Monthly Archives: June 2011

Fruits Basket, Volume 4

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Book: Fruits Basket, Volume 4 by Natsuki Takaya

Pages And Format: 216/Paperback

My Thoughts: This installment of Fruits Basket was another fun read.  We finally get introduced to Akito, the head of the Sohma family.  The rest of the family wonders how it’ll affect Yuki and how he’ll deal with Tohru.  We also meet Ayame, who is the snake in the Zodiac.  Ayame is also Yuki’s older brother.  They don’t get along, and there’s a definite contrast between the two brothers.  Tohru also visits her mother’s grave on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, and Kyo and Yuki are surprised when Arisa, Hanajima and Tohru have a graveside picnic.

There’s a page at the end devoted to the year of the dog, and the interview with the author that started in volume 3 continues in this volume.  She mostly talks about her love of video games, which any fan of the manga knows because of the random notes scattered throughout the series.  She also talks about how she came up with the idea for Fruits Basket- Tohru just appeared one day while she was finishing up her last series.

I really do like Fruits Basket, and I think everyone should read it!  The artwork keeps getting better and better.

My Rating: 5 out of 5.  The artwork keeps getting better, and I love the story.

Fruits Basket, Volume 3

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Book: Fruits Basket, Volume 3 by Natsuki Takaya

Pages and Format: 2oo Pages/Paperback

My Thoughts: I still love Fruits Basket!  In Volume 3, Kyo and Yuki get a lot of chocolate from the girls at school for Valentine’s Day.  Tohru spends a lot of her money on chocolate for the Sohma family, and can’t pay her deposit for the class trip until later in the month.  She also goes on a trip to an onsen with Momiji, Kyo and we meet the mother of one of the zodiac members.  Plus, we also meet Hatsuharu, who is the ox.

I’m still impressed with the artwork, and at the end, there’s an interview with the author, as well as some artwork some fans sent in.  It was interesting to learn that she doesn’t write out a full script, and just writes straight from her notes.  She also works all day, stopping only to eat.

I know there’s cool stuff like this at the end of each volume, so I’m looking foward to re-discovering that.

Rating: 5 out of 5.  It’s definitely one of the lighter one’s, but there are also some dark undercurrents…which come from Shigure oddly enough.  Overall, it was really fun to read!

Today Is Going To Be A Cooking Day

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Yesterday, I decided that I needed to cook today.  I know I’m making brownies, and I have a few things I’m thinking about making.  Hopefully, they’ll turn out well.  The baking I did turned out really well, but as for the actual food…not so much.  I’ve been watching the food network over the last couple days, and it’s making me hungry!

I decided to check out a couple cookbooks from the library, which is something I thought I would never do.  Mainly because I don’t want to get anything on them…but at the same time, it’ll be a good way to test out cookbooks before I actually buy them.  And checking them out works just fine because I’m already starting to get bored with the cookbooks I already have.  Someday, I like to have a decent collection of cookbooks, and I’d like a few of them to focus on baking!  I definitely want the Bread Baker’s Apprentice and Baking: From My Home To Yours, and I definitely want to see what else is out there…and maybe I’ll find a few people that I love as much as I love Rachael Ray!

I think that’s it for now, so I’m off to bed!  I’ll share what happens with the whole cooking day sometime this week!

Libraries Are Awesome

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I’ve been to the library several times over the last week, and got so much done!  I finished a few books I was reading, I worked on my blog a little, and I did most of my writing for the week!  Oh, and I looked at a consanguinity chart too, and managed to make sense of it.

It’s nice and quiet, there are comfy chairs, tables, free wi-fi and outlets!  The outlet part is especially important because the battery in my laptop is pretty much dead, and I can’t afford a new one, which means that I am attached to the power cord at all times.  It tends to be inconvenient when I want to work on something at a place that is not called my house, since I need an outlet, and most places don’t seem to have a lot of outlets.  If they have any at all, that is.  I mean, I can write out some notes or an outline or brainstorm…but if I want to actually work on one of my novels, I need to be plugged in to do so.  It’s not that big of a deal, because it nevers hurt to brainstorm, but at the same time, I can’t access any of my typed notes.  I did write down the notes I had typed up, so at least I have a written copy in my binder.  And looking at my notes when brainstorming could help me come up with ideas.

Now that I’m done whining about how my battery is dead, I don’t know why I didn’t think of adding my library to the list of place to go to.  Coffeeshops are also good places, but it’s harder to justify staying at a coffeeshop for a few hours.  At least for me- and I tend to get slightly more distracted at a coffeshop than at the library…the library is a magical place.  I feel like I have to be productive at the library, especially when I look around and see people studying and stuff.

I think that’s enough rambling for now.  There’s no doubt I’ll be rambling about something else soon!

I Was More Productive Than I Thought I Would Be

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I got a bunch of writing done-  not a big surprise, but I am managing to write in months that aren’t November, which is a big achievement.  Plus, I’m very slowly working on projects in months that are not October, which is also an achievement, because it gives me time to think, and plan (at least a little).  I never considered myself much of a planner when it comes to NaNo, but the one project that I had the least trouble with last year is the one I had the most notes on…which is especially strange, since I went into November with some vague ideas.  Notes are good, at least in a very limited experience.  I don’t know if I’ll outline or not, but at the very least, a list of potential conflicts is necessary.  And right now, I’m all about trying new things, so maybe I’ll eventually work my way up to a very vague outline.  Anyhoo, I wrote just under 2000 words last week!

I only worked on one character from my funeral plot bunny, which is okay.  I used a different worksheet for Hannah, which I like as much as the last one.  There are some similarities, but some differences too.  Maybe I’ll combine questions from both for future plot bunnies.  I definitely want to have some kind of profile/biography for most of the family members, even if it’s only one page.  It’ll be a lot to work on, but I figure if I do 2-3 week, I should be able to get through most of them by November.

I worked a little on my pact plot bunny- I have a bunch of different ideas and thoughts and possibilities, so there’s a lot to think about!  I have a few lists to make, and I’ll work on those this week.  I just need to pick something, but I have no clue what I want to go with right now.  Lists might help with that.

There’s not much to report on the weight-loss front- I stayed the same, which is okay.  At least I didn’t gain anymore weight.  But honestly, I’m not exactly trying either.  I don’t want to go to the gym, because I’m lazy.  And not even my biggest loser workouts are appealing right now.  I’ve been eating okay, but not as good as I could.  I did make a bunch of food this month, but unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the food I made.  The desserts were fine…unfortunately, I can’t live off dessert.  And I don’t have a big sweet tooth anyway.  It is part of my food experiment though- I will come across things I don’t like, but I’ve also made things I love, so it all balances out.  And how will I know if I like or dislike something if I don’t make it?

Speaking of things I like, I went to the library a couple times last week, and I was super productive!  I got reading done, and most of my writing too.  I might not be able to eat in the library, but I sure am productive!

Magic Steps

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Book: Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce

Pages/Format: 262/Hardcover

My Thoughts: Magic Steps is the first book in The Circle Opens quartet.

Sandry discovers a boy who can dance magic, and as the mage who discovered his power, she is the one who must be his teacher.  Sandry and her uncle, however, learn that there is someone who is stalking some local merchants.  This killer has some very strange magic- an ability to reduce essence to nothingness.

I love the whole premise of novel, and found the unusual forms of magic different from the few fantasy books I’ve read.  It was a little slow in the beginning, but the pace picked up, and I found myself wanting to read more.  I definitely want to read the rest of the books- at first I thought I wouldn’t like the book, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.  The circle opens quartet is the sequel to her circle of magic quartet. 

I found the character of Lark to be the most interesting and I wished she had appeared in the book more.  The characters weren’t really developed in this one, although that’s probably because they were developed in the first series. 

I do wish there were more details on how the dancing magic worked.  How magic works may well have been covered in the first series, and it certainly seems like Pierce assumes the reader has read the first series.  There were enough details for anyone new to her circle of magic books to understand what was going on…but not a lot.  While it’s not necessary to have read the circle of magic in order to understand this one, it would be a good idea just to know how the characters came to be. 

Rating: 3 out of 5.  Interesting book, and the world she built is fascinating.

The Evolution Of A Family Tree

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Today’s post is how my family tree has evolved over the last couple weeks or so.

The Basic Structure Of My Family Tree

The picture above is the basic structure of the family.  It starts off with Chastity, who is the great-grandmother, and goes from there.  I wanted to do it in pencil so I could erase things as needed.  It’s a little bit messy, but it works.

Rough Draft, Version One Of The Family Tree

This picture is the first version of the tree, complete with names.  Except for the one section that doesn’t have names, because I didn’t give myself enough room…and I didn’t feel like changing it so I could have enough room.  Plus, I needed to redo the tree since it was still a little funky.  Still in pencil, but that’s because it’s easier to change things if it’s all in pencil.

Family Tree, Version 2 Of The Rough Draft

And this is the most recent tree, with names for most everyone…the only exceptions being the four unnamed children, who will probably have a few mentions.  I also have a few notes- mostly on who’s dead, which will be a good reference for the different funerals they’ll all be going to.  Plus, I have a note on who’s divorced and a note that someone’s a single parent.  It’s still in pencil, thank goodness, because I did have to make a couple changes to it.  I still don’t like how it’s formatted, but it’s better than the previous draft.  I think what I need to do is have a bigger version, which will probably help.

For the super final version (that hasn’t happened yet), I’ll probably do different colors to distinguish between the different branches.  I’m going to put off that super final version on posterboard until October in case things change between now and then.  And honestly, that’s highly likely, depending on what I come up with.  I know posterboard isn’t expensive, but I really don’t want to buy it until I have to.

Honestly, I’m so glad I have a list of names I like, because it was really helpful to have a list I could pick from.  I tried to make the names as different as I could, which didn’t always work in some cases.  But I’m not too worried since, I’m going to focus on only a few people anyway.  Writing it all out definitely helped me in terms of how they’re all related.  I took a look at a basic family tree detailing how cousins are related, and it makes a lot more sense now that I have names I can attach to each spot on the chart.

I think this novel is definitely going to be an adventure!

And on a random side-note:

Pottermore has finally been revealed!  I’ve been waiting to see what it is, and it’ll be the only place to get an e-reader version of the series.  Plus, JKR has a lot of unused info concering the series, so that will be revealed too!  It sounds awesome and I can’t wait until October, when everything will be set to go.

Dragon’s Keep

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Book: Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey

Pages/Format: 302/Hardcover

My Thoughts: Dragon’s Keep is about Rosalind, who is a princess destined to fulfill a 600-year-old prophecy from Merlin.  She is born with one dragon’s talon, which her mother desperately tries to get rid of.  When she reveals it to a dragon on the island where she lives, she is taken by the dragon, and learns of her mother’s treachery and her dragon blood.

The story moved pretty slow, but I really wanted to know why Rosalind was born with a dragon’s talon.  It was indicated that Rosalind’s mother (the Queen) did something before/during her pregnancy which resulted in the dragon’s talon.  It turns out that her mother sucked on a dragon egg in order to have Rosalind.

I didn’t particularly care for most of the last third of the book- she’s taken by Lord Faul (a dragon), and raises his children because it was a fair trade for the knights who killed his mate.  She learns dragontongue, but one of the things I found most interesting was the Queen’s role in Rosalind’s dragon talon.  We learned several chapters earlier that Demetra got a dragon egg that the Queen ate, which helped her become pregnant with Rosalind.  The Queen also had a backup plan- her servant Aliss was also pregnant, and if the queen didn’t become pregnant, she’d pretend she was, and take Aliss’s child Kit, who later becomes a friend/servant to Rosalind.

The one thing I thought was odd was that no one questioned why Rosalind wore gloves all the time- even her father didn’t seem to notice.  I get she’s a princess, and for all we know, it could have been a custom for royalty to wear gloves, but at the same time, I still find it slightly odd that no one seems to care that she’s constantly wearing gloves.

I still don’t completely understand the dragon talon thing- it seemed to be a curse for sucking the dragon egg in order to have a child…but did she have some dragon blood in her because of what her mother did, or was it really a curse?  I want to know!

Rating: 3 out of 5.  I loved the premise, but felt it could have used a little more work.  Still, I enjoyed it.

The Book Of Lost Tales, Volume 1

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Book: The Book Of Lost Tales, Volume 1 by J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages/Format: 279/Paperback

My Thoughts: I thought I’d give this book a try since I love both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and wanted to get some of the backstory. 

This book isn’t what I expected.  In fact, the book was far different than what I thought it would be.  I expected some of the folklore and mythology of Middle Earth, which it was, at least to an extend.  However, the “lost tales” were compiled by Tolkien’s son Christopher, who tried to make sense of the notes that his father left behind. 

Each chapter is one of the lost tales, which are immediately followed by notes and commentary by Christopher.  It definitely shows the evolution of Tolkien’s work, as Christopher often shows several drafts of each tale. 

It was hard for me to get into, and hard to get through it- I was only able to get though one chapter at a time.  It was interesting to see the evolution of Tolkien’s work and how it changed, plus seeing Christopher explain his father’s notes was interesting.  Unfortunately, I don’t remember a lot of it, but at least I gave it a try.  I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who’s really into Tolkien (and anyone who liked the Silmarillion), but if you liked Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, you might not like it.  If you want to give it a try, though, keep in mind that it shows the evolution of the stories that make up the backstory of Middle Earth.

If I had to pick a favorite/memorable chapter, it would definitely be the coming of the elves.  Honestly, it was the one that stood out the most, and the one that I remember the most from.  I think I’ll try reading the second volume now that I know what to expect- assuming that it’s similar to this one, which seems likely.  Maybe I’ll try to take notes in order to help myself keep up with all the different characters.

There is an appendix with all the different names- I only flipped through it, but it appeared to be about the origins of the different names, and quite frankly, I could care less about the etymology.  However, it is clear that Tolkien obviously put a lot of thought into the world of Middle Earth, and into naming everything.   

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.  Interesting book, but not really my cup of tea.

The Weasley Twins

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It’s been a long time since I’ve done a character spotlight, so I’m focusing today’s spotlight on the Weasley twins.  You can’t talk about one without the other, so you’re getting a good look at two of my favorite characters.

The Weasley twins are the comic relief of the series, eventually opening their own joke shop after leaving Hogwarts.  I had to giggle in the Sorcerer’s Stone when they joked about sending a toilet seat to Ginny.  Their birthday is certainly fitting as they were born on April Fool’s day.  Sometimes it seems like April Fool’s day is everyday with these two around. 

The fact that they have their own drawer in Filch’s office shows the awesomeness that is the Weasley twins.  And their swamp was so epic that Flitwick left a small part of it in their honor.  And who can forget the whole “don’t worry about you-know-who because you should be worring about u-no-poo” thing was hilarious!

Fred dying was so sad- quite surprisingly, george survived.  I figured one of the weasley’s wouldn’t make it through the series, but assumed that if it were the twins, it would be both.  Also odd was George marrying Angelina, who I assume was dating Fred, although I don’t think it was ever mentioned in the books.  I’m justing going off of the fact that Fred and Angelina went to the Yule Ball together. 

It was always entertaining to see what practical jokes they’d pull, and it turned out that their joke shop was a very successful venture for them.  Like Harry said when he gave the winnings from the TriWizard tournament to the twins, everyone could use a bit of a laugh in such dark times.

On a quick side note: they were absolutely hilarious in the movies.