The Mirror of Merlin

From Goodreads:    What is the nature of fate? Is young Merlin destined to be a powerful wizard, or does he have a choice? These are the questions Merlin must answer as he travels with the deer woman Hallia to the Haunted Marsh where the marsh ghouls have begun a campaign of destruction. Or are the ghouls being manipulated by an even greater source of evil? An evil that seeks to destroy not the marsh, but Merlin himself? Here, in the fourth installment of the Lost Years of Merlin, epic master storyteller T. A. Barron weaves a tale of humor, adventure, and surprise as Merlin unravels the mystery of the Haunted Marsh, meets a boy named Arthur, and travels through a mirror of mist that brings him face to face with his destiny.



My Thoughts:

-    The story wasn't very good in this one.  Merlin kinda just traveled around.  It got better about half way through.

-    The Ballymag's dialogue is annoying.  I had to slow down to read what he said.

-    Merlin hasn't said chants to do magic before.  Why does he need to now?

-    Merlin is still very arrogant and ornery.  Will he ever learn?

-    I loved that they added Ector into the story!

-    I think I'm getting burnt out on these books.  I will probably take a break and read something else before tackling the last book.


Series Info:

This is the 4th book in the Lost Years of Merlin series.  To see my thoughts on the previous books, click on the covers below.

  

The Pigeon Cake

My daughter turned 3 on Saturday, and we had a party.  She loves Mo Willems' Pigeon books, so we had a pigeon party.

The cake gave me some grief.

This is the first cake.  I made it from scratch, and it fell.  It hadn't baked very well.  It tasted good though.  I trashed it and started again. 

I used 8 egg yolks in the last cake, and I didn't want to do that again, so I just used a boxed cake the second time around.  It came out ok.  It didn't fill in fully, but it came out of the pan.  I chopped off the head (cause it was a duck cake pan) and filled in the neck with cereal treats.  I also stuck a dowel in there to help support it. 

I reattached the head and started frosting.  It was going alright, but then the pigeon started to crack, and it fell over.  I was so upset!  I almost trashed this one as well. 

I let the pigeon lie down, and finished frosting him.  I think he turned out alright, even though he wasn't sitting up.

The Dark Knight Rises

My Thoughts:

-    I was really disappointed.  The last movie was so awesome, and it was going to be tough to follow, but this was just really disappointing.

-    Bane isn't big enough, and his voice is really lame.  I couldn't understand half of what he said!  He wasn't even Bane.  They could have called him a different name and no one would have known it was supposed to be Bane.  They really messed up on him.  How does he eat?

-    Anne Hathaway did good as Catwoman.  I was impressed by her performance.  There were a couple moments where her fighting looked jerky and awkward, but she did good overall.

-    They took A LOT more liberties with this movie than they did in the previous 2.  I didn't like it at all!!  I could forgive the discrepancies in the other movies cause they still had the essence of Batman, but this movie had too many changes.

-    Batman's plane looks more like a cockroach or a beetle than a bat.

-    Why did they make Batman a cry baby?  That really bugged me!!  Batman would NEVER turn into a cry baby like that!!  He NEVER would tell Alfred to get lost, and there would NEVER be a time when Gotham doesn't need Batman.  There are too many villains!  

-    They really messed up on Talia...I'm not even gonna go there!  They just really screwed up.

-    They made the same mistake as the older Batman movies!  They added WAY too many characters into a single film.  They should have used the other characters that they developed through 2 movies.  They just shoved Gordon into a hospital and got him out of the way, and they got rid of Alfred early on.  Then they added in Bane, Catwoman, Robin, a  new cop dude, and Talia!!  This was a bad decision!

-    This movie didn't have the intensity that I loved about previous movies, so disappointing!

-    The story was lacking!  They really didn't think this one through.

-    I want a do over please!!  

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    I really like Anne Hathaway.  She was a good Catwoman.

-    I could only understand every 3rd word Bane said.  Why was he German?

Hubby:    Slept through half the movie!

Series Info:

This was the 3rd movie in the Batman trilogy.  Click on the pictures below to see my thoughts on the better movies.

 

The Butler Gets a Break: A Bellweather Tale

Goodreads Bit:    All is (temporarily) peaceful in the village of Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay. An art heist has been averted, an albino alligator refuge established, and a family of refugee circus performers, gainfully employed. After much thought (and a tell-all memoir) Tristan Benway has decided to remain in the employ of the Bellweather family, and the children, especially, have tried to mend their ways.

But old habits die hard, and when the triplets - Brick, Spike, and Sassy - experiment in negative space on the lighthouse stairs, Benway ends up in the hospital with a broken leg, and the Bellweathers are left without a butler.  

The family's efforts to find an interim servant fail miserably. Their troubles mount as they become mixed-up with a band of roving Gypsies, paleontological discoveries gone awry, and encounters with rare attack squirrels.  But letting the recuperating Benway know of their plight is not an option. As the Bellweathers spin increasingly amazing stories of their "new servant" at Benway's bedside, the poor butler starts to wonder if he was ever needed. . .

My Thoughts:

-    This was another charming Bellweather Tale.

-    The cover is perfect for the story!  It really shows what is going on with each individual family member.

-    I didn't find the story as intriguing as the first book, but it was still cute.

-    These books remind me a lot Lemony Snicket's books.

-    I love how Benway tries to pretend he isn't attached to the family, and how he isn't addicted to a certain TV show.

-    I also liked that the book showed that the Benway family really needs Benway, and they think he is part of the family.

-    I want a butler.  Maybe not one like Benway, but one like Carson (from Downton Abbey).  I think Benway is only suited for the Bellweather family.

-    I think I would have enjoyed this more if I were younger.  I'm sure kids around 12 or so would love this book though!

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 The Fires of Merlin by T.A. Barron and drank Blueberry Bliss tea mixed with Pineapple Kona tea.  Yummy! 

This morning I'm reading The Butler Gets a Break by Kristin Clark Venuti and drinking a Razzmatazz smoothie.

The Dark Knight

My Thoughts:

-    This is a fantastic movie!!  Again, it wasn't entirely accurate, but they captured the essence of Batman!

-    I like how they showed Batman wannabes.  There would really be guys like that.  

-    I hate that they switched actresses for Rachel.  Not that I'm a Katie Holmes fan, but I just hate seeing a different face and having to think it's the same character.  

-    I love Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent.  He was awesome!  I can't decide if he is a good looking fella or not. 

-    Maggie Gyllenhaal looks old.

-    The Joker was fabulous!!  I couldn't even recognize that it was Heath Ledger!!  Why wasn't he playing bad guys from the beginning of his career?  It is a tragedy that he died before we could see him play more awesome roles.

-    Every move Joker made was a total surprise to me!  I didn't see some things coming.  It was crazy!

-    Someone finally understands Batman and who he is!!  His whole existence is based on revenge.  He could easily slip into the dark and become no better than the joker, but it's compassion and good people like Alfred who keep him on track!  

-    The story was awesome!  The acting was great!  The cast was amazing!  The action was intense and thrilling!  This movie was so good!

Tyson's Thoughts:

-    If I ever own a company,, I want Morgan Freeman to run it.

-    (during the fundraiser) That is how I'd crash a party if I could crash a party.

-    It was good...Batman good...It was no Adam West, but it was good.

Hubby's Thought:

-    Rachel looks like she is a good looking old lady.

Series Info:

This is the 2nd movie in the Batman trilogy.  Click on the cover below for my thoughts on the first movie.

The Fires of Merlin

From Goodreads:    Wings of Fire, the sleeping dragon, has awakened, threatening to loose his terrible wrath on all of Fincayra. Only young Merlin, grandson of the great wizard Tuatha, can stop him, though the price may well be the young wizard's life. But before he can face the dragon's fires, Merlin must endure fires of other kinds—including those within himself. He must face the evil, batlike kreelixes who exist only to destroy magic; the mysterious Wheel of Wye; and the sorceress Urnalda, who holds the treasured Galator. Most challenging, young Merlin must discover not the power but the source of his own magic.

In this the third story in his Arthurian epic, T. A. Barron adds a thrilling new dimension to the legend of Merlin.

My Thoughts:

-    This wasn't as good as the first two.  It suffered from middle book syndrome.

-    Not a lot happened in the story.  If all the fluff and traveling was taken out, this would be a very short book.

-    Merlin is so dumb.

-    I really liked Hallia and Eremon.  They were fun new characters, and I just like the whole idea of deer people.

-    I don't think the dragon was evil, and I'm glad that was addressed. 

-    There was a lot of traveling back and forth, and I just felt like if Merlin had done things in order, he wouldn't have had to travel as much.  It would have saved time.  He should have gone after the Galator first, like people told him too!

-    I want a horse like Ionn!

-    I wish there had been more dragon parts.

-    I just don't have much to say about this one.  I hope the last 2 books are better!


Series Info:

This was the 3rd book in the Lost Years of Merlin series.  Click on the covers below to see my thoughts on the previous books.

 

Les Miserables

My Thoughts:

-    I finally got the nerve to go see this.  I've been worried since it was announced.  I've been a huge fan of this since high school, and I've even had the pleasure to play in the orchestra for the play.  I just didn't want them to botch it.

-    This was good, but I've seen better.

-    I thought Marius sounded like Kermit the Frog.  He did good, but I wasn't a fan of his voice.

-    Anne Hathaway blew me away!  I did not know she could sing like that!  

-    Hugh Jackman did good.  I still don't think he looked the part of Jean Valjean, but he did good.  I kinda wish he was more of a baritone voice than a tenor, and I wish he would have gone falsetto during Bring Him Home...like it supposed to be sung.

-    Russell Crowe was good for Russell Crowe, but I don't think he was powerful enough.  There was something I liked about his voice, but not for Javert.

-    Cosette was good!  She sang like a bell.  She had a very pleasant voice.

-    I love that they took the Eponine from the Broadway show for the movie.  She was awesome!

-    I loved that Helena Bonham Carter was in it!  She was fantastic, and so was the innkeeper.  That was probably my favorite innkeeper I've ever seen.

-    I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE 10x LOVE that Colm Wilkinson (who played Jean Valjean in the original London cast) played the bishop!!!!! EEE!!

-    There were a few alterations to the story and music, but not much.

-    I cried.  I admit it!

-    I wish they had shown Eponine at the end.  Fantine AND Eponine come to get Jean Valjean when he dies.

-    Sword fight between Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe = Epic!

-    That camera got awfully close to the face most of the time!  

-    Overall it was really good, but I still love Broadway better. 

-    It took every ounce of restraint to not sing along in the theater.  I caught myself humming the clarinet part a couple times, but I refrained from singing!

p.s.  Can we get another shot and Phantom now?

Hubby's Thought:

-    I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob!

Hold Still

Goodreads Synopsis:    An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and new found friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself

My Thoughts:

-    This was a sad/somber story.

-    I wasn't really into it in the beginning, but then things started to get better.  

-    This book reminds me a little of Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott.  There were similar emotions, and the topic is the same.

-    From the trailer, I expected more story from Ingrid's journal.  

-    I want to build an awesome tree house now!

-    I loved how the author used art as a form of healing. 

-    There was a lot heavy swearing.  I lost track of how many f-bombs were dropped, but there were A LOT! 

-    There was also a journal entry that had sexual content.  It was uncomfortable.

-    While there were dark moments, there some hopeful/beautiful ones as well.

-    I liked Caitlin, but I think I liked her friends more.  

-    I couldn't really connect to what happened, cause I've never experienced anything like that, but I did feel a lot of emotion throughout the book.

-    I really enjoyed the ending.  I loved what Caitlin did with Ingrid's journal, and I really liked how she helped others through some of their grief.

The Seven Songs of Merlin

From the Dust Jacket:    Young Merlin has brought new hope to Fincayra, the enchanted isle that lies between earth and sky.  Having finally freed it from the terrible Blight, Merlin and the forest girl Rhia set out to heal the land using the magical Flowering Harp.  But Fincayra remains in great danger still - and the first victim of the renewed tide of evil is Merlin's own mother.

Merlin's sole hope of saving his mother's life is to master the Seven Songs of Wisdom passed down from the greatest wizard Fincayra has ever known, Merlin's grandfather Tuatha.  Only then can he voyage to the Otherworld of the spirits and obtain the precious Elixir of Dagda.  Yet to do that he must first succeed where even Tuatha failed - by defeating Balor, the ogre whose merest glance means death.  Even more difficult, Merlin must discover the secret of seeing not with his eyes, but with his heart.

This second book in the The Lost Years of Merlin epic combines all the passion, power, and spiritual depth that are T.A. Barron's hallmarks.  It adds a thrilling new dimension to the legend of Merlin, even as it offers lasting inspiration to us all.

My Thoughts:

-    I like how Barron imagined Stonehenge to be created, but how does it get to Earth and England? 

-    Merlin is SO frustrating!!  He is an arrogant jerk who thinks very highly of himself.  It gets a little better towards the end, and learns some humility, but most of the book, he is arrogant.

-    I'm grateful there is a map in the front of the book.  It helped since there was a ton of traveling.

-    I love how Merlin receives Excalibur!  Naming was my favorite song!  I loved that whole part.

-    Can't Merlin follow any orders/rules/directions/warnings!!!  FAIL!

-    While I'm on a rant, what was the point of Bumbelwy?  He was completely useless and didn't add anything to the story.  Even the characters complained about him tagging along.

-    I thought the whole story and plot of this book was well done.  I love that Merlin had to learn so many things, and I can see how he uses these precious lessons in the future.  

-    It is really fun reading a story about a character you already know.  We already know what happens to Merlin in the future, so it is interesting to see how he is becoming this great wizard.  

-    I love the little Arthur hints.

-    Overall, I enjoyed the book, but dang some of the characters bugged me!


Series Info:

This is the 2nd book in the Lost Years of Merlin series.  To see my thoughts on the first book, click the cover below.