student and would have no problem playing poker if it involved winning money. Except for the fact I don't know squat about poker. It's certainly not hard to imagine what it would feel like to suddenly have the opportunity to do something about not having money. When Shannon is pulled into a trap and asked if she'd like to join Aces Up, an underground poker playing network, I rooted for Shannon to get as far away from the tangles of lies that she had built. I just knew that Cole was going to eventually kill her and we'd find Shannon in a garbage can somewhere. It looked like disaster waiting to happen, but instead of turning into a true crime or murder mystery, the author Lauren let us into a sexy and playful world of gambling but also taught us the dangers. I'm going to stick to eating ramen noodles.

I give this book four out of five book geeks.

The Demon Girl

2011-01-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

The Demon Girl

Penelope Fletcher

ebook, Smashwords, 191 pages

Published October 7th 2010

Free on Smashwords

Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

The Demon Girl is worth your time. I'll come right out and say the flaws now. The editing in this read is not very good. There are misspellings, grammar mistakes, and the like but not to the point where it takes away from the story. I believe that the editing is so poor because of the fact that it is an ebook on smashwords and just needs to be put into the hands of someone to do the work. When I read I get caught up in the characters so its not something I linger on. What really made this story work is how interesting the mix is between fairy, demon, witch, and vampire. The connection that Rae has with both her newly founded fairy companion and a vampire kept me reading past all the editing issues. I enjoyed Rae as a strong female character and had no problem relating to her. I will be looking forward to Penelope Fletcher's next installment in this series which should be out around September of this year.

I give this book 3 out of 5 book geeks.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T01:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This is just a quick update. I am still around and still reading! I have tons of books to review and I am going to begin posting YouTube videos again as well. My main PC is down and I haven't been really able to do much, but it should be repaired within the next two weeks. I have had some personal things come up - my own illness and a death in the family, but it is a new year and I am working on getting back on track! Thank you to everyone who continues to come to this page, I will be posting again soon!

Book Review: Stork

2010-12-04T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hardcover, 355 pages

Published October 12th 2010 by Candlewick

Family secrets. Lost memories. And the arrival of an ancient magical ability that will reveal everything.

Sixteen-year-old Katla LeBlanc has just moved from Los Angeles to Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, Katla soon finds out that she’s a Stork, a member of a mysterious order of women tasked with a very unique duty. But Katla’s biggest challenge may be finding her flock at a new school. Between being ignored by Wade, the arrogant jock she stupidly fooled around with, and constantly arguing with gorgeous farm boy and editor-in-chief Jack, Katla is relieved when her assignment as the school paper’s fashion columnist brings with it some much-needed friendship. But as Homecoming approaches, Katla uncovers a shocking secret about her past — a secret that binds her fate to Jack’s in a way neither could have ever anticipated. With a nod to Hans Christian Andersen and inspired by Norse lore, Wendy Delsol’s debut novel introduces a hip and witty heroine who finds herself tail-feathers deep in small-town life.

The story in Stork is different than anything I've read this year and it is a much needed and refreshing change. I have never read anything with the same concept. I thought that the pacing of the book was good for the transition between summer and winter reading. It is light enough but has a deep enough story to keep you interested.

At first I thought Jack was absolutely annoying and I thought he was going to be a minor character, but he turned out to be a hunk and definitely irresistible. I felt the connection between Katla and Jack to be ELECTRIFYING! Wade on the other hand, I wanted to slap him silly! He was very annoying and ended up being way worse than I thought he could be, which is saying something because he was a terrible person without adding anymore to it.

Without giving away too much about the story, this is a good book to read and I definitely recommend it. It is different enough to give you something interesting to look forward to, but has elements of love and that particularly good sense of YA attitude that will leave you waiting for Wendy's sequel of this book, believed to be coming in 2012.

5/5 Book Geeks!

Movie Review: What Dreams May Come

2010-12-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

[Just something a little different. I may begin writing reviews for movies and music as well or whatever else tickles my fancy. Hope you don't mind too much! I will head each post with what kind of review it is so you can pass if you are not interested.]

In this visually imaginative paradise, director Vincent Ward delivers an adaptation of the 1978 novel by Richard Matheson entitled What Dreams May Come. It is no wonder that the film won an Academy Award for its visual effects and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Directions. Add to the beauty of the film, Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra’s heart wrenching performance , and the story’s depth and portrayal of how far love will go and you will come out needing a box of tissues and the desire to create something beautiful in life. It is not uncommon to imagine what awaits beyond death or if there is even anything beyond death other than darkness, and as Hamlet said, “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause,” the afterlife may not bring peace.

Robin Williams plays the protagonist Chris Nielson, as only Robin Williams could. The twinkle in his eye is ever apparent when he is seen caring for a sick patient and that silly grin present at just the right moments. Annie, played by Annabella Sciorra is strikingly beautiful and her art work exquisite and sophisticated which sets up a perfect medium for communication in the afterlife. When Chris and Annie’s children die in a car accident, Annie spirals deep into a depression with sorrow so thick that the tightness in her chest can be felt through the screen. It is only Chris that can pull her out of this depression and then suddenly as if the pain were not enough, Chris dies in a car accident leaving Annie emotionally stripped and physically drained of her former self.

Chris wakes up in one of Annie’s magnificent paintings which completely transform the film into something more exotic, something startling and remarkable. Chris’s afterlife is an anything goes painting brought to life with remarkable landscapes and vivid colors, even more remarkable that Chris and Annie can communicate through the land and into Annie’s paintings. Chris longs for Annie to understand that he is still watching over her, which holding true to the novel proves to be a torment to Annie as she cannot understand what the ghost of Chris is trying to explain to her, rather she feels more depressed under the weight of his existence that is non-existent.

Annie commits suicide and a slew of Dante’s Inferno references collide with Richard Matheson’s theory on what hell is like. Chris enters what is unmistakingly a replica of the twisted layers of hell described in Dante Aligieri’s fourteenth-century epic poem Divine Comedy. Chris must peel back the layers of Annie’s sorrow as she is condemned to hell for being a suicide case in order to rescue her and bring her to his paradise.

The primary themes of What Dreams May Come are life, death, love, and afterlife, but a theme that was created only for the movie is the theme of parenthood. In the novel Chris and Annie do not have children so that element is completely unsheathed which does bring more roundness to the story rather than being a linear plot, the children incorporate more emotion and twist to the story. Ian, the son, feels as if he cannot live up to the expectations of his father and Marie, the daughter, just as much as Ian wants to please her father. Chris once commented that Asian women are graceful and intelligent and we later meet Marie in the form of Leona, a beautiful Asian who shows Chris the children’s realm in heaven. Albert, a man that Chris looked up to as a medical student, is Chris’s guide in the midst of things who is all knowing and informative, is actually Ian. Chris did not always appreciate his children and in the afterlife they change their appearances to be people that Chris admires so that they will listen to him. This adds an interesting element because among the sadness of the love story, a story of not taking people for granted arises.

Amongst the sadness of the story a distractingly haunting film is created, one that deserves the title What Dreams May Come as depicted by Hamlet and captivated by the novel. The concept of afterlife and reincarnation is twisted along side of standard Christian views and shows signs of psychic and Wiccan counterparts, a recipe for a film that can touch the hearts of many without stepping on too many toes. Whatever ones beliefs, at the very least one can take away the striking images of the film and the sense of loss of a loved one. If this doesn’t make you hold your loves ones a little longer before you leave them, who knows what will.

Follow Friday!

2010-12-02T23:02:00.000-08:00

It has certainly been a good while since I have participated in Follow Friday but I am ready to meet some new bloggers! The question for this week is:

What do you do besides reading / reviewing as a hobby??

I have too many hobbies and that may partly be why my reading is slacking right now. I play video games, make jewelry, learn new languages, write to pen pals, write stories/books/poetry, collect Sanrio and San-X or other kawaii goods, and a few other things here and there.

Which brings me to something that I wanted to ask the community. I recently lost a pen pal friend due to her not having the time anymore to do it so if anyone out there is interested in becoming pen pals, I am looking for someone! I love to write letters and I am a collector of stationary and other cute things to send with my letters and a looking for someone who would like the old fashioned way of communicating! I think there is just something so special about waiting for a handwritten letter to arrive and then the excitement of reading it and responding and etc! The whole process is quite lovely and fun, so if anyone is interested comment with your email address and we will exchange info! =]

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

2010-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by Putnam Juvenile

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.
But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.
New York Times bestselling Robin McKinley weaves an unforgettable tale of unbreakable friendship, mythical creatures and courtly drama destined to become a classic.

This is the first title by Robin McKinley that I have ever read, crazy right? The cover of this book is gorgeous in pictures, but even more gorgeous once you have the book in your hands and for those of you out there that collect books for their covers and bindings, this one won't disappoint.

This book can go one or two ways for me, you can either absolutely adore it or absolutely hate it and stop reading and go onto the next book in your to be read pile. I can understand both stand points and the reason why is because it reads much like a history book at first. Robin begins right away explaining the world in which we are about to explore and the history of the Pegasus and how the humans found them. I for one enjoyed the extra details and feel that it adds depth to the story, much in the style of Tolkien so I had no problem with it. This is high fantasy at its best right here, folks. The ONLY downsides for me is that we have to wait so long to get more of the story and the slight wordiness of the book, for some this will cause you to put the book down, but I love details and I have a similar writing style myself so it doesn't bother me one bit. Yes, there is a cliffhanger, yes you'll want to read more, but don't let that make you cross it off your list, this is definitely a good read and you won't regret it.

I give it four out of five book geeks.

Casblanca & The Seventh Seal

2010-11-18T02:03:00.000-08:00

A while back I made a post about my lit&film class. I FINALLY got the paper back from the teacher and am now able to post it and share it with you all. I wanted to share it because I think it is interesting how much storytelling is in films. When you watch a movie you don't necessarily think of the plot, the characters, and the setting as much as you do a book. Upon taking this lit&film class, I have thought more about how important the same elements for books are to film. This is a comparison between Casablanca and The Seventh Seal. If you haven't watched them, I highly recommend both movies.

In life we struggle with our own battles and make our decisions based on faith, morals, and sometimes love. The decisions that we make are sometimes met with consequences that we do not necessarily prepare for. We may lose the ones we love or worse, face death. The faithful will say that God will not bring you to it if he cannot see you through it, while those who question may say, “Faith is a torment. It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call” as Antonius Block said in The Seventh Seal. Our morals tell us what is right and wrong, but it is our faith that leads us blindly into decisions that spring questions that cannot be answered by a visible being.

Rick of Rick's Café Américain in Casablanca shows what it is to make decisions based upon love. Rick is a displaced New Yorker living in Casablanca when we meet him and a hero by the time we get to know him. He is a wanted man for being neutral during the struggle of the Nazi‟s dominance and eagerly wishes to go back to America. The desperation that Rick has is not met with an empty audience, as many others in Casablanca wish to leave as well, leaving the coveted letters of transit open for a game of power and money struggle between the patrons of Casablanca. Rick is in a place of power himself being the owner of the café, and has the opportunity to leave Casablanca but instead sacrifices his freedom for his love, IIsa Lund.

Antonius Block is a knight of the Crusades returning from battle during a dark time in European history, the attempt at restoring Christianity is accompanied by the scare of the Black Death or the Plague. He is met face to face with Death and makes a personal struggle with faith. Antonius must face the fact that he fought for a cause that he may not actually believe in; a God that does not answer his questions nor show his compassion. The horrifying and deadly Plague is a device that is used to generate more fear into humanity, the fear of God. During a time when faith is all that people had, Antonius began to question his and had to escape death.

Rick and Antonius are from two different time periods but share a distinct theme; they are both trying to escape from something, Rick from the Nazi‟s and Antonius from his faith issues and Death. Rick has the opportunity to leave Casablanca behind and gain his freedom, the opportunity to escape. Even after finding out that IIsa committed adultery, his love for her prevents him from holding it above her head. IIsa‟s husband Victor is an escapee from a concentration camp and has even more reason to flea than Rick does. He could have easily punished IIsa by using the letters of transit for himself or even going as far as letting her go with him and leaving Victor behind, yet he sacrifices himself for love and gives her the letters of transit, despite the fact that German Major Strasser would have his head if he found out.

Antonius befriends Jof and Mia, a married couple that represent a strong faith in God. While Antonius tries to escape Death by playing chess, Jof and Mia are figures of hope and happiness during a time that is less than hopeful. Antonius‟ attempt to knock over the chess board shows his desperate attempt to flee the situation, to escape the inevitable. He comes to confessional and says, “I cry out to God in the dark, but sometimes it seems as if there is no one there,” in which he gets the reply from the monk whom he does not know is death that perhaps there is no one there. Antonius gives an unforgettable, thought provoking declaration stating "If that is true, then all of life is meaningless [or „a senseless horror‟]. Nobody can live with death before he dies if he thinks that oblivion lies at the end." One can immediately connected with Antonius Block as sometimes we struggle with faith and whether or we believe in God. Antonius lived in an era where it was unheard of to declare that God did not exist, so much that one would be considered a witch as the girl in the story and left for dead, shunned by humanity. This is not as old fashioned as it may seem, as what is an atheist in today‟s society but a joke to be laughed at, a person to be humiliated for thinking differently than others. The Seventh Seal is timeless even though it is set in a foreign time and the theme of escaping one‟s fears of something that they once thought to be truth is no longer adhered to as truth, but rather a piece of a puzzle that no one can put together.

Rick shows no sign in faith in God, but his faith or lack thereof in IIsa and the fear of Nazi‟s taking over just as Antonius‟ fear of death and trying to escape connects with the overall feeling of desperation and hopelessness. The Nazi‟s can be compared to the Black Death, as both were set out on destroying as many people as possible. Rick however has the upper hand over Antonius as at the end Rick has the satisfaction of staging the Nazi General‟s death to make it look as if the letters of transit were stolen by Victor so as to get himself off the hook, but at the same time kill one of the most powerful Nazi leaders in Casablanca; if only we could see the outcome after everyone heard of the General‟s death.

Antonius receives the short end of the stick as he dies without any answers to his questions and does not have the comfort of knowing that when he dies he will meet his maker, which isn‟t that what faith in a God is about, the comfort of knowing that someone is looking out for you, that someone is waiting for you and that there will be light at the end of the tunnel? Antonius questions his faith throughout the movie, but when faced with certain death, knowing that he has no way to escape, he cries out in desperation to God. He prays and as desperate as he is, God does not answer.

At the end of The Seventh Seal there is an amazing visage of Antonius and his compatriots that death came to take, dancing across a hill. Their bodies are completely blacked out and all that can be seen is the outline of their bodies as they hold hands and follow behind death. Jof announces to Mia what he sees and she states, “You with your visions!” Throughout the film Jof describes different visions which lead the viewer to wonder if the entire events that took place actually happened. Mia and Jof are walking along in the sunshine with smiles on their faces as if nothing had occurred. In comparison at the end of Casablanca, Rick and Captain Renault walk off into the distance leaving just as much to wonder about what happens next, but not so much that the audience feels as if the story was a cliffhanger.

Crazy by Han Nolan

2010-10-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

"Crazy" by Han Nolan

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (September 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0152051090
ISBN-13: 978-0152051099

Fifteen-year-old Jason has fallen upon bad times—his mother has died and his father has succumbed to mental illness. As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance as he stumbles along trying not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition.

Both heartbreaking and funny, CRAZY lives up to the intense and compelling characters Han Nolan is praised for. As Jason himself teeters on the edge of insanity, Nolan uncovers the clever coping system he develops for himself and throws him a lifeline in the guise of friendship.

At the end of this book I was a bit angry and couldn't believe that it ended as it did, but after a day I look back and don't know why I was so angry as the ending didn't matter as much as I made it out to matter. The beautiful thing about this book is how Han Nolan describes feelings. I felt anger, sadness, isolation, and that sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach of having a responsibility that shouldn't be mine. When Han described Jason's house as being cold, I felt the cold and emptiness; a house in shambles after the woman who made it so lively has passed. I imagined the cobwebbed photographs, the piles of neglected belongings, jewelry, makeup and clothes left in the same spots before she had died. The feeling of mourning and sadness was so powerful that when there were spouts of happy situations, I was smiling ear to ear for Jason and his friends and was so relieved that they caught a break. That is some good character development, my friends.

I have kept books about mental illness at an arm's length because I grew up around people with mental illnesses and even had to go to therapy myself on how to deal with those people who had mental illnesses. In a sense, Crazy is just like that. Jason has to take care of his dad and in turn is on the brink of insanity himself. Funny how that happens! I expected near the end of the book that we would find out that Jason was the one who was actually crazy the whole time and kind of hoped for it, but the book took another turn. It was a story of how someone who had a loving family went to having no family and then discovering how to create a new family in times of desperation. It was also a story of a the foster care system and reminded me so much of certain friends that I had in high school. The foster care system in the story isn't as intense as the one in real life, as Jason was able to stay with caring people, but did have a hint of truth when Jason was stabbed by another foster care kid.

I would recommend this book to anyone of all ages, it is a tough topic to talk about, but I think it has an important message. Our children should not have the weight of the world on their shoulders. They will have enough of that when they reach adulthood.

I give this book three out of three book geeks. It's an average read, but I wouldn't want to miss out on reading it.

Goodness Gracious: An Update

2010-10-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

Why hello there! I haven't forgotten about you. This semester of college has been a crazy one and I haven't had time to read for pleasure as much as I would like, therefore, I am behind. I have several reviews that are coming up as I was able to snag some reading time in over the past week. So, they are coming! Here are the books that I have read and are awaiting review:

In no particular order:
1. Hush Money by Susan Bischoff
2. The Study Train by Kurt Frenier
3. Crazy by Han Nolan

and I will be posting the Casablanca lit/film cross-breed review by the end of the week. =]

So I haven't forgotten about you, my beautiful blog that I so deeply cherish. I just had to put you on the back burner while I prepared for mid-terms and wrote papers.

It's Friiiiiiiiiday!!!!

2010-09-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again and time for Follow My Book Blog Friday!! It is hosted by Parajunkee @ www.parajunkee.com. This weeks question is: What is your favorite book cover?

This is truly a hard question because there are so many beautiful covers. Currently I would have to say that The Iron Daughter by Julia Kagawa is my favorite! It is pinkish/purple and so beautiful. I love the swirls and how some of the pages have the swirl design on them. The entire series is so beautiful lined up together!! What's your favorite book cover?

2010-09-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am a bit late when it comes to the whole Wesley Scroggins controversy that took place sometime last week. I first heard about it on Twitter from some of my fellow bloggers and it was somewhere around 1:00AM and I was so tired, but after I read the article I was completely awake and angry, but mostly empowered.

First let me say how proud I am of the book blogging community and how amazing so many of you out there are. I've read many blogs responding to the remarks that Wesley Scroggins made and everyone has remained so positive and uplifting when faced with someone who is ignorant and made false comments against Laurie Anderson. You are a graceful community that held your held up high with poise and you deserve recognition.

I have not personally read Speak, but after everything I have read about it and this situation I can say that the book is about teaching girls (or anyone) to stand up for their right to speak up. Many people can relate to having been molested, raped, or sexually harassed and having to hold that burdensome secret deep within. As I look back in my childhood I wish I had been taught about molestation and rape. Instead it was something swept under the rug and brushed to the side.

I remember a kid in my P.E. class that would grab me in inappropriate places during activities such as swimming and would sometimes make appearances in the girl's locker room. When I told my P.E. teacher about it, it was brushed aside, when I told my mom about it and she raised hell at the principle, he was pulled into a room with me and I was forced to sit beside of the guy and talk about it. It was as if I was being interrogated. Instead of this guy getting moved to another class or yet, punished, I was made to be humiliated. After the session, the guy got his friend's on it and I was made to be a laughing stock and even called names such as "whore" and "slut", etc. It took an extreme amount of hell raising on my mom's part for the school to really listen and only when the police became involved did the principle actually take action. (I am not comparing this to rape. I only mean to state that I personally have gone through similar situations that would have been easier if I were empowered to speak up and those in authority would have listened.)

Our children need to know what can happen to them and what they need to do if something DOES happen to them and it WILL happen if we do not educate. So many women that I have met have gone through similar situations and some still struggle to this day. Why wouldn't we want to protect our youth from the pain that the rest of us have gone through? As adults we need to LISTEN and watch for the signs of molestation, rape, and harassment.

I am empowered to stand up against so many things now, so thank you for that Mr. Scroggins, You have showed me that I need to stand up and fight the banning of books and censorship, and most importantly teach our youth to SPEAK UP.

Film & Literature

2010-09-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

I always knew that film scripts and storyboards held some weight in the literature world, but I never took it very seriously. I absolutely love movies and I've always been aware of the amount of writing involved in a script, but it didn't occur to me how a film is so much like a book. Rather, I knew subconsciously and have missed out on a depth to the media that I have come to realize I have taken for granted. What brought it on?

Well, I began a Film & Literature class this semester. I registered for a Literature class that was just a general survey of literature and when I showed up for class the teacher passed out a syllabus that said Film & Lit at the top. I find out that the class I registered for was full and the college decided to put me in the next thing that had the word literature in it. On the first day of class we watched an indie film called The Butterfly Circus and the other students were so dramatic and over the top that I didn't think I was going to be able to handle it. No other lit classes were available so I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did!!

I am beginning to learn a lot more about the storytelling process and how so many little things in a story can change an entire movie/book. It really applies to any type of storytelling, not only movies and books but short stories and anything else that uses a storyboard.

So with that being said I plan to document a couple of things here that I have learned and will learn in the next couple of months in regards to literature in film.

First up: Casablanca

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

2010-09-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

Amazon: Hush, Hush

Author's Website: Becca Fitzpatrick

Goodreads: Hush, Hush Reviews

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I didn't like this book at first. It took me until about Chapter 17 to really start to like the characters and the book has 30 chapters total. The part that turned me off about the characters at first is how it was so "secretive" about Patch being a fallen angel, but it was so obvious. I really love the cover, but I think it gives way too much away about Patch. Obviously we knew he was going to end up being an angel or a fallen angel just by the look of the cover and the "subtle" hints about him being a fallen angel were not very subtle. When the moment came for Nora to find out that he was a fallen angel it was anti-climatic and fell flat for me.

With that being said, I loved Patch from Chapter 17 forward. He was more mysterious once we found out what he was and even more dangerous and sexy when Nora touched his scars and was able to see more about Patch. I became interested in the lore behind Fitzpatrick's ideas about where Patch came from and even more interested in The Book of Enoch and the other angels. The end of the book was action packed and kept my heart thumping. I wasn't sure how the book was going to end and I liked that.

My only complaints is that up until Chapter 17 the story was dragging its feet, but after that it really opened up and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, Crescendo.

I give this book four out of five stars, from Chapter 17 to Chapter 30.

I'm still alive.

2010-09-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

So this is an update. Essentially after reading The Hunger Games I took a break away from reading to gather my spirit again. It was one of those reads that kind of made everything else seem mediocre when I tried to get into a book. I knew that the books I were reading were indeed NOT mediocre, but because of reading The Hunger Games I was left with a sort of reading "high" if you will. I didn't want to write a review right away and give something a score that it didn't actually deserve.

In the meantime, if there are any gamers out there, Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta was released Labor Day weekend and it took me two or three days to get the thing to install due to issues with the patch and having problems figuring out what to do in order to get it installed. For those of you wondering what Final Fantasy XIV is, it is a Massively Multiplayer Online game in which you level up your character by doing quests and other things and meet other players and team up with them to kick some booty! I have spent a few hours after work just getting familiar with the game and I cannot wait until release! Lookie, here is a few screen shots of my character!

Isn't she cuuuuuuute? She is a cat girl with pink hair and ears and tail. I love her. Anyways, outside of playing the game I have been reading my next book in line for review which is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and that review will be coming up soon. And other than that I have been going to classes which consist of Literature: Themes in Film and Culture and Spanish. The Lit class is basically a smörgåsbord of literature in film as well as studying the themes of film and the themes of literature in culture. I mean it's basically the motherload! And Spanish is, well, Spanish. By the end of the class I hope to read a middle grade book in Spanish. :D :D :D :D

Well, that's enough of my ranting. =] Hope everyone is having a great week and I'll be posting more now that I'm recovered from The Hunger Games. lol.

The Hunger Games Art

2010-09-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at a lot of things about The Hunger Games series and just loading myself up on non-spoiler content to do me until I am able to get Catching Fire next weekend. I found some pretty sweet art of some of the characters and wanted to share them. Most of this work came from a page that had a collaboration of pictures all from various artists, but they did not have the artists names on a majority of them so I am not sure who did most of them. If any of this is your art work, please comment or email me.

Rue

Katniss and Peeta

This is how I pictured Katniss to look, dead on!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2010-09-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins

Amazon:The Hunger Games

Author's Site:Suzanne Collins

Goodreads: Many Many Reviews

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Admittedly I thought the hype around this book was ridiculous. There are so many reviews ranting and raving about how great it was and something about a love triangle and something else about how unfair it was. Until I finally read it, I had no idea. Until I read it I thought everyone was going insane like everyone did over Twilight. Now I know why!! I originally saw this book back in 2008 and never picked it up and boy am I sorry that I didn't. I am glad I have picked it up now, but boy did I miss out for the past two years. I just got the book last weekend and I began reading it on Sunday as part of the September book challenge that I am doing and I finished it on Tuesday night, Mind you I take college courses and work a full-time job. This book took up every moment I could get my hands on!!

I cried, I laughed, I smiled, I got angry. This book is so full of emotions and Suzanne does a wonderful job bringing those emotions out of her audience. The entire situation that the tributes are in is absolutely horrifying and thought provoking. I have been thinking of our society and how close we are to becoming just like the society portayed in the book. I can't imagine but can imagine it happening at the same time. I can't imagine it because it's such a terrible thing and it's an idea that just isn't right. I can imagine it happening because of how we are so enthralled on reality TV shows. Our society loves drama and action. We could actually already be considered to be a part of a less severe version of The Hunger Games. We all seek to be successful so that we can at least feed our families and survive which is not easy as is. We buy lottery tickets, audition for American Idol, Survivor, The Real World, and many other reality TV shows in hopes of gaining fame and fortune. Even though our society does not have literal shows of killing the other players, don't the reality TV stars do everything and stop at nothing short of killing to win? And we sit and root for certain players and hope others lose and even can vote on who wins! The Hunger Games is not entirely impossible which makes the read even more terrifying and sad, down right sad.

Katniss for some may seem self-centered. I have read other reviews and yes, some of them say she is, but I find her to be a survivor. She does what she has to do to survive. In fact, not once does she kill just to participate in the games. She only kills in defense of her or Peeta's life. If I were in that situation I would hope that I would have the courage to do the same thing instead of going on a wild rampage like everyone did at the beginning of the games. A lot of people pick Team Peeta or Team Gale and at this point I can't say which side I am on. I have only read the first book so I will save that choice until I have read Catching Fire and then Mockingjay. Oh how I can't wait to read both of them!!

I could go on and on about this book, but I don't want to write a novel review, so I'm going to finish by saying the story is brilliant, Suzanna's writing shows us the world and the life just like it were real and the action is AMAZING. I was never bored, in fact, I forgot I was reading for 90% of the book. Which, by the way, is the most amazing feeling that one can get while reading in my opinion. I felt like I was watching a movie or that I was going through these situations with Katniss. Ahhhh, so refreshing!

I give this book FIVE out of FIVE book geeks. It is a must read 100% hands down. Don't be turned off by the hype like I was at first.

Summer Spectacular Challenge!

2010-08-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

-INSERT EXCITED FACE HERE- So what could be more awesome than a Reading Challenge? A Reading Challenge and a Giveaway AND the fact that its my first one on this blog. This is hosted by Stephanie over at The Thoughts of a Book Junkie. Sweeeeeetness. So yes, classes started back for me today so I will be slightly hindered because I have to devote more time to school, but on the plus side I actually tend to be more productive when I am in school. I know, weird, huh? So the rules are as follows:

It will start September 1st and go on through September 30th.
There will be a 5 book reading challenge, ( one book a week) that you will have to read. Which books? Any 5 you want. Its your choice... Easy huh. At the end of that week you will post your review on your blog and add your link to the Mr. Linky at the bottom. ( If you don't have a blog you can either post a comment, letting everyone know what you think about the book or sent me an email with your review) * Sep first starts on a Wednesday so you can start your first book on Sunday the 29th if you want.
At the end of each week a giveaway will be posted. That's 5 giveaways!! The only thing you have to do to enter is, link your review on that weeks Mr. Linky. Plus get an extra entry if you add the September Spectacular button to your post or sidebar! ( Open Internationally)

So! My FIVE books are:

One Lovely Blog Award

2010-08-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

Sweeeeeeeeeet. I recieved my first blog award from LupLun over at Lupines and Lunatics! Thank you so much LupLun, this is an awesome award and I always think everyone else's blog is more lovely than mine so thank you so much!

Okies, so the terms of accepting this award is to pass it along to 15 other people. Here is where the problem comes in. I keep running into blogs that already have them or I'll find somebody and their contact information is hiding from me, so I'm going to tag all of my followers for this award! Is that cheating? I'm sorry if it is. =[

It just proved to be too difficult to pass the award along to people who don't have it already because this award has been passed around so many times. So! If you are reading this right now and you do not have this award, I award this to you! The only condition is that you must comment on this post and let me know that you didn't have the award already and leave your link so I can follow you! Fair?

In My Mailbox / Book Haul

2010-08-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a meme sponsored by The Story Siren. Over the past two weeks I have accumulated a few beauties that I would like to share with you all. I am a bargain hunter and waited to buy a couple things until they were stocked at my local used book store. This came out quite well for me this time as none of the books even looked like they had been opened before!

I would like to just say.. my upstairs neighbors must be elephants because they are SO loud and it's 11:50 at night. I am a night person, but geez!! This is not a fat joke. I mean, who stomps around like that when they walk? I don't get it. Anyway, I am about half way through The Hunger Games now and can't wait to share my thoughts on it. Now on for the vlog of books!

[Vlog removed]

Books:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Dead Father's Club by Matt Haig
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Wicked squared by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viquie

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

2010-08-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Author's Page: Sarah Dessen

Amazon: Someone Like You

*Skip down a paragraph to bypass possible spoilers*

Halley and Scarlett have been best friends for years, sharing secrets, clothes, and crushes. People know Scarlett as the popular, flamboyant one; Halley's just her quiet sidekick. Then, at the beginning of their junior year, the balance shifts. First, Scarlett's boyfriend Michael is killed in a freak accident; soon afterward, she learns that she is carrying his baby. For the first time, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it'll never break--because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever. Sarah Dessen's poignant, funny voice has earned her raves and legions of teenaged fans.

Well, here where I am summer is almost over so Sarah Dessen is the appropriate go to author for bittersweet summer reads. I read this book in about two and a half to three hours last night. It had enough of a storyline to keep me engaged and wanting to read more, but was not full of crazy plot twists and turns that caused me to have to think about it too much - perfect for the end of summer on lazy days when you just want to pile on the couch in pajamas! Which, by the way, is exactly what I did.

The moral of the story is that friendship conquers even the toughest situations. I loved the relationship between Halley and Scarlett and it reminded me of a friend I had back in middle school/high school. Sarah Dessen herself says that this book was crafted around a relationship that she had with her friend Bianca from high school and Sarah wrote this in a way where mostly any girl or woman can relate to what that kind of friendship feels like and looks like.

We have all been teenagers at some point and eventually we begin to make a natural break away from our families and have stronger relationships with our friends than with our moms or dads. Halley's urges to sneak out of the house to meet Macon really came across as just that, passionate urges! The magnetic pull that Halley felt towards Macon was very accurate about how teen girls do anything to be with that one guy. Even when mom knows best, Halley just has to find out for herself who she is and what she really wants.

I give this book four book geeks out of five. I don't give it the fifth one, only because its not a book I feel that I would just HAVE to have to own, but it is a fun, light read.

Funny Note: Listen to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" after reading this. Reminds me of what Halley wanted out of Macon. lol.

Follow Friday and Blog Hop!

2010-08-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

Book Blogger Hop by Crazy-For-Books.com

Follow Friday by Parajunkee

It's Friday again everyone! Something that is brilliant about this Friday for me is that today marks the first day of me having Fridays off of work for the next six months! Woohoo!! Now I'm going to wish that Thursday would get here soon, hmph. ;P

I want to say thank you to everyone who is following and welcome any new followers. I am so amazed by how strong the book blog community is on blogger and I am so happy that I can be a part of it!! The lovely Parajunkee has featured me for this Friday's Follow Friday and I cannot be any more honored! So I want to welcome anyone to my little nook here on the interwebs, feel free to link me to your own blog and I am more than happy to check it out. =]

The Follow Friday question is:

What is the first book that you remember reading?

There are quite a few, but the one that stands out as being the very first is Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I also loved loved loved The Very Hungry Catapillar by Eric Carle and my first YA book was The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause and also happened to be my first encounter with vampires. Soon after I found Anne Rice and here I am today! I am very eclectic and will read almost any genre.

The Book Blogger Hop question is:

Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

Currently my rating system is in the same format that my personal book journal [yes, the paper kind teehee I'm a dork, I know] has always been. I write what I felt about the book as an experience and comment on what intrigued, inspired, or otherwise emotionally or mentally made an impression on me. Then, after doing that, on a scale of one to five, with one being the lowest and five being the highest, I think about the book as a WHOLE. Would I read it again, would I tell someone it is worth buying or just getting at the library? Is it worth how long it took to read? Did I love the characters and the plot? I give the book the rating, and then explain in further detail on a book by book basis why I gave it that.

What that looks like:

1 Book Geek: I couldn't get through the book.

2 Book Geeks: I thought it was mediocre. Nothing to see here, keep moving.

3 Book Geeks: It was an average read. Not bad, not amazing.

4 Book Geeks: It was above average and was amazing!

5 Book Geeks: This book exceed my expectations and is a MUST read.

I rate my books this way because for me the content of the book is more important than the rating itself. Ratings are so subjective based upon the person, so I think that actually reading the review and getting a sense of how it made you feel or think. Over time, my rating system may change but for now I like it this way and I hope it makes sense, if anyone has suggestions or feedback I am definitely open eared! =]

Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

2010-08-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Candlewick
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763648345
ISBN-13: 978-0763648343

Wikipedia: Faust

Amazon: Another Faust

Author's Page: Daniel and Dina

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish - only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary “gifts.”
But as the students claw their way up - reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty - the side-effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins.
At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

I don't want to get into the habit of saying "other people" or "other reviewers", but I have to on this one. A lot of reviewers and readers out there have given this book a bad rep, saying that it is hard to get into or it's boring, or poorly written, this and that, but I have to disagree. The problem with this book is not so much the book's problem, it's just the simple fact that people don't know what to expect going into it. Something that is quite helpful before reading this book is to first read a little bit about Faust and then visit the author's page and read what the author's have to say. Admittedly after reading a couple of chapters, I tilted my head to the side and said, "What?!" But after reading about Faust on wiki and doing a tiny bit of research, I realized this book is a modern dedication to Faust.

What is Faust? Faust is the protagonist of a German legend in which a man who is a scholar is unsatisfied with his life and makes a deal with the devil in exchange for unlimited knowledge and world pleasures. There are many similar stories out there involving a pact with the devil in exchange for something, but I have never read one that is so unique and actually based upon the real legend! The school that the character's go to is even named after Christoper Marlowe, a writer who made the story famous in his play called The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.

The story itself is very character driven and I accept that the beginning can be a bit confusing, but if you enjoy classic literature or gothic genres, then hang on just a little bit. The characters are interesting and if you've ever wished for more out of your life, more money, beauty, intelligence, popularity, success, or whatever the case may be then you can understand why these characters are so interesting. Madame Vileroy was so incredibly mysterious and gorgeous *in my mind* and almost like a mother to the poor children. Christian, Belle, Bice, Valentin, and Victoria each had their own detailed background and storyline which for me kept me entertained and engaged in the story.

This book is not a light read nor is it cuddly or cute, it is dark and detailed. If you can get past the first couple of chapters it is more enjoyable for those who are not into classic literature.

I give this book four and a half book geeks. Perhaps if one didn't have to do research to *get* the storyline then I would give it five, but all-in-all it is a phenomenal.

Daily Dose #2

2010-08-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

Daily Dose is brought to you by Good Golly Miss Holly and it is a meme where every Monday you post some inspiring or cool pictures for your followers to enjoy!

This week's peek-a-tures!