Halloween

I dressed up like a little kid for Halloween at work... I actually had one of my coworkers come over and give me a hug because she thought I looked so cute. She is now officially my favorite ^_^

book reviews

So I have a bunch of books to review, but I have been getting caught up with working 40 hours per week and waking up way too early (I start at 8 and I called a company at 8:45 and was jealous that they didn't open until 9, but it also meant I had to call them back which was annoying... )

current read: Wednesday Night Witches - lots of smiling big moments and reading in the stairwell on my lunch break at work... oh, and some moments where I'm laughing like crazy, but I still haven't figured out the true purpose of the book (there's something going on but I won't read the back of the book to find out what). I've heard that the ending is bad or a let down, but I guess I'll find out soon. And before I review that, I will be reviewing a few Meg Cabot books and Elsewhere (I bawled like a baby)...

brooke taylor's contest week 3

Brooke Taylor's (Undone) third week of her monster month of giveaways began Thursday. To receive a zombie prize pack, enter at her site. She is giving away 2 prize packs that include 2 books apiece as well as a bunch of other cool gifts like candy and the Zombie Survival Guide by Amanda Ashby.

next week is faeries, so get ready!

brooke taylor week 2 contest

Brooke Taylor's (Undone) second week of her monster month of giveaways began Thursday. To receive a ghostly prize pack, enter at her site. She is giving away 2 prize packs that include 2 books apiece as well as a string of ghost lights, Ty ghost bear "sheetsies," fuze magic "haunted" quartz necklace, ghost key chain & more fun ghostly goodies, halloween tattoos and candy, ghost marshmallow peeps, lighted ghost bobble headband, and a haunted magic 8 ball. Check it out!

My Sister's Keeper

In my first memory, I am three years old and I am trying to kill my sister. Sometimes the recollection is so clear I can remember the itch of the pillowcase under my hand, the sharp point of her nose pressing into my palm. She didn't stand a chance against me, of course, but it still didn't work. My father walked by, tucking in the house for the night, and saved her. He led me back to my own bed. "That," he told me, "never happened."

(After typing that up and rereading the rest of the prologue of sorts [pg 3], I just had a realization about that which I am not willing to reveal as it would constitute a spoiler.)

Anna Fitzgerald is 13 going on 30. She is more of an adult than most adults are. Her older sister, Kate, was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia at the age of two. Since her four year old brother, Jesse, was not enough of a match for bone marrow, the doctor suggested the idea of a future sibling being a match. Anna's parents took the idea, ran with it, went to genetic specialists, and had IVF to create Anna as a match for Kate. Thirteen years later, Anna is sick of being poked and prodded and spending so much time admitted to the hospital to give parts of herself to Kate. The most recent idea is for Anna to give up a kidney for Kate, but she has read of the problems that it could cause her, and she wants no part of it. Realizing that her parents will make her "donate" her kidney (parents sign the consents while kids are ignored), Anna decides to take measures into her own hands and hires Campbell Alexander, a high priced attorney, to take her case so that she can get legal emancipation from her parents for medical purposes.

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper is told over the course of a week and a half and from the points of view of all of the characters, with Sara (the mom) telling what happened in the past that has led to this moment. Jesse, the brother, narrates part of the story, though he is noticeably absent from the rest of the family's narrations for the majority of the book. Kate is mentioned excessively through out the book, but her narrations are also noticeably absent.

This book was heart wrenching. Somehow, a love of characters just snuck up on me. I was curious as to why Campbell needed a service dog, even though he gave joking answers to anyone who asked. I was surprised that Anna could not be swayed from her convictions to receive medical emancipation, even when she told her family differently. I wanted various characters to stop being pigheaded so that they could actually listen to what other characters were saying and I admit that I cried a few times toward the end of the book. I look forward to reading more of Picoult's books, no matter what the format. This book definitely is one that I would recommend to anyone who has a heart.


A-Z Challenge
Currently Reading - *Zevin, Gabrielle - Elsewhere*
Upcoming Reviews - *Airhead - Cabot*
*Cabot, Meg - The Boy Next Door*

The True Meaning of Cleavage

Jess Horvath is about to start high school with her best friend Sari Aaronsohn. Like most kids her age, Jess is both excited and scared about the new year. She has her worst case scenario list (-My college advisor says I am unfit for college. She advises me to get a job at McDonald's instead. -Sari and I have no classes together. -I get Madame Balmain instead of Madame Beauvoir for Intermediate French. Madame Beauvoir est très gentile and shows Truffaut movies in class. Madame Balmain est une vache. -I have gym first period. I have gym any period. -Something really interesting happens to Sari and nothing whatsoever happens to me.), her best case scenario list (None of the above happens.), her enemies (the Prada Mafia), a geeky guy that seems to only have her as a friend (Danny Oriel), the most beautiful friend that has guys checking her out all the time (Sari), and an obsession with the Hollow Planet books (Hollow Planet: The Movie should be coming out next summer!!! but there's no release date yet). All of that, and a prediction for her new year from the Book (an old copy of David Copperfield that she swiped from school last year which she and Sari have decided has the power to tell the future). When Jess reads her predicted future, it does not look good ("Anxious to be gone"), whereas Sari gets a much better reading ("A new one"). As the school year passes, the predictions seem accurate - plus, a few of Jess' worst case scenarios come true; gym first period, Balmain for French, and Sari's life starts to get interesting while Jess' life is unchanging and boring. But what exactly is going on with Sari, and why is she keeping it a secret from Jess? Why do all of the girls like David Cole (the senior) so much when he already has a girlfriend? Can Jess manage to avoid Danny Oriel all year so that she isn't pushed down the social ladder even farther? And what exactly is the true meaning of cleavage?

Mariah Fredericks' first book, The True Meaning of Cleavage surprised me. I have a tendency to not read the back cover of a book or the snippet about a book until after I have finished it, or am at least halfway through since by then I will have read everything that the cover alludes to. This book was no exception. I like to be surprised by what I read. Well, if I had read the cover, I would have known it was about 9th graders, not the 11th or 12th I expected. I thought that this book might have romantic storylines and that the idea of cleavage would be explained in relevance to dating or a boy looking at a girl's chest as opposed to the "true meaning" given in the book. Although the story was ok and a quick read, it did not interest me as much as other stories that I read. If a story is like climbing a mountain in anticipation of reaching the peak followed by a shorter walk down to the summit (yes, I have forgotten the term I am thinking of so instead I am giving the definition and picture from my high school English classes), this story either peaks too early, or lacks in it's peak. There were a few moments of excitement but I don't think there was a real climax (ah ha! that's the word and according to wikipedia, I was talking about rising action and falling action) to help me make a better review of the book. Although I know when the climatic points technically were, there wasn't enough tension or drama to make it feel like a mountain's peak. I do admit that there were some points of the story that I really did like, but they don't cause me enough je ne sais quoi to recommend the book.

A-Z Challenge

Currently Reading - *Zevin, Gabrielle - Elsewhere*

Upcoming Reviews - *Picoult, Jodi - My Sister's Keeper*

*Airhead - Cabot*

*Cabot, Meg - The Boy Next Door*

audiobook

So I just listen to my first audiobook. Well, first is a relative term. How about first audiobook that I had not previously read? Yes, that's it, since I have listened to half of the Harry Potter books after reading them (it's worth it to hear Jim Dale read... plus it was fun to be knitting as they discussed Hagrid knitting). Anyways, I listened to Airhead by Meg Cabot and will soon be reviewing that one. I hope I can find the correct spellings of names since I can only guess spellings as I listen. It will also be weird to not be able to look back at the book as I review it. I also have reviews of The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult on the way.

brooke taylor contest week 1

It is week one of Undone author Brooke Taylor's contest and she has two House of Night prize packs that each include 2 House of Night books, a house of night necklace, a vampire beanie bear, nail polish, candy, Halloween stuff, and it all comes in a tote that says "never kill a boy on the first date." Check out her blog here to enter this week's contest!

Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

I already reviewed the first two books in the Twilight series and tried to leave out Spoilers, but I think on these next two, if you read the reviews, it will give information on the first two books so if you don't want to have the first two books spoiled, skip this review.

Eclipse
Bella Swan's life has returned to normal. Her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen is back in her life and she is constantly spending time with him. Unfortunately, her father, Charlie, still doesn't like Edward, still wants her to spend time with Jacob Black, and still wants her to go to college. Bella is ready to begin her epic romance with Edward and never go to college, but there's a catch. She doesn't want just any vampire to turn her, she wants Edward to do it but he has decided that she must do some things before he would be willing to turn her. Bella also misses her best friend Jacob, a werewolf who doesn't approve of vampires (werewolves and vampires are natural enemies), and does not want to choose between him and Edward. To keep on piling on her troubles, Bella is still being hunted by Victoria (a vampire that wants revenge for the death of her mate), there have been a series of deaths in Seattle that have been caused by newborn vampires, and the Volturi are expecting Bella to be turned and have promised to check up on her to make sure the deed has been done.


Breaking Dawn
Bella Swan is engaged to become Mrs. Edward Cullen as this book begins. She is ready to immerse herself in the world of vampires and to give up her life forever. But there's one little problem. Being engaged means that Bella is going to get married, an event that she has dreaded for years. Then there's another problem, in choosing Edward, she has hurt Jacob so intensely that he has run away from home and is spending his life as a werewolf in Northern Canada. Will Jacob return? What will happen after the wedding? Will Bella become a vampire? And what about the Volturi who are still eager to know if Bella has become a vampire or if she should be killed to keep their secret?


I thoroughly enjoyed these books. In fact, I loved the entire series and want to read Midnight Sun as soon as Stephenie Meyer is up to writing it again after it was illegally posted online by someone that had a manuscript that wasn't prepared to print (though she posted a copy online later realizing that people would search for it more after she commented on it - I downloaded the draft, but I am waiting for the book and plan to compare the book to the draft at a later date out of curiosity). Even with the fantastical aspects of the story, Bella's feelings are real and understandable. When reading from Jacob's point of view, I understood his struggle and felt more fondness for him. I honestly was Team Edward from the start, and may have switched to Team Jacob at some point if I wasn't aware of the teams (well, fan teams for each guy) which told me that Edward had to come back. The thing is, even as Team Edward, I still rooted for Jacob to have a fair shot when he was around. I wanted him to reveal his feelings to Bella, but I also wanted them to remain friends. Even if Breaking Dawn had mixed reviews, I think that it was great. Maybe because I wasn't anticipating it for so long and building the story up in my head (I merely waiting a few hours or a day between finishing Eclipse and beginning Breaking Dawn), I absolutely loved the final chapter to the saga. Whether or not all questions were answered? I don't know. But I do feel that the ending was satisfying and followed in the footsteps of the previous three books without missing a beat.

A-Z Challenge
currently reading *Fredericks, Mariah - The True Meaning of Cleavage*

Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride

Have you ever heard the tale of Thumbelina as told by Hans Christian Andersen? Have you ever seen the cartoon movie Thumbelina released in 1994 by 20th Century Fox? Well, even if you have read the book or seen the movie, you don't know the story. Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride tells the tale very close to Anderson's version which he heard from a passing swallow. We follow Anne Marie as she wants a baby and visits a witch to hear her plea. We follow Thumbelina as she grows up and begins dreaming of adventures. And then we follow Thumbelina as she goes on her adventure, meets the toad, the mouse, the mole. Only in this version, we actually to get to read Thumb's diary entries and letters to her mother (which have been magnified so that we needn't squint to read them). We also find out what really happened at the end of the story. Andersen was wrong. The Epilogue continues the tale as it really happened.

Excerpt from the epilogue:

Exactly at this moment, the original story of Thumbelina ends.

Look.

THE END.

Now you know exactly what happened and can write a book report, if you need to do that, or count this as part of your summer reading list. Nobody will mind if you just close the book and DO NOT READ ANOTHER WORD.

But to tell you the truth, there is something more.

This was a really cute book. I have not read Andersen's version of the story but I absolutely love the cartoon movie and can sing along with all of the songs. I even have Let Me Be Your Wings on my computer by Barry Manilow (which just saying it causes me to need to play it... it's so sweet and soothing). I think that Barbara Ensor must have known little Thumb in order to get this story so accurate. Although there were pictures throughout the book, I couldn't help but imagining the cartoon versions of each character in the scenes instead of the illustrated versions. This book is definitely more appropriate for young readers (I plan to show it to my 7 and 8 year old cousins), but it can be enjoyed by all readers if they can just believe in the magic that brings Thumbelina to life.

A-Z Challenge

completed - *Ensor, Barbara - Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride*

upcoming reviews - *Eclipse - Meyer*

*Breaking Dawn - Meyer*

currently reading *Fredericks, Mariah - The True Meaning of Cleavage*

brooke taylor contest

So Brooke Taylor (Undone) loves halloween and has decided to do a contest in honor of the holiday. Each week she has a different theme and will be giving gift bag giveaways for the theme. On halloween she will have big deal final contest. Check by her blog on Thursdays to enter!

October 2-9th: Vampires!
October 9-16th: Ghosts!
October 16-23rd: Zombies!
October 23rd-30th: Faeries!
October 31st: Paranormal Power Ball!