Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson and Doctor Who!

Hai! So this blog post is coming to you in two different parts. Part one, the review of Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson .

I. Bloody. Loved. This. Book. Serisouly, I give it a 4/5 stars. It's just too...adorable! Why, you say? We'll get to that in a little bit.

---

Synopsis:
Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.

She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

---

Also, you should know that this is the second book in the Scarlett series. The other one is Suite Scarlett.

Mrs.Amberson is just as crazy but lovable as usual and Spencer Martin is still the adorable actor that is so nice to his sister. Ol' Chipper is back and the big deal happens. Oh, and Marlene is actually nice! Shocker.

I could go on and on and on about all the amazing stuff so I'll just tell you why this is a   4 star instead of a five.  It's all Scarlett fault. She is CONSTANTLY mooning about Eric the entire book and I felt like that was what killed the book. Espceially since Max is what I would call the 'anti-Eric' and she falls for him. Max is great Scarlett, Eric is not. Get over him by the next book please.

Oh, and Maureen? A shirtless Spencer would be great sometime soon. Just sayin'. : D


Okay, now the second part of this post. The 'SQUEEE Fangirl!' part. It's about Doctor Who. I can hear the loud "Oh, now I understand.":)

See, I hadn't watched the 4th series finale that came out in January, practically six months ago. Until Yesterday. I must be the last D.WHO fan who still hadn't watched it. Wanna know why? It's because I knew David Tennant was going to die/regenerate. The amazingly hilarious, badass, intelligent, adorable, and caring Doctor. My Doctor. Going to die. Aw, hell naw. You see the dilemma I was in? To watch or Not to watch, that is the question.

In the end, I gave in. I watched "The End of Time, Part One". I did it. And holy crap, it was good. The writers really out did themselves. Master race? Wowie. And the Master in a dress? Even better! There were so many great quotes from this episode, here are a couple:

The Doctor: Ah. Right. Yes. Bigger on the inside. Do you like it?
Wilf: I thought it'd be cleaner.
The Doctor: Cleaner? I can take you back home right now.
Wilf: Listen, Doctor. If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?
The Doctor: I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus. Understand?
Wilf: Not a word.
The Doctor: Welcome aboard.
Wilf: Thank you.

Wilf is so amazing in this episode. I'm glad the writers gave him such an important role, the Doctor's Companion. Another quote:

The Doctor: Hold on, better lock the TARDIS.
[the Doctor holds up the TARDIS key, points it at the TARDIS, and gives it a squeeze. The TARDIS light flashes as it makes a "chirp chirp" noise, followed by the sound of a lock engaging]
The Doctor: See? Like a car. I l-locked it like a car. That's... funny. No? Little bit? *pbbbt* Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh.

 And one last one:

"Shimmer" Scene from Dr. Who End of Time Part 1

This one's a link because it would be so hard to explain the hilarity of this clip with out watching it. So go on, watch it! And stay tuned for the next review and the End of Time part 2 review as well. Ciao!

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan and Gives Me Hope.com

This blog is coming to you in two parts, the review and the GivesMeHope.com part. Review first: I finished The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan a couple days ago, but I never had a chance to blog about it, so here we go. Synopsis below, like usual. 

---

Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set--has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

---

Most of you probably have read the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan as well. This book...it's like the Lightening Thief all over, but with Egyptian gods rather than greek ones.It did take a while to get into and sometimes it felt like certain parts were just draaaaggginng on.


Don't get me wrong, this book did have it's high points- like the character of Bast. I love her. She's a complex character and so very there for Sadie and Carter. And some of the humor was awesome though there were some cheesy one liners.The one thing that just annoyed me throughout the book was the way the recording/story was interruppted by Carter and Sadie, often for no reason.

All in all, I'd rate this a 3.5/5. It is worth the read, definitely.

Now, the second part of the post is about GivesMeHope.com. For those of you who don't know what that is, quote from their about page, "GMH is where people share with the world their most hopeful, uplifting moments and allow others to draw strength from their experiences. It's like Chicken Soup for the Soul - the 21st Century, Twitter-style version. Because with all of the hurt and suffering in the world, who couldn't use a few more reasons to hope each day?"

Awesome, awesome site. It's like the Anti-FML. Whenever I'm not feeling too good, I go to GMH. Gives Me Hope gives me hope about our world. Also, a couple videos I found on their blog and so amazing.Check them out!
Shadowchef's Video about GMH     
HPTwiligter's Video about GMH

Quote of the Day:

"Oh no." I said panic rising in my chest. "No, no, no, Somebody get a can opener. I've got a god in my head!!"
— Rick Riordan (The Red Pyramid)

Inferno by Robin Stevenson- A review and Glee Stuff!

So...Having recently watched the new episode of Glee which you can watch here on hulu, if you missed it for a limited time. I have to say, this one of my favorites, mainly because of Will Schuester's cover of "Dream on" by Aerosmith. I. Loved. That. Song. *Shiver* They way that they sang that song...especially with the acting...wow. Favorite Glee song right now! Since we're talking favorites, I'll list my favorite Glee covers.

1. "Dream on" by Aerosmith 
2.  Rose's Turn 
3. True Colors
4. Piano Man
5. Bad Romance

Love these! And now, on to the book review.

---

Inferno by Robin Stevenson is another one with high expectations that fell short. I give this one a two out of five. In case you're wondering what this is about, here's a synopsis/ summary before I 'start' the review. It is from the B&N site.

---

Synopsis:
Dante is a city girl at heart. She hates living in the "burbs" with their cookie cutter houses and precisely manicured lawns. And do not even get her started on her high school, which feels like the set of a Hollywood movie with everyone playing his or her role in the appropriate stereotypical clique. Last year her soul mate Beth made it tolerable but Beth has moved away and Dante must face her junior year alone. With one look at her class schedule she realizes that will be no easy task. Mr. Lawson, the English teacher who gave her so much grief last year, is teaching her eleventh grade English class, and worse yet, he is also her homeroom teacher. No doubt about it, junior year is going to be hell on earth. Then Dante meets Parker, a strange girl who hands her a flyer saying, "Woof, woof. You are not a dog. Why are you going to obedience school?" Like Dante, Parker does not fit into the typical suburban high school scene (in fact Parker is a high school dropout) and the two soon become fast friends. Along the way Dante is introduced to a whole new world, must make some tough decisions, and learns to accept herself for who she is, not what others want her to be. Dealing with issues of dangerous choices, nonconformity, and sexuality, this well written book is a sure contender to join the ranks of quality fiction on banned and challenged book lists across the country. Reviewer: Pat Trattles

---

Dante's character was one I immediately liked. She seems down to earth and funny, but as the story progressed, she was just so uncertain of her actions that they seemed contrived. The plot also dragggged on, with indescion effecting every character. This could have been better written. The book did have it's moments however. This quote from Dante's original inferno, was very well used. It also has such a ring of truth.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."
— Dante Alighieri (Inferno)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

You know how you were expecting so much of a book but it somehow falls short? Yeah. That feeling. It sucks. So the other day I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green. Since John Green wrote this, I had high nerfighter expectations for it. And I was disappointed. But that's not to say that it wasn't a good read; just not the best one. So here's the synopsis for y'all.

---

The novel follows two boys who both go by the name Will Grayson. The first Will, whose name is always correctly capitalized to reflect his intelligence, is described as trying to live his life without being noticed. This is complicated by the fact that his best friend, Tiny Cooper, described as "the world's largest person who is really, really gay" and "the world's gayest person who is really, really large", is not the type to go around unnoticed.

Tiny is also, throughout the novel, trying to create an autobiographical musical, which further draws attention to himself and everyone around him. The other will grayson, whose name is never capitalized to reflect his depressed and angry non-caring of the matter, goes through his life without anything good to hold onto besides an online friendship with someone who goes by the name Isaac. Intent on meeting up with Isaac, will grayson sets up an encounter one night in Chicago. What ensues brings both characters together and changes both of their lives forever in ways they could never have guessed or imagined.

---

So that sounds interesting, yes? I certainly thought so. When I read the book, it was a quick read but one that anybody could relate to. However, I had a couple bones to pick. The book seemed like it covered more the life of Tiny rather than the Will Graysons. Everything happened in relation to Tiny Cooper which annoyed me so much. I mean, the title is Will Grayson, Will Grayson not Tiny Cooper.

However, there was a lot I really enjoyed in this novel. The way that it approached the plot idea was great. I especially like that one of the Will Grayson's POV was written all gramatically because it made him seem more intelligent and put together. The other Will Grayson that was manic depressive was written with lower case letters and had swear words to show the intensity of his feelings.

All in all, I would rate Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green a 4 out of 5 stars. Intriguing plot idea, great execution, but focus on the main characters please.

Also, if any of you wanted to know, John Green has a youtube channel that he shares with his brother. It's an interesting way to connect with the author. Their channel name is vlogbrothers. Go check it out- John gives interesting insight on a lot of topics. Eye opening.

Quote of the Day:  

"Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even 'lame' is kind of lame. Saying 'You're lame' is like saying 'You walk with a limp.' Yeah, whatever, so does 50 Cent, and he's done all right for himself."  — John Green

Sea Glass Review and an update on life

Hullo. How have you been dear blog and readers? I'm hoping y'all have been pr-etty awesome. I just have a few things to say about my self-challenge and my rather chaotic life then, we'll get to the review of the day.


So, change of plans for this summer. Instead of the Nature Center Independent study, I'm going with the Algebra 2 independent study. The nature center one was full, so this my calling for the summer. Also, I don't think I will be getting the job at Dairy Queen, I'm instead going to apply as a shelver. Much better suited for that, methinks. School's just getting tedious at this time of year and the weather outside isn't really helping. But other than that, I've had a pretty awesome day. That's always great.


Anyway, my self-challenge started a while back so I have read a lot of books before I started this blog. I keep a running tally on the little widget dooblido on the right if you want to check those out. I'm a little behind on posting my reviews but will get those done asap. Right now though, on with the review!

I read Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder this past couple days and I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. Here's a description from goodreads.com.

---

Student glass magician Opal Cowan's newfound ability to steal a magician's powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan's lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because she is sure another man now her prisoner has switched souls with Ulrick.

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn't sure whom to trust. She can't forget Kade, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn't want to let her get close. And now everyone is after Opal's special powers for their own deadly gain....

---

Truly fantastic storytelling, I loved Sea Glass. I think it is one of Maria's best works so far. In this one, we see Opal go from a scared naive girl to someone who is really BAMF. She learned lessons is Storm glass and displays her new realist attitude with gusto. Maria's plot hasn't suffered at all, and with Opal's inner searching, it makes it all the more interesting and relatable for us as a reader. 


There were events in Sea Glass that had me gripped. Made me feel as if I were really there and experiencing everything. This is one thing that HAS TO work in a novel, otherwise it feels mediocre. 


The icing on the cake for me was the way Opal is so persistent and believes in herself. In the book, nobody believes Opal on certain events in Storm glass. Yet she goes on. You go girl!  Oh, and the hurmor didn't hurt at all. Sarcastic dry humor? Definetly a sign of an interesting book. 


And the ending was something I never, ever would have expected. As for what that is though, you'll have to find out by reading Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder. Kickass book, fo sho.

Quote of the Day: 

"....of being a piece of sea glass. High tides, low tides, storms, sand and mistakes all contributed to the polishing process. Though difficult to endure at the time, the demanding elements helped smooth the surface, transforming one into a better person, not worse. A person who learned from the harsh environment, who knew the storm would end, and who felt confident she would still be in one piece." 

Stormglass Review

Today was rainy, wet, and cloudy outside. I had no school (Yay Big 9 Festival!) so, I decided to read. Hot chocolate, book, couch, here I come! So I finished Stormglass by Maria V Snyder.That  picture ------ was me for a long time today. It was hard to put down once you got into the book. See here for the synopsis.

Stormglass also connects with with Maria's other series, the Soulfinder books that starts with Poision Study. You can however, read this as a standalone as Maria does a great job explaining background information. I recommend reading Poison Study.  It's my favorite book by Maria so far!

Stormglass is an interesting book because the protagonist in the Soulfinder books is portrayed almost as if...all powerful. Yelena didn't make mistakes. But Opal Cowan, the main character is anything but. She's more relatable to us as an audience. However,  People call her "the One-Trick Wonder" because she can only preform one trick and causes her to be self deprecating and self pitying. It's actually really annoying because you can see that she's obviously going to develop potential. Grow yourself some backbone girl!

My favorite hunk-a-lunk is Kade Stormdancer rather than Ulrick Cowan. He's the strong, silent, and tragic kind of guy. Veerry nice. ;)

There are quite a few reaccuring characters like Janco, Lief, the Master Magicans, and Yelena.  One reason that I really love Maria's work is for the way she does sarcasm and dry humour. Never fails to make me smile.

"Yippee. I’ve been promoted from fire lighter to delivery boy. I’ll write a letter home to Mother. She’ll be so pleased.”
--Leif

All in all, I'd give Stormglass by Maria V Snyder a four star. A great book with potential to become more with the other books in the trilogy.
Have a great day everyone! :)

Update-Storm Glass

You know a book is good when you stay up till the wee hours to read. Well, I'm currently on page 176 of Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder and it's a rocking read!

---

Here is the synposis from Maria's website.
As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it’s time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal’s unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she never knew she possessed...powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she’s ever known

---

So, I don't have school tomorrow and the stress of midterms is over (YES!) so I'll be able to read and post a review for all!  Have a lovely day everyone. :)

Quote of the Day: A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

                                       -Emo Philips

The Hunger Games Review

So, I know I'm not supposed to be rereading books for my 120 of 2010, but The Hunger Games is an awesome book that just has to be reviewed!
 Also, this picture of the book is from http://casacamisas.wordpress.com/2009/01/.

The Hunger Games is set in a not so distant future North America which is now called Panem which is divided into 12 districts. The Capitol is cruel, harsh, and inhuman. However, it has a rather ingenious way to keep the districts in check by hosting the Hunger Games. The inspiration was the Greek myth of tale of King Minos of Crete who, after defeating Athens, demanded that every nine years his vanquished foes send seven boys and seven girls to be devoured by the Minotaur.

Every year, every district must send a boy and girl tribute to basically have an all out fight to the death between each district. Katniss's sister, who is merely 12 and therefore has a slim to none chance of getting reaped, is called up. Katniss volunteers to take her place which is quite the surprise as District 12 hasn't had a volenteer for so long that they've forgotten the procedure. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark. And it just so happens that he's loved Katniss Everdeen for pretty much his whole life though she doesn't know it...

From there, all the action escalates. Katniss may just be the person to spark a rebellion in the desolate people of Panem.  You'll have to read this book, The Hunger Games to find out what's gotten the literary community in a buzz. Also, you might want to check out Suzanne Collins' other series, The Underland Chronicles.

---

Now, for the fangirl part of the review. WARNING, SPOILERS BELOW!

Oh, my goodness! This is a book filled with so much action and tension and ARGH! It's amazing. This is the book that convinced me TEAM GALE FTW! He just sounds so considerate and perfect for Katniss and her family. Whereas Peeta...Peeta,Peeta,Peeta. He's adorable and all, but he's just not for Katniss.

Okay. I've gotten that at out of the way. Been dying to write that since I started the review. ;P

The idea of this book is so... intriguing. I mean, it's basically what society could be. What it could end up changing into. And when you think of the reapings and all the other ways that the government controls the people, it's kinda scary.

Example: Haymitch Abernathy. He was a victor of the Games, obviously. But he's turned to drinking just to drown out all the horrors he experienced there. He could have been one of those that took on the government, if he wasn't so messed up with the inhumanness of the Games. He's cynical but still so, so clever.It makes his drinking seem like a ruse, so they won't take his rebellious nature seriously. Makes him my favorite character after Katniss. They just understand each other. And he's hilarious. A quote,

"You’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug."

Also, my other favorite character is Cinna. Cinna is like a ticking bomb that you don't know about.

"It crosses my mind that Cinna's calm and normal demeanor masks a complete madman."

I seem to love the mad ones the most. Wonder what that says about me?