Being the dork I am, I would have loved to be at San Diego Comic Con this year. SDCC is one of the largest entertainment/comic/media conventions in the States. (And is SO Much fun to attend!) I even made a fantasy panel list. With the con just ending, I'm sure more videos will come up soon. For right now, here's clips to the Breaking Dawn panels from this year!
'Breaking Dawn: Part 1' Press Conference:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
It's nice to see them all smile. Hopefully, they brought that into the movie....
'Breaking Dawn: Part 1' Panel:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
You can't see them in the video very well, but the audio is good. Rob and Taylor are funny people!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday Five Favorites
I stumbled upon this new meme and thought I'd try it out. I love meme's that let us talk a little more about who we are and not just book related facts. Friday Five Favorites can be found at Living like the Kings blog. Join in on the fun!
Favorite cuisine: I am very addicted to perogies (with cheesy mashed potato's inside) and Pepperoni Pizza. Yum Yum! Other than that, I eat a lot of deli sandwiches.
Favorite vacation: Florence, Italy. I studied there for a month and LOVED it. Florence is such a beautiful city. It's located in a perfect place because you can venture out to so many adorable Tuscany towns, including Siena. Siena is my favorite place in the world. If you can go there, go there!
Favorite hobby: I love taking photos and, oddly enough, re-rooting doll heads. Check out last weeks FollowFriday/Book Blogger Hop meme for links to my doll collection/photography. :-)
Favorite Holiday tradition: Christmas Specials. There are a select few specials that I need to watch prior to Christmas for it to really feel like the holiday. The Muppet Family Christmas is a must watch every holiday season!
Favorite “the-baby’s-asleep-the-chores-are-done-now-what-shall-I-do” pastime: Well, I don't have a baby or a husband yet, but as far as past-times, I am prone to turning on the TV or hopping on the internet. I tend to obsess about certain shows, one being Doctor Who. If there is a marathon, I am there.
Favorite vacation: Florence, Italy. I studied there for a month and LOVED it. Florence is such a beautiful city. It's located in a perfect place because you can venture out to so many adorable Tuscany towns, including Siena. Siena is my favorite place in the world. If you can go there, go there!
Favorite hobby: I love taking photos and, oddly enough, re-rooting doll heads. Check out last weeks FollowFriday/Book Blogger Hop meme for links to my doll collection/photography. :-)
Favorite Holiday tradition: Christmas Specials. There are a select few specials that I need to watch prior to Christmas for it to really feel like the holiday. The Muppet Family Christmas is a must watch every holiday season!
Favorite “the-baby’s-asleep-the-chores-are-done-now-what-shall-I-do” pastime: Well, I don't have a baby or a husband yet, but as far as past-times, I am prone to turning on the TV or hopping on the internet. I tend to obsess about certain shows, one being Doctor Who. If there is a marathon, I am there.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Updates/Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday
Happy Hop! This week has been crazy hot in the midwest. We hit 103 degrees in our garage yesterday. Yikes! Thankfully, our air conditioning is kind of working-- keeping it at 80 degree's, which isn't great, but is better than 95!
Looking ahead, make sure to stop by the blog August 1-7th. I'll be participating in the August contest hop. :-) I have some fun things to giveaway. While I'm not going to give away any spoilers just yet, I'll give you a hint. The prizes have something to do with Stacey Kade's 'Queen of the Dead', the sequel to 'The Ghost and the Goth'. More details to be posted soon!
I'd like to post my condolences to Borders Books and Music. I worked at a Borders for six months. It was my introduction into retail, actually. While I was there for a short time, I will always have fond memories of my time spent there. Borders differs from Barnes and Noble in a few key ways. I'll miss the fantastic manga section that most Borders have. In the same respect, I'll miss the little extra bobbles that Borders sold-- anime figures, t-shirts, purses, Pocky, etc. I spent most of my paychecks on the extra's that my Borders sold than books, I think! Even today, I go in and buy some of their 'extra's from time to time. And let's not forget the Hand Crafted Black Cherry Soda... Yum. Whatever happens, I hope that the thousands of Borders employees who are eventually losing their job aren't shafted and end up where ever they have to end up to be happy.
This Week on the Blog:
Review: Ashes, Ashes
Top Ten Tuesday: Required Teen Reading
Borders Liquidation
And onto the hops:
Book Blogger Hop:
The question of the week is:
What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?
Answer: I'm not very good with contemporary fiction, teen or otherwise. There are some times I wish I could venture from my traditional suit of supernatural genre's, but nothing ever works out in my favor when I do that, so I've pretty much stopped.
Follow Friday:
The Question of the week is:
Name 3 Authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from.
Answer:
Susan Cooper- b/c she rocks. Seriously, The Dark is Rising Sequence is far too underrated here in the States. I would love to just hang out with her for a while and talk about Wales, writing, and The Old Ones!
Laura Whitcomb- b/c she seems like a pretty interesting lady. Her blog is filled with some great posts, including those on her Supernatural Tea Parties. All in all, she seems like a fun person to hang with for an hour. (Author of 'A Certain Slant of Light')
Stephenie Meyer- Yes. Make fun of me all you want, but I would love to meet Stephenie Meyer. And believe it or not, I would probably ask far more about 'The Host' than the Twilight Saga! Stephenie seems far more down to earth than other writers, so I think she'd be a blast to hang with. Plus, it would give me a chance to ask some questions about 'The Host' that have bugged me since reading it!
And that's this week in a nutshell. See you all next week!
Looking ahead, make sure to stop by the blog August 1-7th. I'll be participating in the August contest hop. :-) I have some fun things to giveaway. While I'm not going to give away any spoilers just yet, I'll give you a hint. The prizes have something to do with Stacey Kade's 'Queen of the Dead', the sequel to 'The Ghost and the Goth'. More details to be posted soon!
I'd like to post my condolences to Borders Books and Music. I worked at a Borders for six months. It was my introduction into retail, actually. While I was there for a short time, I will always have fond memories of my time spent there. Borders differs from Barnes and Noble in a few key ways. I'll miss the fantastic manga section that most Borders have. In the same respect, I'll miss the little extra bobbles that Borders sold-- anime figures, t-shirts, purses, Pocky, etc. I spent most of my paychecks on the extra's that my Borders sold than books, I think! Even today, I go in and buy some of their 'extra's from time to time. And let's not forget the Hand Crafted Black Cherry Soda... Yum. Whatever happens, I hope that the thousands of Borders employees who are eventually losing their job aren't shafted and end up where ever they have to end up to be happy.
This Week on the Blog:
Review: Ashes, Ashes
Top Ten Tuesday: Required Teen Reading
Borders Liquidation
And onto the hops:
Book Blogger Hop:
What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?
Answer: I'm not very good with contemporary fiction, teen or otherwise. There are some times I wish I could venture from my traditional suit of supernatural genre's, but nothing ever works out in my favor when I do that, so I've pretty much stopped.
Follow Friday:
The Question of the week is:
Name 3 Authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from.
Answer:
Susan Cooper- b/c she rocks. Seriously, The Dark is Rising Sequence is far too underrated here in the States. I would love to just hang out with her for a while and talk about Wales, writing, and The Old Ones!
Laura Whitcomb- b/c she seems like a pretty interesting lady. Her blog is filled with some great posts, including those on her Supernatural Tea Parties. All in all, she seems like a fun person to hang with for an hour. (Author of 'A Certain Slant of Light')
Stephenie Meyer- Yes. Make fun of me all you want, but I would love to meet Stephenie Meyer. And believe it or not, I would probably ask far more about 'The Host' than the Twilight Saga! Stephenie seems far more down to earth than other writers, so I think she'd be a blast to hang with. Plus, it would give me a chance to ask some questions about 'The Host' that have bugged me since reading it!
And that's this week in a nutshell. See you all next week!
Top Ten Tuesday- Required Reading
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by 'The Broke and the Bookish'. These weeks theme is required Required Teen Reading.
Now, my own high school reading experience was not my favorite. Reading has always been a fun thing for me, but the books we had to read in english? So.... Boring.... Couldn't.... Stand.... Any.... Of... Them! The list, I kid you not, was the exact same list that my father (who attended the same high school) had to read. And that is the problem with reading in your teens-- most kids only find themselves reading stuffy classics, which then turn them off of reading in general. At least, that's my take on it.
This list was particularly hard!!!!!
TopTen Five Teen Reads:
1-Enders Game by Orson Scott Card: I'm still surprised when people haven't read this book. It's an amazing story with so many elements that could very easily mirror what we see in society today.
2-Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: Why read this? Because it is a 'classic' that has an interesting story told in a more user friendly style than most Shakespearean tragedies. (No offence to those who actually enjoy Shakespeare intended!)
3-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Such a good story and one with a fantastic message.
4-Luna by Julie Anne Peters: This story is about a transgender male and his sister. It really is quite touching and opens the door to discussions on being okay with who you or others are.
5-The Outsiders by SE Hinton: Just like Enders Game, I'm surprised to hear when people haven't read this novel!
And there's my Top Five Teen Reads. These books are a handful of favorites. They all have some great messages and storywise-- they're spot on!
This list was particularly hard!!!!!
Top
1-Enders Game by Orson Scott Card: I'm still surprised when people haven't read this book. It's an amazing story with so many elements that could very easily mirror what we see in society today.
2-Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: Why read this? Because it is a 'classic' that has an interesting story told in a more user friendly style than most Shakespearean tragedies. (No offence to those who actually enjoy Shakespeare intended!)
3-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Such a good story and one with a fantastic message.
4-Luna by Julie Anne Peters: This story is about a transgender male and his sister. It really is quite touching and opens the door to discussions on being okay with who you or others are.
5-The Outsiders by SE Hinton: Just like Enders Game, I'm surprised to hear when people haven't read this novel!
And there's my Top Five Teen Reads. These books are a handful of favorites. They all have some great messages and storywise-- they're spot on!
Review: Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
Genre: YA, Dystopian, romance, survival
Perfect for: readers who don't mind stories with very little resolution
Star Rating: 1/5 stars
Taken from Goodreads, "Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her."
Forgive my frankness, but I didn't enjoy 'Ashes, Ashes' at all. And you know what? That disappoints me a bit. This is one instance where I really liked the cover and the title, but not the words or story inside. I didn't get into book blogging to 'bash' books, but I feel that I owe it to my readers to give my honest opinion of this title.
There were many flaws in 'Ashes, Ashes'. The most major flaw I found after reading the book beginning to end was that it didn't seem complete and I don't mean in a cliffhanger/series sort of way. I never felt like I knew enough about anything (characters, society, ethics of new world) to really care about the eventual conflict at the end of the novel. Even the anti-climatic conflict at the end of 'Ashes, Ashes' left me wondering, 'that's it?' and not in a good way. There was an undercurrent that was missing from the storytelling, is the best way I can describe it. It was like turning on a movie somewhere in the middle, watching 20 minutes of it, and then turning it off before the end. No real resolution anywhere.
The concept sounded (and still sounds) amazingly entertaining, but the execution of the novel just didn't work. If you're looking for a dystopian read, there are better choices out there. Try 'Enclave' by Ann Aguirre, 'The Big Empty' by J.B Stephens, or 'Life as We Knew It' by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
By no means do I want you to cast this off your 'to read' list. I don't recommend buying it, but if you see it at your local library and think it sounds interesting, then by all means, go for it. You never know, you may love it. I, however, did not. 'Ashes, Ashes' gets 1 out of 5 stars and can be found at your local library or bookstore.
(One last odd thing about this title-- the cover image posted here is not the final cover. The final cover has a model completely different looking. Ironically, the character from the tossed away cover is far more accurate to the book! Both images can be found on goodreads.)
Author: Jo Treggiari
Genre: YA, Dystopian, romance, survival
Perfect for: readers who don't mind stories with very little resolution
Star Rating: 1/5 stars
Taken from Goodreads, "Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her."
Forgive my frankness, but I didn't enjoy 'Ashes, Ashes' at all. And you know what? That disappoints me a bit. This is one instance where I really liked the cover and the title, but not the words or story inside. I didn't get into book blogging to 'bash' books, but I feel that I owe it to my readers to give my honest opinion of this title.
There were many flaws in 'Ashes, Ashes'. The most major flaw I found after reading the book beginning to end was that it didn't seem complete and I don't mean in a cliffhanger/series sort of way. I never felt like I knew enough about anything (characters, society, ethics of new world) to really care about the eventual conflict at the end of the novel. Even the anti-climatic conflict at the end of 'Ashes, Ashes' left me wondering, 'that's it?' and not in a good way. There was an undercurrent that was missing from the storytelling, is the best way I can describe it. It was like turning on a movie somewhere in the middle, watching 20 minutes of it, and then turning it off before the end. No real resolution anywhere.
The concept sounded (and still sounds) amazingly entertaining, but the execution of the novel just didn't work. If you're looking for a dystopian read, there are better choices out there. Try 'Enclave' by Ann Aguirre, 'The Big Empty' by J.B Stephens, or 'Life as We Knew It' by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
By no means do I want you to cast this off your 'to read' list. I don't recommend buying it, but if you see it at your local library and think it sounds interesting, then by all means, go for it. You never know, you may love it. I, however, did not. 'Ashes, Ashes' gets 1 out of 5 stars and can be found at your local library or bookstore.
(One last odd thing about this title-- the cover image posted here is not the final cover. The final cover has a model completely different looking. Ironically, the character from the tossed away cover is far more accurate to the book! Both images can be found on goodreads.)
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Bad News For Borders!
Attention Borders shoppers, you may want to read this article. I hope that something will happen that keeps Borders open, but the news isn't good... From what I gather, if a sale doesn't arise by Sunday, July 17th, the company will have to start a major (and quick) liquidation of all its stores.
Update: And it looks like Borders will be liquidating...
Update: And it looks like Borders will be liquidating...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Updates/Book Blogger Hop/Follow Friday
After an interesting week of having very little electricity, we are finally on the grid again. This week was originally dubbed 'Harry Potter Week', but it was cut short due to the power outage. I will be continuing to update with my scheduled Harry Potter updates, however!
This week on the blog:
Review: Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Kids
Harry Potter Meme Fun!
Video Rewind: Sorcerer's Stone
Fun Harry Potter Facts: Movie's 1 and 2
Funny or Die Trailer for Field of Dreams 2
I saw this video on Yahoo! and it made me laugh... I thought I'd share it here!
The question of the week is:
How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?
Answer: I usually get my books from the library first. I hardly ever buy debut titles from a store until I've read them and decided I want to collect the series.
The question of the week is:
What do you do when you're not reading?
Answer: Tons. I usually will chill in front of the tv watching something on Netflix (currently: re-watching old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the K-drama Boys Over Flowers) or be on the computer killing time doing this or that. Aside from staring at screens, I love shopping, re-rooting dolly heads (aka giving them new hair), or taking photos of things! You can see my some of my re-roots/photos on flickr! Recently, I've decided to go back into directing short documentaries and oral histories for fun...
Happy hop!
This week on the blog:
Review: Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Kids
Harry Potter Meme Fun!
Video Rewind: Sorcerer's Stone
Fun Harry Potter Facts: Movie's 1 and 2
Funny or Die Trailer for Field of Dreams 2
I saw this video on Yahoo! and it made me laugh... I thought I'd share it here!
And on to the Hops!
How/Where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?
Answer: I usually get my books from the library first. I hardly ever buy debut titles from a store until I've read them and decided I want to collect the series.
The question of the week is:
What do you do when you're not reading?
Answer: Tons. I usually will chill in front of the tv watching something on Netflix (currently: re-watching old school Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the K-drama Boys Over Flowers) or be on the computer killing time doing this or that. Aside from staring at screens, I love shopping, re-rooting dolly heads (aka giving them new hair), or taking photos of things! You can see my some of my re-roots/photos on flickr! Recently, I've decided to go back into directing short documentaries and oral histories for fun...
Happy hop!
Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Adventure, slight romance
Perfect for: male readers, fans of x-men type supernaturals
Star Rating: 4/5 stars
Taken from Goodreads, "A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive."
The first thing that grabbed me about 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' were the pictures. The cover, to start off with, is an attention grabber. The black and white photo of the levitating girl is macabre, haunting, and intriguing. If that cover isn't compelling enough to grab your attention, than no cover is! The photographs inside are equally compelling. They're just so neat to look at. To say the least, this book has made me more interested in sifting through vintage photographs if ever I see a bin of them. You never know what gems you may find... Or what stories may come from them.
As this book has a male protagonist, it is one you'll want to add to your 'books for reluctant readers' list! I found Jacob to be a great protagonist. He's a relatively older YA character, 16, but is a fine voice for those newer, younger YA readers. Author Ransom Riggs takes a pretty straight forward approach in telling his story about this group of supernaturals. It works well, the style, because with so much going on and so many discoveries being made, this story could have been lengthy and confusing, but somehow isn't. I found this story to be quite addicting, actually.
I'll admit that I did skim over some of the actiony bit's, because those (in almost every book I read) never keep my interest to the point of reading every word.
As this is the first in a series, not everything is answered. I'm still unsure of what I think of these 'time loops', the purpose of keeping these supernaturals hidden, or 'The Birds' intentions... Of course, a sign of a good book is that the reader forms opinions or wonders about certain future events, right?
I'm looking forward to the next installment of 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. This is going on my list of books to recommend to those looking for a fun, unique, supernatural read! 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Not convinced that this read is for you? Watch the book trailer!
Or for a bit of a making of....
I highly recommend watching both videos. This Riggs fellow seems like a really neat guy!
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: YA, Supernatural, Adventure, slight romance
Perfect for: male readers, fans of x-men type supernaturals
Star Rating: 4/5 stars
Taken from Goodreads, "A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive."
The first thing that grabbed me about 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' were the pictures. The cover, to start off with, is an attention grabber. The black and white photo of the levitating girl is macabre, haunting, and intriguing. If that cover isn't compelling enough to grab your attention, than no cover is! The photographs inside are equally compelling. They're just so neat to look at. To say the least, this book has made me more interested in sifting through vintage photographs if ever I see a bin of them. You never know what gems you may find... Or what stories may come from them.
As this book has a male protagonist, it is one you'll want to add to your 'books for reluctant readers' list! I found Jacob to be a great protagonist. He's a relatively older YA character, 16, but is a fine voice for those newer, younger YA readers. Author Ransom Riggs takes a pretty straight forward approach in telling his story about this group of supernaturals. It works well, the style, because with so much going on and so many discoveries being made, this story could have been lengthy and confusing, but somehow isn't. I found this story to be quite addicting, actually.
I'll admit that I did skim over some of the actiony bit's, because those (in almost every book I read) never keep my interest to the point of reading every word.
As this is the first in a series, not everything is answered. I'm still unsure of what I think of these 'time loops', the purpose of keeping these supernaturals hidden, or 'The Birds' intentions... Of course, a sign of a good book is that the reader forms opinions or wonders about certain future events, right?
I'm looking forward to the next installment of 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. This is going on my list of books to recommend to those looking for a fun, unique, supernatural read! 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Not convinced that this read is for you? Watch the book trailer!
Or for a bit of a making of....
I highly recommend watching both videos. This Riggs fellow seems like a really neat guy!
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