Monthly Archives: August 2012

Top 10 Favorite Books I’ve Read Since I Started Blogging

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Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own lists based on the topic of the week.  You can see all past top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Favorite Books I’ve Read Since I Started Blogging

I was so happy to see this topic!  I’ve read a lot of books in almost 2 years of blogging, and there are some that really stand out.  The ones that I work into any list I can…the ones I repeatedly recommend…the ones I can’t stop thinking about.  Anyway, here are my 10 favorite books since I’ve started blogging!

  1. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  I’ve read this book a couple times and I can’t help but cry for about 5 or 10 minutes after.  It’s just so emotional.  I don’t know why I’ve connected with it so much, but I have.
  2. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Another one that I’ve really connected with.  I just love Laurie Halse Anderson, period.  But this is one of my favorites by her.
  3. Reason To Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.  This book is haunting and I feel anxious every time I think about it.  Anxious, like oh my god, I can’t believe that happened to her kind of anxious.
  4. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  This is my favorite John Green book, and both times I’ve read it, I’ve cried.  Actually, I think I cried harder the second time.  But I just love it.
  5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  This is my favorite book (and series) I read last year.  It’s so good, and there are a lot of really interesting things to think about.
  6. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.  This is one of those series I can’t stop talking about.  I just love the creativity and the details in this series.  And I’m super-excited about The Lost Prince, which is the spin-off to this series.  I’m hoping it lives up to the really high expectations The Iron Fey set.
  7. Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  Another series I can’t stop talking about.  Like The Iron Fey, I just love the creativity in this series.  Fairies being really similar to plants is totally believable.
  8. Need by Carrie Jones.  Yet another series on the list.  But this is one of my favorites.  You can’t go wrong with pixies…just like how you can’t go wrong with fairies.  It’s fun and I love the mythology in the series.
  9. Paranormalcy by Kiersten.  Clearly, I am a fan of series, because they’ve taken over my list.  But the one thing that sticks out is how Evie is pretty kick-ass and STILL LOVES SHOPPING, PINK AND SPARKLES.  And she has a taser named Tasey.  That’s pretty rare, at least in the books I’ve read.  Plus, it’s fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
  10. The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  I love the Uglies, and it’s one of my favorite dystopic series.  Actually, I haven’t read a lot of dystopic novels, but this one stands out because I thought the idea of a pretty committee and how the society was structured according to looks was really interesting.

And here are some honorable mentions: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, In Honor by Jessi Kirby and The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine.

GG 1 x 1: The Pilot

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

The pilot episode originally aired October 5, 2000, was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino and was directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.

In this episode, Rory gets accepted into Chilton, an elite prep school in Hartford.  Her mother Lorelei has to make amends with her parents in order to borrow the money for Rory’s tuition.  But it comes with strings attached- in the form of a weekly Friday night dinner.

Seeing this episode was such a trip.  It’s not as fresh in my mind as some of the other episodes, and seeing how different a lot of the characters looked (in comparison to the series finale) was a little startling.  It was also strange to see how different some of the sets looked, especially Luke’s Diner, Emily and Richard’s house and Lorelei and Rory’s house.

So much is set up in this episode- we see a lot of the places and meet a lot of characters that will stick around for the rest of the series.  I’ve already mentioned Luke’s, Lorelei’s house and Emily’s house, but Chilton will be a pretty important location over the next few seasons.  Same thing with the Independence Inn and Miss Patty’s.  Plus a few other locations that we’ll see over the course of the series.

As for other characters (besides the Gilmore’s anyway), we meet Sookie and Lane, who are Lorelei and Rory’s best friends, respectively.  We also meet Luke, Miss Patty, Mrs. Kim (Lane’s mom), Michel and Dean.

One thing I really love about this series is the different relationships between Rory, Lorelei and Emily.  And really, that’s what the series is about: mother-daughter relationships.  You get a pretty good sense of the kind of relationship between the three of them…but I’m a big fan of the series, so that might be coloring my perspective a little.

I love the humor and pop culture references.  It’ll be fun to try to figure them out.  In this episode, references include West Side Story, Rosemary’s Baby, Moby Dick, Flo Jo and RuPaul.  One interesting thing to keep in mind for this show is the fact that their scripts were double the length of your standard hour-long drama.  Most are around 4o to 45, I think, but Gilmore Girls was usually somewhere in the 80-page range.

Funny lines and scenes: “RuPaul doesn’t need this much make-up.”

Lorelei persuading Luke to give her more coffee at the beginning of the episode…complete with her very own mug.

There’s a scene were Lorelei goes to her parents house, and they’re trying to figure out what holiday it is.  It kind of implies that she only sees them during the holidays.

Final thoughts: For a pilot episode, it’s pretty good.  I have the feeling that if it were to air today, it probably would be cancelled way too early.  There aren’t as many good one-liners as I remembered, but it was fun to watch.

Let’s see…rating time!  Given how much Lorelei and Rory love coffee (as do I), I think I’m going to rate things on a scale of 1 to 5 coffee mugs.  And this episode gets 3.5 mugs.

Starcrossed

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Book: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Published by HarperTeen (310 pages)

Purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Fantasy- Mythology

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Josephine Angelini

Goodreads Summary: How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

I really like this Greek mythology re-telling trend going on.  In Starcrossed, you have the Scions, who represent 4 different houses.  And in this generation, you happen to have Paris and Helen Of Troy, in the form of Lucas and Helen.  There’s the whole forbidden romance thing going on, because they’re from rival houses, and I really liked it.

I loved what Angelini did with Greek mythology, especially her explanation for Helen’s cramps (and it’s not what you’d expect AT ALL).  One house to resurrect Atlantis, and a lot of references to the Iliad…now I want to brush up on Greek mythology!

It really felt like Angelini is passionate about Greek mythology and did a lot of research.  Everything felt really plausible, which is interesting considering it’s fantasy.  It’s just a great book and there were times when it felt very haunting.

I loved the characters and thought they all had really interesting relationships and histories.  And the setting of Nantucket made it seem so romantic.  I loved how Nantucket was described and it just worked for me as a setting.  I just can’t picture it taking place anywhere else.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  It was a fun, interesting read and I can’t wait to read Dreamless.

Enclave

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Book: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Published by Feiwel and Friends

Purchased for my Nook (203 pages)

Genre: YA/Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Ann Aguirre

Goodreads Summary: New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20’s. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

I was really surprised by this book.  I didn’t like a good chunk of this book, but by the end, I found I really liked it.  I didn’t particularly care for the part of the book that’s in the enclave, but really enjoyed the part where Deuce and Fade leave the enclave.

I thought the idea of enclave after plague and war left NYC destroyed.  You weren’t completely sure what happened or why people are living underground in enclaves.  It worked for the book, considering that there are a select group of people in charge who don’t care about what Fade and Deuce found.

I thought NYC after was interesting, with it being overrun by gangs and few signs of life.  You know things are bad when being in your mid-twenties is considered elderly.  That’s a really scary thought, and I wonder if that could ever happen.

I did wonder where things were going at times, especially during the first part, when they’re still in the enclave.  And the use of the word breeder really irritated me.  I know their main purpose is to keep the enclave going, but still…it grated on my nerves the entire time.  I’m also not sure what the Freaks are.  Are they zombies?  Some other creature?  Animals gone crazy?  I have no idea but zombies seem like given the author’s note at the end of the book.

It’s definitely different as far as dystopic and post-apocyalypctic novels go.  I give it a 4 out of 5, and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Waterfall

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Book: Waterfall by Lisa Bergren

Published by David C. Cook Publishing

Purchased for my Nook- 277 pages

Genre: YA/Historical Fiction- Romance

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Lisa Bergren

Goodreads Summary: Lisa Tawn Bergren’s new YA series, River of Time, is romantic, historical fiction in which the plucky heroine doesn’t have to fear a vampire’s bite but must still fight for her life.

In Book One, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in sixteenth-century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties.

Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves in the sixteenth-century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.

Waterfall…I liked it, especially because it’s historical fiction, and I don’t read a lot of YA historical fiction.

I love the setting- and I want to know more about 16th century Italy.  It seems so beautiful, and it’s a shame we don’t get to spend more time there.  Actually, considering the fact that Gabby spends a lot of time in a castle, I couldn’t tell you anything about it.

The whole book felt very modern, and given Gabby goes back in time, I get why she acts a lot differently than everyone around her.  But I would have like more of a contrast between her and the world in which she traveled to.  Things were a little too convenient at times (like this horrible injury that miraculously heals when she goes forward in time) but overall, I thought it worked enough to get the point across.

As for the characters, I thought Gabby was just okay.  I thought Luca and Fortino were the most interesting characters in the book, and I wish they had more appearances in the book.  As for Marcello, he was okay.  Come to think of it, a lot of the characters were bland.  Maybe it’s because they didn’t seem to fit into the time period.

I’m not sure why it’s titled Waterfall, considering there is nothing to do with water in the entire book.

Despite all the things that I didn’t like, it was an adventure and pretty entertaining.  Plus, it is an interesting idea.

It gets a 3 out of 5.  I liked it, but not enough to continue the series.

Brightest Kind Of Darkness

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Book: Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

Self-Published by P.T. Michelle

Purchased for my Nook- 248 pages

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~P.T. Michelle

Goodreads Summary: Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate- until she dreams a future she can’t ignore. After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate. Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

I liked Brightest Kind Of Darkness a lot.  I just love that she can see the future but doesn’t really try to change anything…until she dreams that her school is going to be bombed. It’s definitely interesting that calling it in changed her dreams forever, to the point that she no longer has them.

And meeting Ethan, who absorbs negative energy from people by touching them?  Definitely crazy, but in a good way.  He reminds me of psychic vampires.

One thing I thought was really well-done was the fact that you didn’t know what was going on.  Everything came together at the end, and I liked how Nara and Ethan put the pieces together.  It did take a long time for the big reveal, but I honestly didn’t mind.

It’s such a cool idea, and I love that their abilities are tied together.  And not in an annoying way.  Actually, I really liked Nara and Ethan.  They’re interesting and different and not cliche.  They do make a cute couple…and I’m especially happy that there’s no love triangle.

The cover is just so beautiful…it definitely grabbed my attention!  I just need a minute to swoon over that cover.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  I didn’t love it, but it’s unique, fun and interesting.

Inside Out

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Book: Inside Out by Maria V Snyder

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Purchased for my Nook- 227 pages

Genre: YA/Science Fiction- Dystopic

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Maria V. Snyder

Goodreads Summary: Keep your head down.

Don’t get noticed.

Or else.

I’m Trella. A Scrub. A nobody, living in on the inside, doing my job, being noticed only by my friend Cog. But when I accidentally start a rebellion and becomes a go-to girl for the revolution, nothing will be the same on Inside, or Outside.

Inside Out is a really cool book.  I like the idea of inside versus outside and that everyone has their own duties and their place in this society.

I thought the characters were interesting, but I didn’t care for most of them at first.  I get why they acted the way they did, but they did start to grow on me as the book progressed.

I wasn’t expecting them to be on a spaceship.  Underground, maybe.  But not on a spaceship.  Which actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it, with the pipes and how self-sustaining they are.

I’m curious as to how they ended up there, and what their history is.  What’ll happen Week # 1 million?  What is outside?  The world Snyder built is really interesting, and while there isn’t a lot of backstory, inside felt like a real place.

It did take a while to get going, but once it did, it was hard to put down.

Some things- like Trella’s family history or the romance- felt a little forced, and was the most predictable part of the book.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  It could have had a few more details, but overall, it was a fun read.

Top 10 Book Romances That Would Work In Real Life

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Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over the at The Broke And The Bookish.  Bloggers from all over share their own top 10 lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find the top 10 Tuesday schedule here.

Top 10 Romances That Would Work In Real Life 

Or, a few couples I actually thought about and a whole bunch I just want to be together, regardless of whether they’d work out in real life.  As I was thinking about this list, I realized I had an explanation for only a few of them, with a gut feeling for the rest of them.  That totally works, right?  Let’s just pretend it does.

  1. Augustus and Hazel from The Fault In Our Stars.  I have no explanation for this one.  It’s really more of a feeling on this one.  Besides, they need to be happy.
  2. Hermione and Ron, Harry Potter.  They fight a lot, and are two very different people, but I think they would make a lovely couple in the real world.  Seriously, it’s not the first time best friends or high school sweethearts have gotten married.
  3. Harry and Ginny, Harry Potter.  See Ron and Hermione, above.  Minus the fighting, of course.  And a crush that’s only resolved by Ginny talking to and dating other guys.
  4. Evie and Lend, Paranormalcy.  This one is just wishful thinking but I’d love for them to work out in real life.  They’re just so adorable together.
  5. Evan and Emma, The Breathing Series.  I so want Emma to be happy, and while their relationship has a lot of issues (especially in the beginning), Evan has been there for Emma, and is such a good guy.  She deserves that.
  6. Mia and Michael, The Princess Diaries.  I’ll admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve read The Princess Diaries…and that I can’t remember if I’ve read the entire series, or just the first few.  But I think they have a lot of potential to work out, because they’ve known each for, like, ever.  So Mia totally knows that he’s not with her just because she’s a princess.
  7. London and Jamie, A Walk To Remember.  Another book I haven’t read in forever, but had she not died, they totally would have been married for years.
  8. Tohru and Kyo, Fruits Basket.  This totally reminds me that I need to finish the rest of series…and that I know they get married.  I can’t explain why I think they would work.  I just know they would.  They’re adorable together.
  9. Clara and Tucker, Unearthly.  I just love them together.  No explanation for this one either…they’d work out, I just know it.  That is all.
  10. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, Pride And Prejudice.  You can’t go wrong with this couple.  Seriously, it’s Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett.  They would so work out in real life.  Especially because Jane Austen was very much inspired by real life.

Closing Ceremonies

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The Olympics are officially over, and now I don’t know what to do with myself.  Sleep, I guess.  My interest definitely dropped off the second week, but I still found myself watching track and field until all hours of the night.  It’s been fun, and Rio seems like a long 4 years away.

I love Closing Ceremonies.  They’re a lot more fun, and a lot less formal than Opening Ceremonies.  The music was great!  Our House is a great song.  One Direction!  I really wanted to sing along…I should have because my grandma’s the only one who would hear me.

Stomp!  Definitely cool.  It feels so much more random.  I love random, so it’s cool.

I love how they’re all walking in together.  It feels like a lot of people are sticking with their respective countries and aren’t really hanging out with anyone else.  Then again, it’s hard to tell a lot of the uniforms apart.  It’s still early, so that could change as it goes on.  Although it’s weird to me that there are athletes who go home after they’re done competing.  Why wouldn’t you stay and get the whole experience?

Loved the Lucha Libre masks.  So cool!

Random question: for the long distance running events…why do they run in a single-file line?

The actual events felt a lot more U.S.-centric than in previous Olympics.  It’s like the rest of the world didn’t matter.  Except for China.  I think they’re the exception.  Like, “oh, we’re only showing these other countries because they happen to be competing against us.”  And it felt like the other athletes/countries we did get to see were the ones that are super-dominant in their respective sport.  It’s disappointing because I LOVE seeing everyone compete.  Not just the U.S. and whoever really good at running, swimming and gymnastics.

Not that it stopped me from watching, because I just couldn’t seem to turn it off.

Bohemian Rhapsody?  They did that during the Opening Ceremony!  Stop recycling music!

John Lennon!  Loved the children’s choir singing.  And George Michael!  His performance was just okay though.

You know what happens when you don’t pay attention?  You miss a fashion show.  Or a more cheerful look at fashion.  Annie Lennox coming in on the ship was really strange.  From Willy Wonka to Russell Brand…wow, they’re really trying to be as random as humanly possible, aren’t they?

Loved the person getting video with their iPad.  And the really bright colors.  Fatboy Slim!

Taio Cruz?  I didn’t know he was from Great Britain.  And what the hell is Jessie J wearing?

Spice Girls!  I am so excited about this!  I think that’s my favorite part.  That old guy dancing to the Spice Girls was really amusing.  Oasis, oh my god.  This is almost as exciting as the Spice Girls.  And Wonderwall is one of my favorite songs EVER.  Totally sang along.

So…when are they handing things off to Rio?  I’m enjoying it and all, but they’re going to get there eventually, right?

Monty Python!  I’m so glad Monty Python made it in!  I don’t watch Doctor Who, so I don’t know if that made it in…because the tardis is the only thing I’d recognize, and I didn’t see it.  Anything else would go over my head.

They’re really big fans of Jessie J, aren’t they?  Was Adele unavailable or something, because you’d assume she’d be there performing.

Seriously.  YOU HAVE JESSIE J, ONE DIRECTION AND THE SPICE GIRLS, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ADELE?  What kind of closing ceremony is this?  Maybe she couldn’t perform or something.

Rio!  Finally!  I was curious about what they’d do.  It was interesting, but I was definitely expecting it to be more festive and loud.  Where’s the fun and frivolity?  They don’t have to get all crazy, but something a little more festive.  Maybe they’re saving the party for the actual Olympics.  I’m so not going to remember this in 4 years.  It just didn’t stand out.

Cool fireworks though.  And I can’t believe I didn’t mention the stage before!  Very cool that it’s the shape of GB’s flag.

I liked Closing Ceremonies but I thought the Opening Ceremonies were a lot better.  Wasn’t The Who supposed to perform, or did I miss that?  I wasn’t paying attention to parts of it, so I probably missed stuff.  But I don’t remember seeing The Who.

I’m going to miss watching the Olympics.  It’s too bad I’m not a big fan of the Winter Olympics.  But maybe I’ll tune into that.  At least I can watch Gilmore Girls in the meantime…

The Gilmore Girls Project

Posted in The Gilmore Girls Project, TV by

I’m a huge fan of Gilmore Girls…and have decided to start a project relating to said show.  Gilmore Girls has been on my mind the last week or so, and after seeing watch-a-thons on a couple blogs I read (for 2 different shows), I decided to do one myself.

Why Gilmore Girls?  I love the show, and it’s been a while since I’ve watched it.  It wasn’t until I got all 7 seasons on DVD that I saw the show in its entirety (and in order, like you’re supposed to).  I saw random episodes on ABC Family, which is what got me into the show.  Season 7 was the only season I saw “live” and in order.  `

My plan is to watch an episode a week.  All GG Project episode posts will be posted on Mondays, and will start next week.

In non-GG Project news, I’m sad the closing ceremonies are tonight.  At least I have something to watch…