Goodreads Description:"Once upon a Time" Is Timeless
Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.
But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?
My Thoughts:
- I wish there had been less about Mulan's family drama and more about the war. It would have been more fun reading about Mulan in the field.
- This was a fun light read. It wasn't anything stupendous, but I enjoyed a lot of it.
- It was about what I expected from a Once Upon a Time book. I wish there had been a bigger twist on the story though.
- I can relate a lot to Mulan. I am a tomboy, and I would rather shoot a bow and arrow and use a sword than learn to embroider and sew. The way Mulan felt out of place and how her father wouldn't approve of her is something I could relate too. My poor mom always wanted girls she could doll up, but she got tomboys.
Goodreads Description:This highly inventive mystery involves sixteen people who are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. They could become millionaires, depending on how they play the tricky and dangerous Westing game, which involves blizzards, burglaries, and bombings. Ellen Raskin has entangled a remarkable cast of characters in a puzzle-knotted, word-twisting plot filled with humor, intrigue, and suspense.
My Thoughts:
- There are a lot of characters in this book, but it isn't too bad keeping track of everyone and knowing who is who, especially after they've been paired.
- I love the mystery! The gears in my head were turning the whole time trying to figure everything out, but I couldn't!!
- Well done and clever story! Great characters and a captivating plot. I loved every moment!
- The perspective changes from character to character, but I liked being able to get inside all of the characters heads and find out how they were piecing the clues together.
My mother-in-law gave me a bunch of these Newbery award books, so you are going to see a bunch of reviews for them. I plow through these pretty fast.
Goodreads Description:A classic of American humor, the adventures of a house painter and his brood of high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations. "Here is a book to read aloud in groups of all ages. There is not an extra or misplaced word in the whole story."--"The Horn Book." Newbery Honor Book.
My Thoughts:
- Fun illustrations! Those penguins are so darn cute!
- Why does the text only cover 2/3 of the page? They could put a lot more text on each page.
- Even though this is for a younger audience, I found it cute and funny. I chuckled quite a bit.
Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.
When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.
My Thoughts:
- I understand that Rose would want a respectable job, especially if it meant avoiding an arranged/terrible marriage, but someone who gets sick when seeing blood shouldn't be a healer? I know it explains this more further in the book, but why did Rose WANT to be a healer so bad if she hates the sight of blood?
- Thank Heaven for dogs!!
- The love triangle is terrible. Lord Rupert is a cad! I wasn't too fond of Lord Hamlin either. He was supposed to be a strong/manly character, but he was kind of a baby. Not a total baby, but enough that it bugged me a little.
- I wish I had read more reviews and labels for this book. I didn't know it was going to be religious. I am a Christian, but this was a bit too religious for me.
- The book was pretty predictable. I had everything figured out by pg 102 (and I was right.)
- I enjoy a good romance in a story, but this book was ALL romance. Nothing inappropriate is in the book, but the whole story revolves around the romance. I like other things going on in the story as well. I wish there was more about Moncore throughout the book.
- I loved the bit about Hildy and Gunther. It brought out the most emotion for me.
I'll ask the questions, you provide the answers. Ready?
How much of a book do you read before you quit?
What makes you quit a book before finishing?
My Thoughts:
I try to give a book a good sporting chance before quitting, so I made a rule to read at least 100 pages before allowing myself to put the book down forever. I feel like that is ample time for the author to get over the boring stuff and captivate me.
I usually quit a book if it is super boring, I can't stand the characters, I think the book is dumb, or if I don't understand what the heck is going on.
Your turn. What are your thoughts on these questions?
- This plays and feels a lot like the original NES Kirby Dreamland. I loved that game, and I enjoyed this one as well.
- The powers you get don't just do one thing, they can do several moves. You also get super charged guys and get an awesome power that only lasts for a little bit. My favorite was the snowball one.
- King Dedede and Meta Knight are good guys now? That was a bit confusing. You can play with them and a spear guy for multiplayer.
- It was a little annoying to play mulitplayer. I kept accidentally getting on peoples heads and stuff. We got in each other's way a lot. This would have been better as just a one player.
- During multiplayer you can share food, but when you share, you kiss each other. It weirded me out! I don't want to see Kirby and Meta Knight kiss! They just should have made it so you didn't share food.
- There is an "extra feature" after you beat the game. It claims to be a whole new adventure, but it isn't. I played a couple levels, and it is only a harder difficulty. The only thing that changes is your health meter is shorter and the stars are outlines. Other than that, there is no difference. They just want you to play the game over again.
- There are 3 mini game type things that you can unlock, but there weren't too exciting. I played them once, and it didn't get me to play again.
- The end boss is great! There is about 3 phases or so, and I had a lot of fun fighting him in all phases! I love a good boss fight!
- This isn't the greatest Nintendo Game out there, but for us Kirby fans, it was fun! I think the new generation of gamers will enjoy it as well!
Last night/this morning, I had the pleasure of seeing The Hunger Games movie!!! Ya, I was one of the crazy people at the midnight showing.
I had the pleasure of going with a bunch of book bloggers and company. I met a lot of really awesome people, and I had a super great time!!
Now without further delay:
My Thoughts:
- The movie was good....really good! If you love the books, the movie will not disappoint you. There were a lot of scenes that were just spot on! The emotions are all there! It was a bit thrilling.
- The casting was perfect. I think Jennifer Lawrence channeled Katniss's character perfectly. I was worried about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, but he delivered! Stanley Tucci made me laugh every time I saw him, and Rue...she just steals your heart. I was really happy with the overall casting.
- (for Andrea) Gale was a good looking lad, but I'm still a big Peeta fan. Peeta has a bit of Gilbert Blytheness to him. He has had a huge crush on Katniss for forever, he is a really good guy, he has a sense of innocence about him, etc. Who doesn't love a good Gilbert type of guy?
- The capitol looks like Naboo.
- The use of music and lack of music was great! When the sound would cut off, my heart would drop. It was really well done.
- My only complaint was I felt like a monkey was holding the camera for some of the movie. I would have liked a steadier view of things.
- There are only a few changes from the book, and they were super minor. I wish all movies could be this accurate! This is probably the best book to movie since Lord of the Rings.
Goodreads Description:Happily ever after is a thing of the past.
A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless.
When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year-old Princess Eliza manages to escape.
Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope--and to love--once more. Now she must risk everything to ensure that she not become... The Last Princess.
My Thoughts:
- The beginning reminds me a lot of Anastasia.
- Overalls make a come back in 2090, ha ha!
- This book doesn't feel like it takes place in the future. I pictured the whole story happening in the past, like during the 1920s or something. There were very few mentions of technology. They rode horses instead of drove cars. They used the radio a lot. The food they ate was bread and cheese. This is stuff that I don't picture in a book that happens in the future. I wish the author has used more modern or futuristic technologies.
- I was really "in love" with any of the characters. I just didn't really connect with any of them.
- The book was alright, but it wasn't anything special. It had a good ending, but the rest of the book was just meh.
Goodreads Description:Larry. Bob. Archibald. These Veggie Tales stars are the most famous vegetables you'll ever eat. Oops, meet. Their antics are known around the world. But so much of the Veggie Tale story hasn't been told. In Me, Myself, and Bob, Phil Vischer, founder of Big Idea and creator of Veggie Tales, gives a behind-the-scenes look at his not-so-funny journey with the loveable veggies. From famed creator to bankrupt dreamer, Vischer shares his story of trial and ultimate triumph as God inspired him with one big idea after another.
My Thoughts:
- I am a HUGE fan of VeggieTales, and I just had to pick this up. I'm so glad that I did!!
- The introduction is wonderful! I loved the book from page one. It was actually from the first sentence.
- I loved learning more about a show I have enjoyed since I was a teenager. There were a few insights to some of the shows that were really fun and interesting.
- Phil Vischer is one hilarious guy! I laughed out loud a lot! Even though it was a funny book, it was a really heart-felt book too. I laughed and cried. - I read this book a little slower cause I wanted to really soak in everything!
- Vischer's story is an awesome one! If you are a Christian, a VeggieTales fan, or whatever, this is a must read for you!! The ending was a bit sad, but it was very uplifting. Vischer's message of dreams and God is one everyone should hear or read.
- I don't really know what more to say about this book. You have to just read it for yourself. I'm a bit blown away.
