My Dream Crate

Subscription boxes are pretty popular. I've never signed up for one, but I've always been curious about them, and it is something I'd like to experience some day.

One subscription service in particular, Loot Crate, is on the look out for what people would do if they were able to design their own Dream Crate. A few top notch crate ideas will be highlighted, and one crate might even be turned into a reality.

Since I have been reading and watching Sherlock Holmes this month, I'm going to create a Sherlock themed Dream Crate!

Sherlock and John Busts

These come with the Sherlock Limited Edition Gift Set. I don't need the disc set, but I'd love to have the busts! Can you imagine these on a bookshelf or a mantle!? It would be SO awesome!

Key Necklace

This Sherlock Holmes 221 B Key Necklace can be found on Etsy. 

I would wear this every day!

Ornament

Christmas is just around the corner, and what Sherlock fan wouldn't want this Sherlock Door Ornament hanging on their tree?

Sherlock Coloring Book

I would spend hours in this coloring book adventure.

Messenger Bag

This I Am Sherlocked Messenger Bag has been on my Amazon wish list for a while. I don't use a purse, but I'd proudly carry this around.

Funko Pop

What subscription box would be complete without a Funko? I already own John and Sherlock, so I'd want Moriarty or Mycroft in my box. Surprise me!

Fan Art Friday: Heist Society

I didn't find very much, but I found enough to showcase.

The last three are obviously by the same artist, but I liked them all, so I included them all. I wish I could have found more characters and scenes. My favorite is the one that says Stealing Art and Stealing Hearts. I like the word art and the depiction of Kat.

Which is your favorite?

The pictures are linked to the source, so you may click on them and go check out more from these artists.

Uncommon Criminals

Goodreads Synopsis:    Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. 

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

My Thoughts:

-    These books are really fun! I'm enjoying them a lot.

-    The tension between Kat and Hale gets ramped up a bit in this book. I loved it! 

-    I love that the story keeps the reader guessing. There is always a bit of mystery and suspense. I had no idea how Kat was going to pull off this particular "heist" until it was revealed. I also love the mystery surrounding certain characters.

-    The characters are so much fun! Not only is the main character awesome, but the supporting cast is equally as awesome. I usually don't like characters like Gabrielle, but she makes me laugh, and I can't help but love her. Hale is really winning me over, and I love Uncle Eddie and Charlie. Even the "bad guys" are fun. 

-    I think it is really clever that the author made up pieces of art and gems for these books. I would not be that creative. Ally describes these valuables in a way that makes you think they are legit too.

-    I can't wait to read the third book!

Previous book in the Heist Society series:

(cover is linked)

Blogging Absence Due to Illness

Hey friends! I have been dealing with mastitis this week, so blogging and everything else has been pushed off to the side. I've been lying on the couch and in bed most of the week. I'm starting to feel better, so I should be blogging again soon! I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and haven't quit blogging. I'm just taking a small hiatus. 

Heist Society

Goodreads Synopsis:    When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a really fun story with great characters. It is very reminiscent of any "heist" movie like Ocean's Eleven and The Italian Job. I really enjoyed it.

-    Kat is a great main character. She is smart and has an awesome set of thief skills, but she also struggles with stealing things and how her family operates. 

-    I love Kat's family, and I love that the story is an all around family business. It is great to see a book with strong family ties. 

-    Some parts of the book felt a little slow to me, but I was interested the whole time, and I loved getting to the actual heist. 

-    I really enjoy Kat's relationship with Hale. There is tension there, and they've known each other for forever. I love romances that bloom from friendship. 

-    Very fun book, and it has Ally's humor and style all over it. I'm excited to read the rest of the series. 

One Lovely Blog Award

Kara from Flowers of Quiet Happiness nominated me for this award! Thank you Kara!

Rules:

Thank the person that tagged you and link to their blog

List the rules.

Share 7 interesting things about yourself

Nominate 10 blogs

List your nominees and link to their blog

7 Interesting Things About Me:

I had chicken pox twice. I had a very mild case when I was about 5, and then I had a more severe case in middle school.

I play the clarinet for the Wasatch Winds. I've been playing the clarinet since I was 11. I also play Tenor Sax. I picked that up in high school so I could play in Jazz Band.

I am a musical addict. I love musicals, especially ones with Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Fred Astaire. I always put one on when I do chores because I like the background noise. I used to be afraid to admit I loved musicals, but now I shout it out proud!

I am awesome at Disney Trivia. My family won't play with me anymore, and it makes me sad. I can sing most Disney songs, quote lines, and I love learning new and random facts. I love most trivia games, but I rock at Disney, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings trivia games.

I was born in South Korea, and I was adopted at 5 months old. I don't speak Korean or have any cool cultural stuff, but I can make a pretty good bulgogi, and I LOVE Kimchi.

I love video games. We own an Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U. We used to have a PS2 as well, but we sold it. I want a 3DS really bad! I also play World of Warcraft. I'd say I'm a fairly good gamer. I can hold my own when it comes to competing. 

I collect Funko Pops. I love them, and I would love to display them tastefully throughout my home. I'm still working on that. I have a love/hate relationship with my house right now. 

My Nominations: (I couldn't come up with 10)

Eastern Sunset Reads

Bookmark Dragon

Read This Instead

The Reading Fever

Angela's Anxious Life

Tif Talks Books

Way to Be!

Goodreads Says:    From one of the world's foremost spiritual leaders, an inspiring book that provides young adults and their parents with a game plan for leading a better life. 

This inspiring, upbeat, life-affirming book shows teenagers and their families how to navigate through the moral minefields of contemporary life and how to truly enjoy the opportunities and blessings that the modern world has to offer. 

Drawing upon his faith as well as his personal experience, Gordon B. Hinckley provides his readers with a game plan for discovering and embracing the things in life that are valuable and worthwhile. He shows how our lives are shaped by the decisions we make every day about personal behavior -- and he shows how to make the right decisions with the help of nine guiding principles. 

With its vivid anecdotes, invaluable precepts, and timeless wisdom, Way to Be! will be a source of both inspiration and practical advice for young people everywhere who want to lead better, fuller, more satisfying lives.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved President Hinckley. He was an amazing man, and I will always remember when he first spoke about the Be Attitudes. I was a teen when he gave this talk, and I love how simple and straight forward his 9 Bs are. I think everyone, not just members of the LDS church, could benefit from living by these Bs. 

-    I loved reading the personal stories and lessons from President Hinckley's life. He had some amazing parents.

-    This book is short and sweet, but there is a lot to absorb.