I also snapped a picture of Enna, but it came out fuzzy!!! I was going to use it as blackmail, but alas...she befuddled my camera to fuzziness to keep her secret identity.
Here is Lois Lowry telling us about her books. I was so happy she told us how they are all connected!
Here she is signing books! I had the pleasure of standing in line behind "Tiger" ;)
It was a fun night! I look forward to more Author events at the library!
Although, it was Courtney's last event, and I'm sure future Authorlinks won't be as awesome. SO SAD!
Goodreads Synopsis:Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible. While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.
My Thoughts:
- Most of the book is pretty flat and a bit cliche. I wasn't too impressed.
- The whole Terra/Terror thing is SO true!! My little sister had a friend named Tara, and I called her Terror all the time. Because she was a complete Terror!
- The viewpoint of the book changes between Evening, Solo, and Adam comes in later. I really didn't think it needed to change point of views. Some of the Solo stuff was important I suppose.
- Solo's name might be awesome cause it reminds me of Han Solo, but he is kind of a loser. He likes to get hit in the head, and he was vein enough to think that a girl was checking him out after she was in an accident and got her leg ripped off. He is also a bit dirty in the head.
- What may be a perfect man to Eve, is NOT going to be the perfect man to everyone and their dog!
- I really didn't like Aislin. I don't think she was a very good friend, and she is WAY messed up. Eve kept having to help Aislin with everything, and I didn't really see what Aislin brought to their friendship.
- A lot of the characters in this book didn't have a lot of dimensions to them. They were pretty flat.
- The plot was a bit predictable. There wasn't a ton going on.
- I don't think I'll finish the series. There wasn't really a cliffhanger, and I not intrigued enough to continue.
If you are going to participate in the FrankenRun, please use the following coupon code when you register:
WasatchWinds
My band gets money for everyone who uses the coupon code. We'd really appreciate the support!!
What is FrankenRun you ask?
It is a costume 5k run that supports Utah Arts Organizations.
"Walkers and runners are encouraged to get into the Halloween spirit of the
race and wear a costume. Some common-sense costume guidelines are offered. Costumes should not protrude more than 8-inches beyond the runners body in any direction that might interfere with fellow racers. Runners should keep in mind this is a family-friendly event."
What: FrankenRun 5k Where: Art Dye Park, American Fork, UT When: October 13th, 9am Pre-registration: $22 at FrankenRun.com through October 11th Day-of-Race Registration (8am): $30
From Goodreads:A recipe for murder! * 5 families living on Peregrine Circle * 1 flowered curtain tieback * 1 missing child * 1 body in the field Mix with a long list of suspects and top with two very different detectives. Increase heat until only the truth remains. Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary "cozies" that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado-turned-amateur detective, Sadie Hoffmiller, tries to solve the murder of Anne Lemmon, her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously killed while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is Anne's missing two-year-old son, Trevor. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects - including her! Armed with a handful of her very best culinary masterpieces, Sadie is determined to bake her way to proving her innocence, rescuing Trevor, and finding out exactly who had a motive for murder.
My Thoughts:
- This murder mystery (that was chucked full of yummy food) was really fun! It had everything a good mystery book needs: good cop, bad cop, murder, several suspects, chase scenes, hiding scenes, sneaking around scenes, shocking secrets, etc. It was great!
- This made me want to bake and cook....A LOT!! I'm definitely trying out most of the recipes in the book. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the book includes recipes to some of the yummy goodness mentioned in the book.
- I loved the main character. Sadie is so funny and so believable. I think I know a few ladies just like her.
- This whole book took me through so many emotions. It was suspenseful, thrilling, sad, anger inducing, and other varieties of emotions.
- There were a lot of victims in this book, not just the one that got killed. I feel really bad for some of the people in Sadie's life. I hope the other books address how everyone gets their lives together...or don't get their lives together.
- There were some slow bits in the book, but there were a lot of "I can't turn the pages fast enough" bits too. The latter outweighed the first.
- The whole story and plot were really well thought out! Koodos for the author! She did a good job putting this whole mystery together and how it was going to be solved. There was no way for me to predict the ending! It was really well done.
- My only worry is that there are a lot of books in this series, and I hope they aren't really similar so I get tired of them. I'm looking forward to the next one though!
- I don't know as much about DC comics as I do Marvel, so I'm not positive, but I think they got a lot of things right about Green Lantern. They did well with the guardians and how the rings work and everything.
- The Green Lantern "theme" I kept hearing sounded an awful lot like the Superman Theme.
- The "you look pretty" line in the bar was LAME! No girl is going to go for that.
- Hal's friend, I didn't catch his name, looked like a Moss wannabe.
- The overall movie was really slow. There needed to be more action and less boring stuff!
- Hector looked like he got stung by Tracker Jackers.
- The CG was good for some things, but wasn't great in other places.
- Sinestro is a bad guy!!! I didn't know he started out good, but if they end up making more Green Lantern movies, my bet is that it will be about Sinestro going bad.
- Ryan Reynolds made a great Hal Jordan, but I think his talents were kinda wasted on this movie.
Tyson's Thoughts:
- This movie was terrible!
- Captain Planet was smug.
- If I had a ring, I'd make a good cheeseburger. A never ending always fresh cheeseburger.
- Dr. Mario is one of my all time favorite games, and I’m
super super happy that they released it on the Wii!
- This game is a classic, and they held true to
the Dr. Mario game for the Wii version.
- I love this game! I am also very addicted…have been since the NES.
My Thoughts on Gameplay:
- This is a classic Dr. Mario game. Throw the pills, stack 4, and kill
viruses. It’s as addicting as
Tetris. *Side Note: Nintendo did not do their research when making this game. Viruses can't be killed with pills. They have to run their course. Bacteria can be killed with medicine though*
There
are 4 different ways you can play the game:
- You can play with a friend and
battle it out.I wish it would show your
winning streak, cause I enjoy seeing how much I’m winning; However, I am
satisfied with watching the opponents Mii look all sad after they’ve been
beaten.
- You can, of course, play by
yourself and see which level you can make it to.Guess what?The levels don’t stop at 20.I
haven’t found an end to the game yet, but I’ve only played to lvl 35.I usually run out of time or something and
have to stop, but one of these days, I’ll just sit and play until the end!
- You can go online and duke it out
with people from around the globe.You
start out with 4000 points and gain points by winning and lose
points by losing.Trust me, there are
some crazy people out there that kick trash!!I get my butt handed to me all the time, and I consider myself a pretty
good Dr. Mario player.
- You can play with 4 people, but
it’s weird.It isn’t classic Dr. Mario
anymore.The game objective is the same,
but you work together to kill viruses.You grab the pills, yes grab, and place them where you want.I would have preferred competing against each
other.I think it would have been more
fun and added more game value.
My Thoughts on Controls:
- You only need the Wii Remote for this game. You hold it sideways and play like an old
school Nintendo controller, but for the 4 player thingy, you hold it normal and
point and click at the screen.
- I think
the controls are super easy to figure out, and there really isn’t any need for
explanation, especially if you’re a Dr. Mario veteran.
My Thoughts on Graphics:
- Graphics are everything you remember from all the other Dr.
Marios (is it Marios or Marioes?), same colors, same Mario, but just a little
updated.
- The menus look nice and fun,
and they are easy to use and figure out.
- You get to use your Mii for some of the stuff, and your Mii has a doctor
coat like Mario. Woo!
My Thoughts on Sound:
- I love the music from this game. They kept all the good ol' classic music selections. You get to choose your favorite song while
you play, or you can put it on random and be surprised. If you’re boring, you can turn the music off,
but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. My
favorite is Chill.
- You
also get all the classic noises that come along with the game. Like the little warning noise that tells you
your opponent is sending you junk, or the siren that goes off when you are too
close the top.
- I wish
Mario would say something in the game, like “good job,” “way to go,” or
something to indicate that he is alive.
Tyson's Thought:
- I want to know where Mario got his doctor's degree? - He is a pill pusher.
During Bloggiesta, I was inspired to start a series of blogs called Holiday Suggestions. I'm going to suggest books to read during the holiday season! Sound awesome? I thought so! Here is the first installment!
(In no particular order)
Paranormacly Trilogy by Kiersten White
These are fun, clean, and full of vampires, werewolves, and other paranormals. (click on pictures for reviews)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
This one just scares me. I had nightmares of a monster chasing me all over
the world while I read this.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This book is a classic! It just has that fun fall feel to it.
Everyone should read this in their lifetime!
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This is a great story about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard! It is a fun light read!
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
This might be a strange pick, but it is a strange story. I think it kinda has that Halloween vibe going for it. I enjoyed the book A LOT! There is so much more to the story than what the musical provides.
What are some books you like to read around this time of year?
Goodreads Synopsis: Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight. To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.
Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.
My Thoughts:
- Love triangle in a zombie/mutant book? Puhlease!
- Fade became this needy, moody, possessive boyfriend. Almost like a certain vampire I wish hadn't been invented. Fade should have stayed the strong mysterious guy. Stalker was more a man than he was in this book.
- All our characters have to move on from their past, and it isn't easy. I loved how the author addressed each character's horrible past and how they were coping.
- Deuce is starting to understand what it is to be a girl. She calls it weak. I call it being a girl.
- There are some slow points in the book, but there were also some major intense scenes as well. Some of the intense stuff is gruesome.
- I loved that Deuce got to experience a normal family life with the Oakses. They are so kind, and I just love them! I also loved Longshot. He was such a great mentor character.
- I didn't like this as much as the first one. I wanted a little more action. There was action, but I wanted more!
- The ending killed me! It isn't the worst cliffhanger, but I'm dying to find out what happens!!!
- I wish I could fight and be as fit as Deuce. I also love her name.
Series Info:
Outpost is the 2nd book in the Razorland series. Click on the picture to read my review on the first book:
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