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Only I will probably care about this or find it half way amusing.
a.) I am not a morning person...
b.) I slept terribly last night and I'm still feeling it
Dad: You need to be careful with your pc
Me: I know
Dad: Well I don't know how you have that set up there but you have to make sure not to bend it (my ac adapter broke) because it can easily break in half.
Me: I know, it's not bented(no typo that's literally what I said)..I know how to take care of my stuff
Dad: Bented? I didn't know that was a word.
Me: evil glare
Dad: Are we in a snit this morning?
Me: No
Dad: Are we just tired?
Me: yes
Preface: So a couple weeks ago I challenged Zack to read five books and he challenged me to read five books as well. The first one that I decided to read was Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I’m letting him choose the next one although it will probably be awhile before I get to it. My own TBR pile is sort of overwhelming as it is. As a side note Zack lent me his copy and it sort of looks loved in the way of it being a favorite book that you pass around to everyone because you liked it so much. I’m not sure if he did this or not but that’s the look of it. My well loved books just look worn because I’ve read them multiple times or I’ve accidentally cracked the spines to them not because I passed them around. I use to be pretty stingy like that but I have gotten better.
Anyways on with the review….
Now first off I’m not even going to pretend that I know how to write a book review because I don’t. I’m also really bad at describing what books are about as I think I’ve said before. I also should say that while I like Neil Gaiman I don’t love Neil Gaiman. I just can’t seem to get in to his books to the point of “oh I can’t put this down!” however I quite enjoyed this book. I wasn’t really able to read it as quickly as I wanted to because school is kicking my butt.
This book starts out with Richard in what is known as London Above and he is living an ordinary life. (ok that’s what the back of the book says whatever!) Then he finds Door who has been hurt and basically after that his whole world gets flipped upside down. Amazon probably can do a better job on telling you what it’s about.I really only have a couple things to point out in this book one being that I think the villains Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar are quite possibly some of the creepiest villains I have ever read. Like literally after reading parts where they were present I got shivers or rather I wished I hadn’t read it at night time when I am about to turn off the lights. Not because it was really scary or anything but more that I just wouldn’t want to run in to them in a dark ally or even in the day light or dream about them and those thoughts made me nervous.
The second being that I think this:
"From the darkness at the crown of the bridge came a gentle noise, like a rustle or a sign. A handful of irregular quartz beads pattered down the curve of the bridge toward them. Richard picked on up."
And what happened afterwards sort of made my heart break. I think Gaiman has no qualms about killing off certain characters right when you become attached to them, which makes an interesting read. The only other time I can think that I had this very reaction was with Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Oh J.K. you broke my heart with that one, you really did. (Side note she smashed it to smithereens in Half Blood Prince but we’re not talking about Harry Potter right now, that is a completely different entry)
I’m not actually sure if this book is suppose to be young adult or adult but I don’t think it’s a book for kids. I think there were some pretty creepy parts as well as a little graphic but I liked it and would definitely recommend it to other people. Also I would now even more so like to book a trip to London.
But I can't because I'm on a "book buying" ban
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larson (It takes place in Sweden..I am 100% Swedish due to the fact that my mom and my Grandma were both born there. My mom didn't really grow up there though she mostly grew up in the states but my Grandma did grow up there)
- The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
- The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (I think this book would be perfect to read next month...poo on my book ban.)
- Prophecy of the Sisters - Michelle Zink
Zack and I are doing a book challenge in which I challenged him to read 5 books that I have picked out before next October. I know five books doesn't seem like much especially since I've already almost 50 this year alone but it's a book challenge so that's the way I'm rolling with this one. He also picked out five books but these are the ones that I have picked out for him, I apologize in advance because I copied and pasted this from an e-mail so it's basically written to him:
1.) Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien - Ok I just loved this book and I know it's actually three books but the copy I have is the three in to one so there for I'm counting it as one. One day I would really like to own this! (Which I am totally drooling over.) This is one of those books that I wish...really wish that I could experience for the first time again. I found that I couldn't wait to get back to it while I was reading it. I didn't even want to read it in the beginning! It's length was so daunting and I just couldn't deal but let me tell you it was totally worth it! They leave stuff out in the movies trust me! Although the movies are sooooo good.
2.) Whisper of Death - Christopher Pike - I haven't read this book in over 10 years but I seriously loved it when I did read it. Although I was probably like 14 or something so I don't know if we can really count my 14 year old self on finding good stuff to read since I loved Sweet Valley High books and books by R.L. Stine and Lois Duncan. I probably should reread it myself because other wise if you were to talk to me about it I wouldn't know what exactly you were talking about. But still I'm going to make it a requirement since it was a book that I loved when I was younger!
3.) The first book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud - I kind of wish that I could cheat and put all of them in this list but I can't because they're three seperate books (unlike LotR). I guess my only hope is that you'll like the first one enough to read the rest of them. The second one The Golem's Eye is my favorite of the three and I am seriously considering that should be the book you have to read instead which would just force you to read the first one! HA! But that's probably cheating to. Instead of talking about the first one I'm going to say why I liked The Golem's Eye so much, there was part in it that was slightly creepy and dude it totally worked for me! I was even a little bit scared to go to bed but I don't think the same goes for my brother. He loved this trilogy to as I have said before! The way he ends the series to was just awesome!
4.) The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold - I actually read this book during a hard time in my life and I loved every little bit of it. I read it about 5 years ago (I think) though and my mom was nice enough to get it for me while I was poor. I don't think I could have an in depth discussion over it without rereading it myself but I do think you should read it before we go see the movie, which I am very excited to see. It was another book that I couldn't wait to get in to and I stayed up late in to the night reading it.
5.) The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfiled - I'm picking this book because it kind of has a ghost story/mystery going on and I think you would like it. It's your kind of book and if you don't like it oh well at least you tried it! I can't remember exactly what went on in the book but I did really like it when I was reading it. It was one of the first books I bought when I got my job and I was able to suddenly buy what I ever wanted.
I hope he has fun with this and afterward we're going to discuss whether a.) you're crazy this books sucks or b.) you're a genius this book is superb. I may even post it on the blog and not only are we doing this but in Janauary we are going to start rereading the Harry Potter books, one a month and then have in depth discussions about it. Should be fun.
Totally random side note I went to see Love Happens last night and I really liked it. It also made me miss Seattle like crazy..there's something about Seattle at night to that just gets me in the heart. I really like the soundtrack to it and I had to immediately download the whole thing off itunes as soon as I got home and it's been on repeat ever since.
"I can't help it, Alexis," he said "I want to make you think too much...and then I want to hear the things you've been thinking too much."
I sadly can not seem to post a picture of the book right now which is to bad because the cover is just very pretty. It's kind of a weird cover but still hauntingly pretty and is what made me pick it up in the first place. I guess I could take an actual picture of it but I'm to lazy to go through all the trouble of it. Maybe later I can try to fix it and put it in.
1. I've come to realize that my chest-size...isn’t something I ever really cared about?
2. I've come to realize that my job...is something that I want to love doing
4. I've come to realize that I need to take more time out...doing things that are fun and letting go
5. I've come to realize that I have lost...myself
6. I've come to realize that I hate it when...I let my insecurities get in the way of having fun
7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk...I do stupid things but don’t most people?
8. I've come to realize that money...is something I would like to have but I don’t need to be rolling in it, just comfortable enough.
9. I've come to realize that certain people...will never change
10. I've come to realize that I'll always ..be semi anxious about everything
11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)...are not just siblings but friends
12. I've come to realize that my mom..will always be over protective of me
13. I've come to realize that my cell phone...is something I can’t live without
14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning...that I didn’t really want to get out of bed
15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep...I watched a lot of Friends which put me in a better mood
16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking...too much
17. I've come to realize that my dad...will always drink my soda out of the fridge
18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook...I like reading everyone’s statuses
19. I've come to realize that today...could be a good day or a bad day either way I’m along for the ride
20. I've come to realize that tonight...will be lazy
21. I've come to realize that tomorrow...is just another day
22. I've come to realize that I really want to...be in love
23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to respond to this is....?
24. I've come to realize that life..is what you make it so let’s get it right
25. I've come to realize that this weekend..is my last weekend before school
26. I've come to realize that the music I listen to when I am upset...is really depressing
27. I've come to realize that my friends...have their faults but I’m glad they're in my life
28. I've come to realize that this year...has been interesting and I think I’ve changed somewhat
29. I've come to realize that my ex...isn’t important anymore
30. I've come to realize that maybe I should...stop shutting people out
31. I've come to realize that I have to....get stuff ready for school
32. I've come to realize that I don't understand...some things my friends do but they don’t understand things I do so it’s a nice balance
33. I've come to realize my past..was something I just needed to learn from and I need to move on now
34. I've come to realize that parties...are pretty fun when you’re in good company
35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified…of losing people in my life
36. I've come to realize that my life...could be a lot better if I had an income of sorts
37. I've come to realize that my favorite sound is...the ocean
I stole this from tom and cori.
The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
This is kind of hard but an afternoon with in the lower 80's out on the back porch of my Grandma's house talking with my family and having happy hour and/or reading a book. OR thunderstorm and watching it from my window.
2. What is your greatest fear?
That I’ll wind up alone
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I'm pretty obsessive and make things bigger then they are
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Smugness
5. Which living person do you most admire?
My mom..she will do anything for her family and makes sure that all of us are alright.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Probably my DVD's..one DVD doesn't seem like much but a whole bunch of them can add up pretty quickly
7. What is your current state of mind?
Racing with thoughts
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Physical
beauty. (I think I'm going to have to agree with Cori on this one)
9. On what occasion do you lie?
When I don't want to hurt someone I have been known to tell a little lie but it always seems to get back at me in the end so I try not to do it to much.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I wish my hips weren't so big and that my thighs were smaller to
11. Which living person do you most despise?
Oh Paris Hilton how despise thee
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Stability
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Companionship..someone that I can lean on and depend on to listen to me when I go through my troubles
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Anyway, super, totally, frack, Yesh, and I've been known to throw out a son of a biscuit every now and then
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I don't have one of those yet but I do love my family
16. When and where were you happiest?
When I went to Washington this summer, when I'm with family and friends
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
I can play the piano a little bit but I would like to be able to play it better. I would like to have baby grand piano some day to play on to.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I could be more outgoing and stop being so anxious and learn to go after what I want and not let opportunities pass me by.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Graduating with my B.S. will be my greatest achievement and after that it will be my masters..then after that the sky's the limit.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A cat...they're lazy and get to sleep all day sounds good to me.
21. Where would you most like to live?
Either Flagstaff, Phoenix, The Seattle Area of Washington or possibly Portland Oregon not sure about that last one though.
22. What is your most treasured possession?
Oliver my rabbit..my two rings and my necklace and lastly my stuffed dog Vince.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
I don't know
24. What is your favorite occupation?
F.B.I Agent particularly in The X-Files..j/k on the x-files part
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
I'm one of those people that does not open up so easily but once I do am well liked.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
The trust that I have in them
27. Who are your favorite writers?
Gah! J.K. Rowling, Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Weiner, Jane Austen, Sophia Kinsella, Emily Giffin, Jodi Picoult, Meg Cabot to name a few
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Possibly Snape
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I don't even know about this one.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
My mom, my dad, my Grandma, J.K Rowling and I'd say Jennifer Aniston but she's more of an idol of mine
I'm doing my own project where I watch all my comfort movies before I go back to school at the end of August, which I'll be really busy sadly since I have to take four classes on top of a correspondence class. Should be interesting but on the plus side hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll be graduating in December!
The reason I started this project is because I'm pretty sure I'm going through a bout of depression right now and I need something to take my mind off it. I've been reading to but somehow movies have always been really comforting to me. So the first movie I decided to watch is Finding Nemo:
I saw this movie a few times in the theater and I loved it each time. I remember the first time I saw it, the part where Dory thinks she can speak whale just pretty much had me rolling in laughter. I still find the movie enjoyable and funny which is why it is a comfort movie for me. This movie reminds me of living in the condo with Summer and Chris. I use to sleep with my window open there because we were upstairs and my room was in the part that was gated off. My room had a little window seat that I use to like to sit in with pillows and read. I also would set my lap top up on it. There was one night that I was watching Finding Nemo on my lap top making screen captures when Summer came in and we ended up watching it all together with Kyle and his now ex-girlfriend. This for some reason really sticks out in my mind as a comforting night.
Another memory of this movie is that I went to Washington the summer it came out and two times Jennie and I tried to go see it. The first time we went we just ended up being to late and we saw something else. The second time we brought my other cousin Jay with me and it was opening day for Pirates of the Caribbean. So while we were waiting in line I turned to Jennie and said “I really want to see Pirates of the Caribbean”. To which she said “me to” and then we asked Jay if it was alright if we went to see it instead, and so we did, which was worth it btw. Finally we got to go see it together and so I associate this movie with that time to. Just getting to be with my family and friends is a real comfort to me.
What I have On My Shelf @ Home
- There’s No Place Like Home – Cecelia Ahern
- The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley
- City of Glass – Cassandra Clare
- Blue Bloods – Melissa De La Cruz
- Along for the Ride – Sarah Dessen
- Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
- Inkspell – Cornelia Funke
- Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane – Katherine Howe- Dragon in Amber – Diana Gabaldon
- The Luxe – Anna Godbersen
- Love the One You’re With – Emily Giffin
- Twenties Girl – Sophia Kinsella
- A Lion Among Men – Gregory Maguire
- Wicked Lovely – Melissa Marr
- Ink Exchange – Melissa Marr
- Shadow Kiss – Richelle Mead(Dani’s)
- Anne of Green Gables (2-8) – L.M Montgomery
- Evermore – Alyson Noel (Dani’s)
- Brisingr – Christopher Paolini
- Second Glance – Jodi Picoult
- Everlost – Neal Shusterman
- Unwind – Neal Shusterman
- I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith
- The Secret Circle Series - L.J Smith
- The Mysterious Benedict Soceity – Trenton Lee Stewart
- Home to Big Stone Gap – Adriana Trigiani
- Journey to the Center of the Earth – Jules Vernes
- The Gatecrasher – Madeleine Wickham
- Best Friends Forever – Jennifer Weiner
Books on Reserve @ the library in which I am waiting in long lines for...
Being Nikki – Meg Cabot
The Castaways – Elin Hilderbrand
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford
Fade – Lisa McMann
The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
Sarah’s Key – Tatiana De Rosnay
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
Books I'd like to Possibly Buy once the list is narrowed down a bit
Ransom My Heart – Meg Cabot/Mia Thermopolis (online)
Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke (bookstore)
Marley & Me – Josh Grogan (bookstore)
The Twilight Sage: The Official Guide – Stephanie Meyer (online)
Any un-owned Jodi Picoult (bookmans)
A Company of Swans – Eva Ibtson
The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and/or Northanger Abby – Jane Austen (bookmans)
Anna Karinina – Leo Tolstoy
American Wife –
Curtis Sittenfield
Book I'm Currently Reading: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
When I go on Vacation to my Grandma’s I don’t really like bringing heavy books or literature I guess is what it could be called. I like to bring easy reads and/or things that are easy to pack. So I end up bringing a lot of YA or not to long books. I figure the shorter the book the more I can fit in to my suit case.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery - I had never read this before. I grew up watching the movies and always loved the movies but for some reason was never able to really read the books. I have had a copy of this book since I was little though and my mom recently bought me the rest of them. I decided to bring it with me on my vacation and you know what…I loved it. There were so many parts in the book that were funny and endearing. I loved how Anne used these big words and there were even quotes in it that I wrote down so that I could remember them. Unfortunately they are in my written journal and I’m too lazy to go and get that right now.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows – I loved this book but possible because I read it right after I read My Sister’s Keeper, in which I will talk about further down the list. I gave it to my Grandma and she did not like it so now I’m hesitant to recommend it again to anyone. She felt like it was plotless and that it took forever to get anywhere in the book. I disagree but I read it much quicker then my Grandma and so I got to the part where she goes to Guernsey much quicker then perhaps my Grandma did. I also laughed through out most of the book and I think the only word to describe it is “delightful”.
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton – This book took a little bit for me to get in to. I was also a littler burnt out on reading when I started it so I don’t know if that contributed to it. I also have been kind of burnt out in general on these types of books because I feel like a lot of the stories are the same. I did in the end really like this book though and once I hit a certain point with it I didn’t put it down until I finished it. I really enjoyed being in the world of the five women in it and it definitely had a Ya-Ya Sisterhood feel. So if you liked that book you are sure to like this book.
Frostbite by Richelle Mead – This is the second book to the Vampire Academy Series. For some reason I wasn’t anxious to read this book. The reason I think it’s funny is because I actually really enjoyed the first one. I liked the main character and the story line was different and it was basically an easy read for me. Yet I just had a lot of trouble getting myself motivated to read it however when I started it I pretty much read it in a day. I think if you like Vampire Stories and YA Fiction/Series then you’ll probably like this. I have the third to the series as well (thanks to my sister-in-law I have a lot of YA Fiction) and I feel the same way about it but once again will probably breeze through it and enjoy it once I decide to pick it up.
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - Oh my goodness this book really hooked me in the last 20 pages. For the first part I really was feeling lukewarm about it and not really anxious to get through it. Then the last 20 pages I breezed through and was then desperate for the next one which unfortunately I don’t have and neither does my sister-in-law. I also couldn’t find it in our library database when I looked it up in Washington. So I don’t know what I’m going to do about that for now, perhaps suffer.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult - I wanted to read this before I saw the movie which I probably won’t see until it comes out on DVD. This is my fourth Jodi Picoult book and I liked it for the most part. I think one of my favorite parts of all the Jodi Picoult books that I have read so far are the trial parts. I just find them fascinating to read and I can’t wait to find out what the verdict will be. I have also noticed in the past few of her books that I have read she has something happen that is shocking and I have to say I didn’t like it in this book. I really wish I could talk to someone about this but I can’t write about it because it would completely spoil the story. I also literally got angry through most of the book at one of the main characters. However the story idea/line was really good and it kept me interested all the way through. In fact I actually read this book in one day while it was rainy cold out side, which I think I blogged about previously.
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