Bewitching

From Goodreads:    Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.

You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in theTitanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

My Thoughts:

-    I love that Kendra had a larger role to play in this book. We didn't get to see much of her in Beastly. I really liked her interjections in the story.

-    Alex Flinn has such a great way of telling a modern day fairy tale. I enjoy all her stuff.

-    Kendra tells 3 stories apart from the main story about Emma. I enjoyed reading Kendra's story. She intrigues me, but I thought the other two stories detracted from the main story. They were kind of boring, and I don't think they were needed. I was more interested in Emma.

-    I really wanted something awful to happen to Lisette! What a monster!

-    I wasn't expecting this to be a Cinderella twist, but it was, and I liked it!

-    I could relate to Emma on so many levels. She is my kind of girl!

-    I liked the Beastly references a lot. I hope there will be more Kendra books. Maybe someone in Italy needs help?

-    Overall, it was a fun and charming book, but I could have gone without the side stories. 

Fan Art Friday

showcasing

I like all the different versions of Sage/Jaron I found. I wish there had been more pictures with Imogen, Tobias, Roden, and Conner.

I really like the first one with Sage rolling the coin over his fingers. I also like the portrait of Imogen a lot.

Which is your favorite?

Bloggiesta Goals

It's Bloggiesta time!!!

My goals:

Backup posts
Write some personal posts
Comment on 10 new blogs
3 Mini Challenges
Get ahead on Top Ten Tuesday
Get ahead on Fan Art Friday
Participate in a Twitter Chat
Schedule some reviews

Good luck your goals everyone!!

Background Mini Challenge

Ready to change your plain old background into something fun and festive?

Okay!

Step 1

Find a website that gives you free backgrounds.

I use The Cutest Blog on The Block

Others: Hot Bliggity Blog, Dotty Dot Dot

You can use others, there are a bunch out there.

Step 2

Surf the site, and find a background you love. You can usually search by theme. I like to search by seasons and holidays.

MAKE SURE TO GET A 3 COLUMN or WIDE BACKGROUND!
Unless you have a really skinny blog, your blog won't fit on the blank space.

The background will come with a big long code. Copy it.

Step 3

Open your blog and go to your Layout page.

(Sorry Wordpress fans, I'm a blogger user.)

Step 4

Click on Add a Gadget

Find the HTML/JavaScript gadget and click the +

Step 5

When you open it, it should look like this:

Don't give it a title. You don't want your readers to see anything but your background.

Step 6

Remember that big long code you copied? Paste it in the content.

Step 7

Save

Step 8

Move your gadget to the top or the bottom of your gadget list. I put mine at the top.

It doesn't matter where you put it, just get it out of the way.

Step 9

View your blog

TA DA! So pretty!

You should only see a little icon from your gadget.

Congrats on your new background!

Link up your blog below and show off your new look!

Cloaked

My Synopsis:

-    A modern day twist on a few classic fairy tales.

-    Our main hero, Johnny, is an average teen that works for the family business, which happens to be shoe repair.

-    Johnny is mesmerized by the Princess of Aloria. Lucky for him, the princess has taken an interest in him as well.

-    The princess asks Johnny to go on a quest to save her brother, who has been turned into a frog.

-    Johnny doesn't believe in magic, witches, or any of that fairy tale stuff, but he quickly figures out that all of it is real, and he accepts the princess's request.

-    During his adventure, Johnny must fight giants, dodge an evil witch, find some swans' sister, talk to some animals, and slew of other things. 

My Thoughts:

-    This was a really fun book. I love the modern fairy tale stuff.

-    Johnny is a likable fellow, but he is pretty dense at times.

-    I'm glad Meg went along for the ride. Johnny needed her, and I like everything her character had to contribute to the story.

-    I loved all the fairy tales! There was The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Six Swans, The Firebird, The Frog Prince, and couple others. They way all the fairy tales fit together was very clever.

-    I forgot that Johnny and Meg were teenagers. They seem more like adults, especially when they were both working full time. They didn't talk about school much or anything. They seemed more in their 20s than 17.

-    I liked the way everything wrapped up. The ending flew by. I couldn't believe how much I had read in a short time. In fact, the whole book was so fun and flowed. It didn't take me long to read. 

Gravity

My Thoughts:

-    Wow! I can see why this won so many awards.

-    I'm glad I FINALLY saw this on the big screen! Hooray! 

-    It was intense from beginning to end. I held my breath, I clenched my fists, and I was just so nervous the whole movie.

-    I'm kind of a wimp, and I didn't like seeing the nasty dead guy at the beginning, but other than that, I really enjoyed the movie.

-    I loved the sound and lack of sound. It was so real, and made me feel like I was right there with Sandra Bullock in space.

-    I LOVED Sandra Bullock's performance! She is one of my favorites! Dang she is fit and toned!

-    Clooney wasn't too bad.

-    The special effects were awesome! I don't even know how they did it!

-    I really wanted more at the end. I wanted to see her being rescued!

-    The story is about survival. It has some quiet parts and really intense parts. I really like that there wasn't much to the story, and everything was sequential. The movie happened in real time, almost. I liked that. 

-    My favorite line was "I hate space!"

Q&A

I'll ask the questions, you provide the answers.  Ready?

What would you like to see on my blog?

My Thoughts:

-    I feel like my blog is a bit on the boring side, and I want to know what kind of posts you'd like to see? Do you want more personal posts, memes, giveaways, random thoughts, reviews, etc.?

-    Would you like to see more events? I'm going to co-host a couple read-a-longs coming up, and I plan on doing Utah Book Month.

-    Just tell me what you want! What am I lacking? Bloggiesta is next week, and I'd like to know how to improve my blog. 

-    Be honest! Thank you!

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR 2014 List

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR 2014 List

 
 
 
 
 

Belle Epoque

Goodreads Description:    When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. 

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose.

My Thoughts:

-    This was such a great story about friendship and true beauty. I enjoyed every page.

-    The characters were awesome. I loved the way each person made an impact on Maude's life, especially Marie-Josee. She was one of my favorites! I loved the interactions between Maude and Isabelle. The way their friendship developed was so real. 

-    The ending was perfect! I loved how everything was resolved. I was worried there for a while. 

-    I like the little tad of romance. It isn't over done, and it it just enough.

-    I was surprised by how clean this book was. I thought there would be some unsavory things in the book, but it was squeaky clean. 

-    I enjoyed all the French stuff! It was fun and gave the book so much flair. 

-    The message of this book is awesome! I loved it! It made me feel good, and it made me feel good about myself. 

Fan Art Friday

showcasing

I found some awesome stuff for this one. 

I love the different scenes and symbols that these artists captured.

I really love the one with the apple and all the pictures flying off of it, and I love the last one. The sled is the first scene I think of when I think of The Giver.

Which is your favorite?