Memorial Day, Babies, and Graceling (What a Combo!)

Hello all of my little blogging friends!
I've got a couple of things to say today.

1) I just read this wonderful and very funny blog post written by the darling Emilia Plater over at YA Highway. It's called....
What to Expet When You're Expecting...A BOOK
It's comparing kids to books. For example, they both keep you up half the night. (I should know, I've got experience on both sides of the spectrum, and I assure you I've never been a book.)

2)While cruising some blogs, I picked up some Memorial Day themed stuff.
First off, I have this little video from my glorious buddy, YouTube.


Next is a poem from Photobucket:


And finally, a Vietnam-themed song that I have stuck in my head. It's called "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land". It's anti-war, by Phil Ochs (unless you're over 40 or me, I doubt you've heard of him)
Now, the only version I could find on YouTube was by this kid who got the lyrics wrong, so find your older brother/dad/mom/best friend's mom/neighbor/old age home and ask someone to sing it for you. Meanwhile, here are the lyrics, courtesy of Metro Lyrics

Lyrics | Phil Ochs Lyrics | White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land Lyrics

Now, if you thought that was actually it, you were WRONG! I've got another Ochs song, Is There Anybody Here? Once again, go find someone old to sing it to you.


Lyrics | Phil Ochs Lyrics | Is There Anybody Here Lyrics

And, I'd like to say that my grand-dad, RIP, was a soldier in WWII (I think). I didn't know him that well, and haven't heard any of his stories, unfortunately. He passed away last November.

And here's a flag:


3) (Finally!) Yesterday I forgot to post this question for my Graceling review, so it's here today. Quite an obvious question, actually:

If you could have any Grace, what would it be? And, what colors would your eyes be?

Peace and HAPPY M-DAY

Current Music: White Boots Marching in  Yellow Land by Phil Ochs

Current Mood: I haz a cold.

Graceling Review

I'd just like to start out with saying that I loved this book. I recently finished Fire, and, as usual, I'm going to review the first book in the series. Actually, the two work as stand-alones, but I just love Kristin's books too much to stop reading them. The second book, Fire, which I just finished, takes place roughly 35 years before Graceling. Reading it first is slightly spoilery. Bitterblue, scheduled, according to goodreads.com, to come out on April 1st (I'm not sure how definite this is) is still being written and takes place 6 years after Graceling. Fire lived up to my expectations, and if you've read one you should definitely read the other.


Blurby:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight — she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme, and in her case horrifying, skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace — or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.


Review:
There have been many great reviews for this book, and they're well-deserved. I may have mentioned this before, but often fantasy is plot- not character-driven. Here, much of what happens is Katsa and Po's own doing.
Katsa is a independent, fearsome and capable. Graceling is one of the rare reads that is slightly feminist. Meaning, when it comes to Katsa versus Po, she can beat him easily. Usually, the girl has to depend on the guy to help her, but not here.
You can see how Katsa and Po's relationship grows. That part is interesting.  It was kind of obvious, but it came about in an interesting way. The way Po braves it and admits he loves her is just....intense. I'd say more on this topic, but that would be spoilery, so I'll just say that he knows that she feels the same.
Even before they officially fall in love, he's so protective over her, even when she is more capable than him. They're perfect together :) Her refusal to marry is just an interesting tidbit thrown in.
There are twists and turns along the way, and many problems the two have to face. Those are plot-driven, but the duo take care of them well. Many books have predictable endings. But Graceling had a perfect ending. My only complaint is that I didn't want it to end.
Overall, I loved it.
********** 10 stars. WHY AREN'T YOU READING THIS RIGHT NOW!?!?!?
Visit Kristin Cashore at her blog, This Is My Secret.


Current Music: One- Glee version
Current Mood: BBQing. (or preparing to)


Peace

OMG and OH. MY. GODS.

*shrieks again

So I wasn't planning on reviewing Oh. MY. GODS. yet, but the occasions makes it necessary.
What occasion?  I know with my genius that you're thinking.
Well, it's an OMG moment right now. Because guess what wonderful ARC I won!
Three hints:
1) There's a counter for it on my page.
2) I mentioned it the other day on my book-to-movie list.
3) The world is desperate for it.
And (because I can't count), 4)There's a picture of it right here -->

YES I JUST WON AN ARC OF LINGER BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER.
*shrieks*
*continues shrieking*
I'll tell you this; I rarely shriek. When I won several book, I didn't shriek. When I won my iPod, I only OMG'ed. I got Linger and I shrieked. My mother nearly had a heart-attack. She said that she thought I had won this free summer camp thing. I said "Sorry. It's even better, just for me not you." (Okay, I didn't say that last part. )

Read on for my OH. MY. GODS. review.
*shrieks again*

Blurb-y:

When cross-country-running California girl Phoebe Castro finds out her mom is marrying a virtual stranger and moving them halfway around the world to Greece right before her senior year, she thinks her worst problem will be missing out on fun times with her two best friends. But when they arrive on Serfopoula, her new stepdad tells her that all the students at the Academy—the ultra-elite private school which happens to be the same one founded by Plato more than two thousand years ago—are all super-powerful descendants of the gods. Missing her friends is the least of her problems.

My Review:

In all honesty, I don't remember this book too well, but I'll do my best.

I really enjoyed this. It was funny with a cute ending. Definitely something you want to read a sequel of.

I love snarky main characters, and Phoebe pulled that off. I like the way her relationship develops with Griffin.

I did have a bit of a problem with the way her mother disappeared for a week and came back engaged. That just didn't make the least bit of sense.

I personally find Greek mythology very interesting; an added bonus to reading this book.

I'm keeping this review short today since I'm not sure what to say.

****4 stars

Current Song: Rose's Turn & Run Joey Run -Glee Cast version of both songs

Current Mood: Happy with the adrenaline pumping.

peace!

Looking Forward Friday

So, in honor of the Pretty Little Liars TV Show, I'm going to post some books that are turning into movies that I'm looking forward to...

1)Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is going to be made into a movie. It's in the early stages of planning, currently. Unique features of Warner Bros. has the rights to it. Richard LaGravanese will write, and Erwinn Stoff will produce it. Here is the original article.

2)Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Unique Features has the right to this movie too. Producers Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne are in charge of this one.

3) Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins. Lionsgate has aquired the filming rights. Nina Jacobson produces.




And some congratulations are in order...
I've been meaning to mention this, but I keep forgetting. As I'm sure you heard, the one and only Ms Elana Johnson's book, CONTROL ISSUES got signed. Unfortunately, I don't have the pleasure of knowing Elana personally, but I've heard she's a wonderful person, and very deservant of this. Congrats, Elana!

Winning On Wednesday and Some Books to Come!

Well, today I'm going to be doing a bit of advertising xD
The peeps over at YA Highway are having contests!

Kirsten Hubbard, blogger over at Wandergirl, is giving away some pretty little moleskin journals.
http://www.kirstenhubbard.com/2010/05/prizes-prizes-prizes-omg-prizes.html

Michelle Schusterman is giving away Of ALL THE STUPID THINGS, an ARC!
http://michelleschusterman.com/2010/05/26/alert-alert-arc-giveaway/

Kristin D Miller of Long Distance Drive is giving away YOU WISH
http://www.kristindmiller.com/2010/05/you-wish.html

And, even more awesome, YA Highway, a group of YA authors, is giving away bunches of books, including LINGER; MOCKINGJAY; THE REPLACEMENT; books with journals; mysterious BEA packages  AND MORE!
http://www.yahighway.com/2010/05/yah-anniversary-giveaway-day-1-read.html

• Since I owe you some reviews, I'll be jotting some stuff down later today, probably, and over the next few days.
• Oh, and my trip (to DC, for those who forgot) was awesome. We got a day off school today because we're so beat. (Who actually sleeps on school trips?)
• I'm going to be at the library later today, I think. Getting: LIGHTNING THIEF (Rick Riordan); SCRIBES FROM ALEXANDRIA (Caroline Lawrence); ELSEWHERE (Grabrielle Zevin); WILLOW (Julia Hoban); GODDESS BOOT CAMP (Tera Lynn Childs); and RAVENPAW'S PATH bk 2 (Erin Hunter). Reviews on most to come!

Current Song: Me, You, and My Medication by Boys Like Girls
Current Mood: Hungry and a bit jumpy

Peace!

When I Discover Publishing Times...

Hey all! I've just now come up with the genius idea to write a post and save it to go live tomorrow (well, today since you're reading this on Tuesday even though I'm writing it on Monday).
In truth I'm really freaked about the whole idea of it. I mean, as you read this I'm miles from my computer on a trip.
When this post is being published for all of my lovely stalkers followers, I'm sleeping in a hotel room I'm sharing with some schoolmates (Well, maybe less sleeping and more partying.)
Furthermore, since my school does not trust us, they duct-tape our hotel room doors shut, so there's no going out to visit a different room, and no big parties.
Which stinks, to be blunt.
So, since I've got to leave soon and I'm actually writing this post BEFORE my Monday one, I'll sign off now.

Current Music: No iPod allowed on the trip :(
Current Mood: Presumably hyper...

See ya in person (sorta) soon!!!!!

Bon Voyage!

Since I'm useless at French I'll quit there.
I'm leaving very soon, so for now I'll just tell you a bit about something French (besides Fries [which are delicious {usually}].)
I had some cousins over from Canada, so we had a big shopping trip in the city, since they're tourists. We visited the wonderful Forever 21, and I picked up this wonderful green "Fly Free" jacket with the words, "Butterflies are free" and "les butterflies sont libres". Those two phrases are the color you see in the middle. Around the rim of that, it says, "Beau Domme Un Papillon"
Click here for the link-y to it at Forever 21

Well, I've got to go. Bon Voyage!

Current Music: I have Panic! At The Disco stuck in my head. I don't remember what it's called but something about a "therapeutic chain of events"
Current Mood: Tired from poor sleep last night

Ingo Review

So, today I'm reviewing Ingo by Helen Dunmore. This book was first published in England, and then here in the U.S. It's juvenile fiction.

Blurb (as per Helen Dunmore's site):
Sapphire and her brother Conor live on the Cornish coast in a cottage on the cliff-tops. One day just after Midsummer Eve, their lives change for ever when their father disappears while out in his boat one evening.
Everyone else thinks he has drowned, especially when his upturned boat, the Peggy Gordon, is found wedged between rocks at the foot of the cliffs a few miles down the coast. But Sapphire and Conor believe he is still alive, and they make a vow never to give up their search until they find him.
Through their quest for their father Sapphire and Conor discover that they have the power to enter the mysterious world of Ingo. They meet a Mer brother and sister, Faro and Elvira, and voyage deeper and deeper into the world beneath the sea, where you travel by surfing currents and must learn the ways of dolphins, sharks and whales. Soon they are drawn far away from their life in the Air. Sapphire and Conor learn that although they are human, they also have Mer ancestry. When they are in Ingo their Mer blood grows strong, and they have powers they never knew they possessed .


My Review:
Ingo was a pretty good book, overall. I liked the characters and the level of mystery. I felt that a lot could be done to improve the writing. One thing that really threw me off was her swear replacement. I remember that one character got mad at the main character, and he said something like, "I don't care at all about #%$*&@* Ingo!" In the book, Dunmore actually used an ansterisk, a pounce sign, etc. I read this book a few years ago and it didn't seem so out of place, but several weeks ago when I reread it it threw me off.
Another thing; this may just be me being an idiot, but I couldn't figure out how old the main character, Sapphire was. She was somewhere between ten and twelve, but I can't tell exactly how old. That kept me always wondering throughout the whole book.
I love the plot of this book. If the writing were better, and if it were YA, it would be wonderful. When I say that it should be YA,  I mean that the characters should be older and also with a bit of romance. If it were YA, I think this book would attract a larger audience-even though it's already won several prizes. It's a good fantasy read  if you're looking for something with an entertaining and ingenious plot, but not such strong character development and the like.


***3 stars


Current Music: None, surprisingly
Current Mood: A bit sleepy


I probably won't be able to post tomorrow. I'm going on a trip until Tuesday night.


RR

Shout Out

Since I don't have time to do a real post tonight, I'm going to give a little shout-out to my 14 stalkers followers. :)
Hopefully I'll get some more soon :)

RR

Failing On Friday & Tangled Review

Well, I'm failing to post reviews for both Tangled and Oh. My. Gods. But, I do have the review for Tangled and a little something else.

1) I just won If I Stay by Gayle Forman from the wonderful Candace of  The Misadventures in Candyland. It's coming by Snail Mail...eventually.


2) Tangled by Carolyn Mackler.

Blurby:

Paradise wasn’t supposed to suck.

Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean. Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.

It will change Jena, whose first brush with romance takes her that much closer to having a life, and not just reading about those infinitely cooler and more exciting. It will change Dakota, who needs the devastating truth about his past to make him realize that he doesn’t have to be a jerk just because people think he’s one. It will change Skye, a heartbreakingly beautiful actress, who must come to terms with the fact that for once she has to stop playing a role or face the consequences. And it will change Owen, who has never risked anything before and who will take the leap from his online life to a real one all because of a girl he met at Paradise….

From confused to confident and back again, one thing’s certain: Four months after it all begins, none of them will ever be the same.

My Review:

I didn't like it, overall. It starts out with the POV of one character, on Paradise (Jena). You're introduced to all of the characters through Jena, even though she doesn't talk to all of them.

The next POV is Dakota, who you meet through Jena, obviously. I don't think that his stay at Paradise affected him at all. He didn't think about Paradise, much, and I don't think what he did there affected his actions much, and definitely not on his overall actions.

Then you have Skye. I think she's a selfish brat. Her story is about her feelings. (I'm trying not to be spoilery here) Her father has nothing to do with what happens to her. She just pulls him pointlessly into the story. She feels the way she does because she sees a dress. And Paradise did not affect her at all, really, except for something that Jena found out about.

Last is Owen. I'll credit this to Carolyn: She pulls it all full circle, bringing Jena back into the picture. Thinking back on it, Owen had a pretty interesting story.

One thing I would have liked to see in this book: I would have liked to see Dakota and Jena meet up again, just so he could admit his jerkiness. (Is that a word?)

RR Out

Current Music: The Minstrel's Prayer by Cartel

Current Mood: rant-ish

**2

After Midnight Thursday Cheat Post

I'm cheating. It's already Friday, but here's my Thursday post.
Reviews Coming Up: Tangled by Carolyn Mackler & Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lyn Childs.
Currently Reading: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher


Current Mood: Sleepy and Music-Filled
Current Music: Wasted by Cartel (notice how all of my songs are the same band?)

*RR Signing Out*

Two Things On Tuesday

AKA: 2TOT

1) I won't be posting tomorrow, but a review is coming Thursday night, hopefully, for Ingo by Helen Dunmore (not YA) and possibly Tangled by Caroline Mackler.

2) As I've just finished Ingo book two, I started Tangled by Caroline Mackler. In all honesty, I'm not really in the mood for this romantic YA. When I check on Friday, I want to hear what you want me to read next. Choices are:

Artemis Fowl

Maximum Ride

Seekers bk 4

Oh. My. Gods.

Wings

Incarceron

Iron King

Pendragon bk 4

Hex Hall (rather not read yet)

Gorgeous

Triskaidek (rather not read yet)

All of these, except Triskaidek, can be view at the bottom of my blog. Take your pick and post in the comments!

*flees*

The "Let's Talk" Blogfest

The Fiction Groupie is hosting a blogfest! Write a snippet of dialogue.
I'm not good at doing dialogue-on-demand (also known as DOD). But what the hey, here goes:

***
"Very graceful, Damien," I said, smiling. I held out my hand to help him stand.
He pulled himself up alone. "It's your fault, Lilac."
"Mine? How is it MY fault?"
"Simple. Who insisted we go ice-skating?"
"Well, you know..."
He smirked. "Exactly." But then he pulled me into a hug.
"But you know how important this is to me, Damien."
He raised an eyebrow. He was playing with me, I knew. He knew exactly what was so important.
Well, I played along.
I skated around him and did a little twirl. "I've got that major competition later."
"I don't care if you lose."
"But I do," I said softly.
He squeezed my hand. "You can still drop out, and it won't change how I feel about you."
I pulled away. "I can't. You know that. This means a lot to me, and they won't let me quit that easily."
"I just don't want to see you get hurt," he said. His face remained emotionless. Mostly. His eyes betrayed his feelings. Worry. Concern.
He pulled me into a hug and I rested my hands on his muscular chest and my head on his shoulder.
"I can't quit," I whispered. I felt a twinge of something; like I did want to quit if only to make him happy.
"We can leave. Come back later. You can still change your mind. They can't force you to do anything," he murmured into my hair.
I pulled away, suddenly angry. "I've made my decision," I snapped. I didn't wait for his reply. I just turned my back to him and skated away. I know he followed because I heard a thud as he fell down again.
I took my skates off and walked in my socks to the rental place where I'd left my shoes. I remembered too late that Damien had our tickets. I decided to try anyway.
The young man standing in the rental booth had a name tag that read "Clark". I greeted him with-yes, I admit it-the whole Superman thing, ("Hey, Superman, where's your cape?" He replied: "The name's Clark Johnson." Harsh.) then went into full-scale pretty-and-ditzy-girl mode to try to get my shoes back. Unfortunately, Clark was in full-on business-mode. I stopped when a girl walked up, went behind the counter, and let him kiss her. No wonder he was ignoring me.
Damien soon appeared. He got me my shoes and didn't bother trying to talk to me yet. I couldn't run anyway. He was on the track team.
We walked over to a bench. "Lil," he said softly. I shut my eyes and focused on his hand as he gently pushed a stray hair away from my face. "Lil, this is dangerous. Not just any skating competition. It's for people looking for a thrill. People willing to risk their lives. Please don't enter. Please."
I opened my eyes again and looked into his soft blue ones. I was named after my purple eyes, and he always said that's what made him, the school's track star and resident jock, notice me, the girl sitting all by herself at the side.
I nodded my head slowly. "Okay. I won't do it." He hugged me tight and softly kissed me.
"I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," he whispered into my ear.
I might have imagined it, but I thought I felt something wet, a tear, on my shoulder, where he'd rested his head.
***

This is VERY random. I had no idea what I would write until I'd written it. I put down that first line, decided her boyfriend fell down, then chose an ice-skating rink and competition out of the blue.
The whole Clark thing? I read a blog post a short while ago about Tom Welling as Clark Kent...

Current Mood: bored + mildly restless
Current Music: Purple Rain by Prince (just those two words on repeat) + Heels Over Head by Boys Like Girls

*RR has left the building*

Dawn, Twilight, and Other Times of Day

I know I haven't been blogging lately, but that's because I've been thinking about what to blog.
So this thing isn't going to fail [yet].

I'm going to skip the synopsis of this book, since I assume you all know it. If not, climb out of your hole and make your way over to Amazon's Twilight Page.
So, I read this book a couple of months ago. I admit; it's a page-turner. I was talking to my sis a short while ago, and she doesn't know why it is. I think the writing is okay. I think the plot is okay, if a little bland. I think the characters are terrible. I think that the back-story of many of the characters is interesting. There's something about this book that makes you start the next chapter even though it's 3:00 AM. I think it's mainly the, "What happens next?" aspect of it. Even if a book or movie isn't that good, sometimes you're just plain curious. And I think Twilight is one of those books.

I mentioned my dislike of the characters before. What I mean is, all the characters are too perfect, or flawed in the wrong way.
Take Bella Swan for example; she's beautiful, kind, thoughtful, selfless and smart. Her only flaw? Her klutziness.
Edward Cullen: He's strong, smart, talented, gifted, fast, perfect, and best at everything. Meyer shows him having no real flaw. But, he is flawed; but not in the way Meyer meant him to be. He's controlling, selfish, and over-protective. He took the engine out of his girlfriend's car to keep her from visiting her friend.
Then you have Jacob Black. He's funny, considerate and friendly. But he's also selfish and obnoxious. What kind of boy black-mails the girl he loves into kissing him?

I think the plot is interesting. Vampire loves girl. Girl loves vampire. Wolf loves same girl. Same girl loves wolf too. This could get old after a while, but I find it interesting. I also liked how, in book four, you heard a bit from Jacob's POV.
I think Meyer does a good job at channeling all her humor into one character. She doesn't make her book humorous, but instead she has one character with all the jokes. What comes to mind when I think of this is Maggie Stiefvater's Lament. It's told from the POV of Deirdre Monaghan, but her best friend, James, holds all humor. Similarly, in the Twilight Saga, all of the humor is focused around Jacob Black. I find this a good choice because it doesn't ruin the feeling of the story, but at the same time it releases the tension that "Twihards" (ardent fans of Twilight) feel. For this reason, one of my favorite scenes is in book three, I think, when Bella is sleeping in the tent and Edward and Jacob are arguing about keeping her warm. Along with that, the line I find funniest is Jake's nickname for Carlisle; "Dr. Fang".
Anyways, I find that the series is, overall, average, and is so popular because teenage girls are looking for a little romance and the perfect boyfriend.
What bugs me most about the effect of the book? The werewolves. Since Twilight, people seem to think that werewolves are humans that change at will, like our friendly native-american-reservation-in-the-middle-of-a-town wold shifters. To all of my dear readers, if you're looking for a real werewolf, look to our resident WW, Remus John Lupin. (All questions can be directed by e-mail to me and I'll ask Remus personally. My contact info is below)

Anyways, that's my opinion of Twilight.
Until next time,
RR
****4 Stars

Current Mood: Calm
Current Music: Lucky St. by Cartel

Thursday Thoughts: The Hunger Games

As promised, I'm reviewing the Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

Blurb:

COULD YOU SURVIVE ON YOUR OWN, IN THE WILD, WITH EVERYONE FIGHTING AGAINST YOU?

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.


I actually love this book. I think it's well-written and poses like-able characters. I do think the book is plot-driven, but that is a necessity as part of the games. You see Katniss' consideration and daring from the beginning. I also like how romance is a necessity in the book. It's not a common theme, like in any plain YA romance, but it's a key plot device.
I find the way Haymitch, District 12's drunk mentor, is portrayed is interesting and humorous. He's condescending, genius, drunk, and sober all at the same time.
As for as characters go, I like certain side characters. Gale, Rue and even Haymitch. The way Katniss constantly  compares Peeta to Gale could be irritating, by Suzanne Collins balances it out perfectly.
The book has some basic themes: loyalty, friendship, love, family, faith. I definitely recommend it, and I look forward to book three, Mockingjay. (Book two is Catching Fire.) I hope I don't keel up and die from impatience as I await August 24th. This trilogy is definitely on my wish list!

I may have my sister or a friend of mine guest-write a mini-review for this. Both R (classmate) and T (sis) are reading it.
RR
********8 Stars

Current Music: Fortunate by Cartel
Current Mood: Calm

Top Three Reasons I Love Lulu

1) Books
2) More Books
3) Triskaidek

Just over an hour ago I got Triskaidek by Basil Sprig. Soon I'll review it, but for now, pictures!
Oh by the way, it's SIGNED!!!

Package

(Yes, I have covered up the addresses)

Camp Fae Stamp

There's a picture on the label :)

It's coming out...

And here it is!!

Hugging Triskaidek

(There's the bracelet again!)

Since the side is simple, here's a view of the back!

Enjoy and make sure you check out Triskaidek and Basil Sprig's blog!

Hunger Games review coming later today, probably.

RR

Beautiful Creatures & Darkness

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, authors of the Incredible Gatlin County books, are giving away an ARC of Beautiful Darkness (The second one)
http://castergirls.com/beautiful-darkness-arc-giveaway/ 


WHY READ BC?
I'll be honest. When I first saw BC, I had doubts. I mean, "A secret meant to be kept"? Sounsd cliche, right?
Wrong. BC was incredible. No, it wasn't about vampires. The two authors write their debut novel from a boy's POV, and do it well. The book takes place in the south, and is not just fantasy, it incorporates Civil War history. And not in the dull falling-asleep-on-my-desk-when-is-this-history-lesson-over? way. It's fascinating and a must read for fantasy lovers.


********8 stars

Probably the Most Awesome Book in the World, From the Most Awesome Author in the World

Maggie Stiefvater is coming out with Linger soon! *Insert scream here*
Watch her awesome video that she made and tell me that you honestly don't want to read this! (She spent 60 hours on this trailer)



http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/


RR

**********10 Stars

Dear Amazon, I love you

Dear Amazon,
Thank you for your wonderfulness and speedy delivery. (Though, it could always be speedier when it's a book!)

Love,
RR

I just got Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins from Amazon. I won it on the wonderful Kasie West's blog (http://kasiewest.blogspot.com/). In general, I don't buy books often (I'm a poor teenager), and I love new books smell. So, here's a few pictures of Hex Hall:

Amazon!!

I cheat. I've already opened the box.

Hex Hall

Side view

Hugging Hex Hall

(You'll note my blue bracelet)

Yay! Books!

Note: Soon I'll be blogging about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I may have a comment from a classmate of mine, who's going to borrow it. I'll also soon be getting Trsikaidek by Basil Sprig.

Current Music:  Seize the Day-Newsies

Current Mood: Nervous

RR

Fifteen Fun Facts About Me

My life is bland, and I'm sure you don't want to hear about it. All you could ever want is in the sidebar; my interests (sleep), my favorite movie (Disney), my favorite music (boy bands), etc. So here's Fifteen Fun fActs About Me!

1)I have three scars on my forehead, all sorta parallel. They're at an angle. Facing me, it's right to left, sloping down. My right eyebrow: corner of my mother's night table. Center of my forehead (aka my harry potter scar): car accident. Left eyebrow: I've no idea.

2)I'm probably the world's worst comedian. It runs in my family, unfortunately.

3) Eighth grade yearbook editor.

4) I have a blue camo bracelet that I never take off (well, except to shower)

5) I <3 swords

6) I have been inside the eye of the storm, and it's flippin' awesome/terrifying

7) I love Oldies Music

8) I love music

9) Rain Man is an awesome movie, even though it's ancient

10) I saw Ashton Kutcher on TV before anyone, including myself, knew who Ashton Kutcher was (That 70's Show)

11) Honey Nut Cheerios are waaay better than regular ones

12) The first novel I wanted to right started out as a fifth grade short story. In sixth grade, I went to work on it. It was about feral cats. I quit halfway through seventh grade and moved onto "adult" stuff, like teenagers overthrowing powerful governments (<----example of my horrible comedy)

13) I'm just about the least-popular kid in my grade

14) I walk nearly 1 1/2 miles every day to get home from school

15) I can't sing or dance to save my life