Happy Easter

I hope you have a wonderful holiday today! My family will be busy collecting eggs, going to church, and spending time with family.

We will also be trying to remember this:

Happy Easter!!

Everneath

Goodreads Synopsis:    Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

My Thoughts:

-    Wow! What a journey! I loved this book, and I can't wait to devour Everbound!!

-    I love that this was a take on Hades and Persephone! It was really unique and fresh!

-    I liked how mysterious everything is at the beginning. I just couldn't read fast enough, so I could get all the details and pieces.

-    I felt a lot of emotions throughout the book, but I think anxiety was my constant companion, and it just got worse the farther I got into the story. I also felt sad, anticipated, eager, frustrated, hopeful, and gushy.

-    I love how the story is mostly taking place in the present, but there are parts that jump back to Nikki's past. It was really cool how the author incorporated it all. 

-    I love that Jack called Nikki "Becks". It was heart warming. I loved Jack and Nikki's relationship period! It was so awesome.

-    I feel like I connected with Nikki on several levels. They way she reacted to stuff is a lot how I react to things. It made the book more real for me.

-    I don't know what to think of Cole. I want to hate him so much, but I can't, but I do, but I don't! It's complicated.

-    I really liked Will's character. He was kind of a bum, but he was valuable. I hope we get to see more of him in the future books.

-    The ending is killing me! I feel like screaming! I want to just dive right into the next book, but I think I need to separate myself from this series for a little bit. I can't handle the emotional intensity. 

The Importance of Being Earnest

Goodreads Description:    Oscar Wilde's legendary wit dazzles in The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the greatest and most popular works of drama to emerge from Victorian England. A light-hearted satire of the absurdity of all forms and conventions, this comic masterpiece features an unforgettable cast of characters who, as critic Max Beerbohm observed, "speak a kind of beautiful nonsense - the language of high comedy, twisted into fantasy."

This collection also includes Oscar Wilde's most famous comedies: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, and An Ideal Husband, as well as his poetic tragedy Salomé - all written between 1891 and 1895, Wilde's most creative period. George Bernard Shaw said of Oscar Wilde that he is "our most thorough playwright. He plays with everything: with wit, with philosophy, with drama, with actors and audience, with the whole theater."

My Thoughts on The Importance of Being Earnest:

-    The movie adaption of this was kinda corny, but I found the play quite humorous! I liked it a lot better!

-    Algernon is funny. He is very clever and witty. Sometimes he can be a bit egotistical, but I like his character.

-    Cecily is such a dreamer! I can't believe she isn't embarrassed by some of the things she has in her diary. I would never let anyone read my journal, let alone a diary like the one Cecily keeps.    

-    Jack and Algernon's bickering is hilarious! I loved the part with the muffins. Now I want some muffins! 

-    There is line in the play that Gene Wilder uses in Willy Wonka! I didn't know it came from this play! If you've read this, do you know which line I'm talking about?

-    Overall, I really enjoyed this play, and I think I need to go re-watch the movie now. I think I'd appreciate it more.

My Thoughts on Lady Windermere's Fan:

-    There are too many characters in this play. It was hard to keep track of who was who. I still understood the play, but I think they could have cut a few people out.

-    This was an interesting play with a bit of suspence.

-    I would like to see this on the stage.

My Thoughts on A Woman of No Importance:

-    The beginning is very boring! They just speak of politics and other random topics!

-    In fact the whole play is just blah blah blah!

-    There were WAY too many characters. I had no idea who was who.

-    There was a couple lines that were from The Importance of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde must have really liked those bits of dialogue.

I got burned out of plays after reading these 3, so I didn't read the last 2. I'll get to them some day.

Thirstday

Thirstday is the new Thursday!  A beverage and a book!

I found this Meme on Maestra Amanda's Bookshelf, and it is hosted by Eat the Book.

This week, I attempted to read Going Vintage, and I indulged in a Strawberry Lemonade from Sonic. 

I also enjoyed Everneath by Brodi Ashton while drinking some 100% cranberry juice. It is perky stuff! 

This morning I'm reading English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack while drinking my usual Hot Cocoa!

What are you reading and drinking?

Cinderella

My Thoughts:

-    I remember when this aired on TV. My family recorded it...on our VCR!

-    This was a light, happy, and silly movie with quite the cast lineup! 

-    This is the 2nd remake of this? Where are the other 2?

-    Is that really Whitney's hair?

-    How did a black woman and a white guy have an Asian son?

-    Brandy has an airy/rasp voice that I like, but at times it gets a bit whiny.

-    I liked how the prince and Cinderella had an encounter in the town. It was still insta-love, but at least they had more than 1 meeting.

-    The dances at the ball looked boring before Cinderella arrived.

-    I like the prince's voice. I usually don't like tenors as much, but his was nice.

-    Brandy's braids are too perfect.

-    Lionel was some fun slap stick.

-    All the ladies have crazy socks.

-    Too bad Whitney ruined her voice.

-    The songs were good. I liked the music.

-    Bernadette Peters was fantastic!

Hubby's Thoughts:

-    Their house looks like it could be a candy shop.

-    The step mom is more attractive than her daughters.

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    That prince has jungle fever!

-    I don't know if Brandy is attractive or not. She has nice skin but somethings off.

-    Ah! Whoopi Goldberg! You're golden!

-    The step mom is more attractive than her daughters.

-    Whitney's hair looks like a fern.

-    I like the fairy godmother dress. It's so shiny and smooth.

-    I like that blue dress.

-    Whoopi seems like she'd be fun to hang out with.

-    You think Cinderella smells like pumpkin after sitting in that coach?

-    I wonder if kissing Cinderella would taste like chocolate.

-    This was enjoyable. It was the better Rodgers and Hammerstein.

-    Jason Alexander just didn't fit for me.

-    There's some bass in that tenor. It sounds kind of stringy. I don't know what I'm talking about.

Poor Templeton

Our little boy has passed away. He got fleas, and we took care of them, but ever since then his health has been declining. He got a tumor, and he was in severe pain for a few days. It got bad enough that we decided to put him down. I'll spare you the gross and sad details. 

I'll miss out poor little guy.

He was a very sweet and timid boy. I don't think we've had a rodent this sweet since Mr. Nibbles. He was affectionate, and loved Pooh crackers. Gnome loved him. She loved to put him in a blanket and watch him find his way out. She also enjoyed feeding him...excessively. He didn't like to walk on the wood floor. He was only comfortable on the rug, on the couch, or in his cage. He loved being under blankets. He was super cute! 

I felt prepared for him to pass, but I'm still very sad. We need to stop buying rodents. It is too hard to see them go so quickly. 

Scarlet

Goodreads Synopsis:    The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My Thoughts:

-    Marvelous from beginning to end! I LOVE this book!

-    I kept picturing Scarlet as Red Riding Hood from Once Upon a Time...a red head version.

-    The story is so well thought out! It is so intricate but not confusing. I love how all the pieces came together and the two stories fit together!

-    The writing was really good. I like the way things were said, and I liked the word choice. Marissa Meyer is really good at storytelling and writing!

-    I really liked how different chapters were from different perspectives, and we got to get bits and pieces of the whole story. It was really well done and clever.

-    Each character was so amazing in their roles! I liked seeing the old characters from Cinder, but I loved all the new additions.

-    I liked Wolf a lot. He was like a mix of Four from Divergent and Wolf from The Tenth Kingdom. I loved it! He might just be my new literature heartthrob.

-    I was so hooked all the way through the book. It gives you just enough anticipation and info to keep to you intrigued and dying to find out what happens next!

-    This is one of those stories I had to know what happens, but I'm so sad it ended! This book has really picked up the momentum for the story!! I am eagerly awaiting the next book!!!

Previous Lunar Chronicles Book

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

Bloggiesta Wrap-UP

Well, I had a fun bloggiesta weekend! I met a few new bloggers! I focused a lot more on the social aspect of bloggiesta this time around, and I had a lot of fun. I love meeting new people!

I finished a few goals, and I'm happy with the direction my blog is heading.

After a few Twitter Parties, I decided to post more personal posts and be more picky about which blogs I follow. I'm no longer going to just follow a blog cause it looks pretty. I'm going to try to connect to the person behind the blog! 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog for the first time! I hope we can become great blogger buddies! I will try to visit and comment on your blogs in return!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

My Thoughts:

-    Another John Hughes hit!! This movie was hilarious!!

-    I don't like John Candy with a mustache. It looks weird.

-    I love Steve Martin's hat! It is very classy.

-    Kevin Bacon had a small role in this movie, it was kinda weird.

-    This kinda reminds me of Tommy Boy.

-    Neal's wife looks way younger than him, and her face looks razor sharp.

-    I was wondering why this was rated R. There is nothing in it except Neal's rant. There is an f-bomb every other word! Other than that, it's clean.

-    Oh, there are a few dirty jokes.

-    John Candy's boogie in the car is hilariously funny!

-    I love John Candy's laugh. It is so unique.

-    I can't believe Del passed off shower rings as earrings! He is a master salesman!! 

-    Steven Martin and John Candy are fantastic together. 

-    The best part of the movie is when they squeeze between the two semi's! I almost busted a gut!! 

Hubby's Thoughts:

-    It was a good movie.

-    It ended sappy and happy.

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    John Candy is fantastic!

-    The car burning was excellent.

-    I enjoyed the movie.

-    If Dave and I got lost, our trip would be like that.

Bloggiesta Goals!

Bloggiesta has started, and I'm so excited!!

My Goals:

-    New Header! (I got a head start on this one)

-    Create some business cards

-    Backup blog posts

-    Participate in a twitter party

-    Participate in 2-3 mini challenges

-    Find 5 new blogs to stalk and comment on

Let the Fiesta begin!! Good luck everyone!!

Thirstday

Thirstday is the new Thursday!  A beverage and a book!

I found this Meme on Maestra Amanda's Bookshelf, and it is hosted by Eat the Book.

 This week I read Scarlet by Marissa Meyer and had a blueberry smoothie!

I'm currently reading The Importance of Being Earnest and Four Other Plays by Oscar Wilde, and I'm trying a new tea, peach tranquility. I like my blueberry bliss better.

The Importance of Being Earnest

My Thoughts:

-    This movie was slightly amusing but mostly confusing.

-    It was hard to hear some of the dialogue. I had to crank the volume on the TV, but I still missed stuff because there was bad case of mumbling!

-    This was such a different role for Colin Firth. I can't even believe it is the same man in Pride and Prejudice.

-    Cecily's day dreams are corny and weird!

-    The serenading part was hilarious!! It was the best part of the whole movie!

-    I didn't know whether to laugh or roll my eyes. I think I was just bewildered the whole time.

-    I want to read the book now. I wonder if it is as weird as this.

-    Reese Witherspoon's chin bugs me.

-    Judi Dench's performance was amazing as always!

-    The way everyone kisses is pathetic! They peck at each other! 

Auditon & Subtraction

Goodreads Description:    For as long as Tatum can remember it’s been:

Tatum + Lori = Best friends

They do everything together, including a yearly clarinet/flute duet for District Honor Band auditions. But when a new boy transfers to their middle school and their band, the equation suddenly changes to:

Lori + Michael – Tatum = One happy couple

With her best friend slipping away and her parents recently separated, Tatum’s life has turned upside down. Plus her good friend Aaron thinks that they are secretly boyfriend and girlfriend, all because of one little lie Tatum told. Accepting change isn’t easy for Tatum, but just how much is she willing to give up to hold on to her friendship with Lori and life as she knows it? For Tatum, the best way to move forward may require a whole new formula . . .

My Thoughts:

-    This was a really cute book. There were a few things that were juvenile, but that was the target audience for the book, so I guess it's ok.

-    I LOVED LOVED LOVED all the band geek stuff!! I also LOVED LOVED LOVED all the clarinet stuff! I can totally sympathize with a calloused thumb and a sore lip! 

-    I remember the competitive feeling in band. It was exciting and nerve wrecking! Good Times!

-    Auditions are scary. I'm with Tatum! They suck! This book brought back all sorts of memories about regional and state solos!

-    This book made me want to play my clarinet more!

-    I loved Tatum's character development. She is a teen that is still trying to figure out who she is, and I liked how she resolved everything in the end.

-    I could relate to Tatum on several levels!

-    Lori was a very realistic best friend. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows with your best friend. There will be fights and disagreements, but they are always solved. 

-    The little bits of romance between Tatum and Aaron were cute! I really liked Aaron.

-    Overall, this book is definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it! I thought it was a charming little story!

-    CLARINETS RULE!

The King and I

My Thoughts:

-    This was an okay movie, but definitely not one of my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein. 

-    Anna just glides in those huge dresses! How does she do that?

-    The king's calves are huge!

-    The play of Uncle Tom's Cabin is hilarious, and I love that they call it Small House of Uncle Thomas.

-    The songs are just eh. There weren't very many of them that are memorable or enjoyable. 

-    The king is funny. Yul Brynner does a fantastic job of delivering his lines.

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    Mmmmmm Deborah Kerr...that sounds kinky.

-    We could smuggle turkeys under that dress.

-    I like that the king looks like the bad guy from The Mummy.

-    Why couldn't the whole movie be like that play!?!?

-    It was painful, but that play was fantastic!

-    At least it had a lot of Asian ladies, good eye candy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Get your green on friends! It's St. Patrick's Day! One of those useless holidays that somehow makes it onto our calendar every year. Do we get work off? NO! Do we get school off? NO! Why do we celebrate this day?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Requiem

From Goodreads:    They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

My Thoughts;

-    I'm really disappointed. Delirium was so fantastic, and then it quickly went downhill. 

-    I'm confused. I don't really think this ended.

-    I like that we got Hana's perspective. She was a wonderful character in Delirium, and it was interesting to see what happened to her. I also liked that we got to get inside the head of a "cured" person.

-    There was some heavy swearing now and then. It wasn't frequent, but there were f-bombs.

-    The love triangle sucks! I really hated this one!

-    Lena was a real cry baby in this book, and it was so backwards from her character development. She can kick butt in a fight and lead a squadron, but she cries over everything! It was annoying.

-    The ending is really lame! I feel like the ending cut off in the middle. The resistance takes over one town, but what about the government? They didn't make a lasting difference by taking out one town! 

-    There were a lot of loose ends. What happened to Hana? Did Lena choose Alex? Did they win the battle after they tore the wall down? Did Fred die? I have a lot of questions!

-    I understand that the author was challenging herself by changing up the writing style and stuff for the books, but I really loved the first book. I loved the bits of The Book of Shh at the beginning of each chapter, and I liked Lena a lot. This last book was better than Pandamonium, but I wish Oliver had tried different writings styles on different books. 

-    By the end, I kind of just wanted everyone to die. If they just went down heroically, it would have been ok with me. 

Previous Books in the Delirium Trilogy(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

 

Out of the Easy

Goodreads Description:    It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a very beautiful story, and I've really come to respect Ruta Sepetys as an author and story teller! She has really found her voice, and it is a somber yet beautiful one.

-    Willie and Cokie have quickly climbed the ladder on my favorite literature character list. They are right up there with Hans Hubermman from The Book Thief. Willie was such a strong and wonderful character. She was someone you could be scared of, respect, and tell all your secrets to. Cokie really stole my heart! He was so compassionate and selfless. I just smiled from ear to ear whenever he gave a present to Josie.

-    Josie's mom was...there are no words to describe a low life like her! I hope she gets shot! What a horrible horrible woman! Some people just shouldn't be allowed to have children!

-    The story was so breath taking and touching, but it was also horrible. It was like my heart was ripped out, stomped on, and healed by love. There are some serious emotions in this book.

-    Yes, I cried like baby at the end. The ending is just so sad and happy and I couldn't stop the tears.

-    I hope that the world and people could learn from history and past mistakes, but I know I'm just dreaming. Still, I wish that situations like these could be scenes from the past, and the world could become a better place where no one would have to face fears like this. 

-    I feel like my words don't do this book justice. You are just going to have to read it for yourself to understand how amazing this story is!

Thirstday

Thirstday is the new Thursday!  A beverage and a book!

I found this Meme on Maestra Amanda's Bookshelf, and it is hosted by Eat the Book.

This week I read Requiem by Lauren Oliver and had a blended root beer float from Sonic! 

This morning I am reading Audition & Subtraction while drinking a pomegranate smoothie.

South Pacific

My Thoughts:

-    I have to be in the right mood to watch this. It's one of those movies that I watch only once every 5-10 years.

-    Stew Pot's voice is crazy low!

-    The color changes are weird, and they use it WAY too much!

-    Some of the songs are slow, and I don't really enjoy them as much.

-    Emile is handsome, I used to not think so. I used to think he was old, and I liked Joe better, but Joe is kind of scrawny. Emile seems like he would be a passionate lover. Guess my taste in men has changed.

-    This is the first time I've understood the storyline!

-    I think Joe's singing voice is dubbed. It is too different from his talking voice.

-    The Happy Talk song makes me laugh! The hand gestures are silly.

-    Joe bugs me! He is engaged to a girl in PA, and he totally forgets about her! He is also racist! He thinks he can just make out and who knows what else with this Polynesian girl, but he hate the idea of marrying her and having children with her! Racist player!!

-    Honey Bun is my favorite song in this movie! I laugh hysterically every time! Luther is the best part of this movie!

-    This movie has it's moments, but overall it is kind of tedious and boring.

Hubby's Thought:

-    It's like they're in dream sequence the whole movie.

-    Bloody Mary's voice is scary. It's like a witch cackle.

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    Music sounds like a bugs bunny looney tunes cartoon.

-    I've heard North Pacific is much better.

-    They really need to clean that camera lens.

-    The average person died during this movie.

-    I want an island with a sweet lady on it too.