Cat Girl's Day Off

From Goodreads:    Natalie Ng’s little sister is a super-genius with a chameleon-like ability to disappear. Her older sister has three Class A Talents, including being a human lie detector. Her mom has laser vision and has one of the highest IQs ever. Her dad’s Talent is so complex even the Bureau of Extra-Sensory Regulation and Management (BERM) hardly knows what to classify him as.

And Nat? She can talk to cats.

The whole talking-to-cats thing is something she tries very hard to hide, except with her best friends Oscar (a celebrity-addicted gossip hound) and Melly (a wannabe actress). When Oscar shows her a viral Internet video featuring a famous blogger being attacked by her own cat, Nat realizes what’s really going on…and it’s not funny.

(okay, yeah, a frou-frou blogger being taken down by a really angry cat named Tiddlywinks, who also happens to be dyed pink? Pretty hilarious.)

Nat and her friends are catapulted right into the middle of a celebrity kidnapping mystery that takes them through Ferris Bueller’s Chicago and on and off movie sets. Can she keep her reputation intact? Can she keep Oscar and Melly focused long enough to save the day? And, most importantly, can she keep from embarrassing herself in front of Ian?

Find out what happens when the kitty litter hits the fan.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved Nat's funny phrases like "Monkey snot on a stick," "Frick on a stick," etc.  Everything is on a stick.  They were funny, and I think I might use them.

-    I like the bits of cat wisdom on the top of each chapter.  There were all dead on about cats!  They made me laugh.

-    I felt bad that Rufus had to be pink the whole time, poor thing.

-   Some things in this book were a bit over the top, and I think the book is more suited for maybe a younger audience than me...like the age group the book was made for.

-    I liked the little romance bits between Nat and Ian.  I laughed a bit cause it was a pretty realistic awkward high school relationship.

-    I enjoyed all the characters.  Nat was wonderful, and her 2 friends were the best!  I love great friends in stories.  Everyone should have great friends.  Nat's friends were very lively and such go-getters!  Nat would NEVER have done a lot of the things she did without them.  They helped her become a hero.    

-    I want to talk to animals.  I wouldn't want it to be just cats, but if that is all I could do, I'd take it!

-    I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE that this book was kind of a dedication to John Hughes and Ferris Bueller's Day Off!  I enjoyed the references, and thought it was a worthy subject to write about.  

-     I really liked that the author made her characters believable and act their age.  Some books make 12 year olds act like 20 year olds, and I just can't buy it.  This story did not have that problem.  

-    Overall, this was a cute book.  It isn't epic or anything, but it is a fun, light read.

Character's Revealed!

I thought you all might want to know the answers to my mini-challenge last month.  If you were dying to find out who they were and what book they were from, here ya go!

Mystery Character #1

-    I have a secret identity.

-    My story was released this year (2012)!

-    I am a stubborn little snot, and I'm always ahead of the game.

-    My mother was a barmaid who married a king

-    I can roll a coin over my knuckles with both hands.

Sage From

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Mystery Character #2

-    I go by my nickname.

-    My aunt decided to give me to a dragon.

-    My story is a debut novel and part of a trilogy.

-    I am very talented with a needle and thread, and I like to show off my embroidery on my skirts.

-    A magical item makes my feet itch like crazy!

Creel from

__________________________________________________________________________________

Mystery Character #3

  

-    I share the same name with my author's daughter.

-    I have multiple mothers.

-    I secretly read books from a bookmobile.

-    The boy I love was beaten because he wanted to choose me.

-    I escape the only life I've ever known.

Kyra from

I guess not a lot of people have read these!  I highly recommend you do!  They are fantastic!  

I'm Participating!

When I first started blogging, a Bloggiesta was going on.  I had no idea what that was, but when I found out, I was sad I missed it.  I am NOT missing out again!  

It is Bloggiesta time!!  At least it will be soon.  Bloggiesta is a weekend where you dedicate some time to work on your blog and catch up on things.  There are mini-challenges and stuff happening, and it is great excuse to spend quality time with your computer and your blog.  Sign ups are going on right now!!

If you need more info or want to sign up, head over to There's a Book.

I'm hoping to add some features to my blog and start a new one with some friends.  More on that later!  

Giveaway Winner!!

Utah Book Month is officially over!  I had so much fun with everything!  I ended my month with picking a winner for my giveaway!!

The lucky winner of a Carol Lynch Williams book of their choice IS........

Hwa Sun from The Shangri La of Books

Congrats!!

I'll be emailing you shortly for info!  You have 48 hours to reply or I'll pick another winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated!!

The Cricket in Times Square

From Goodreads:    One night, the sounds of New York City--the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices--is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Attracted by the irresistible smell of liverwurst, Chester had foolishly jumped into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting New Yorkers on a junket to the country. Despite the insect's wurst intentions, he ends up in a pile of dirt in Times Square.

Mario is elated to find Chester. He begs his parents to let him keep the shiny insect in the newsstand, assuring his bug-fearing mother that crickets are harmless, maybe even good luck. What ensues is an altogether captivating spin on the city mouse/country mouse story, as Chester adjusts to the bustle of the big city. Despite the cricket's comfortable matchbox bed (with Kleenex sheets); the fancy, seven-tiered pagoda cricket cage from Sai Fong's novelty shop; tasty mulberry leaves; the jolly company of Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat; and even his new-found fame as "the most famous musician in New York City," Chester begins to miss his peaceful life in the Connecticut countryside. The Cricket in Times Square--a Newbery Honor Book in 1961--is charmingly illustrated by the well-loved Garth Williams, and the tiniest details of this elegantly spun, vividly told, surprisingly suspenseful tale will stick with children for years and years. Make sure this classic sits on the shelf of your favorite child, right next to The Wind in the Willows

My Thoughts:

-    This was a very charming story about 3 friends and a family who run a newsstand.

-    Can you really tell the temperature from a cricket?  Someone try this out, count the # of chirps per minute, divide by 4, then add 40.  

-    I thought Chinese people couldn't pronounce "l"s.  Isn't it a little backwards to substitute the "r"s with "l"s?  Should it be vice versa?

-    That Tucker mouse is so cute!!  I love how he had a dream come true by sleeping in the cage with dollar bills.  ha ha!

-    The illustrations were fun.  I liked how they looked like sketches.  Harry the cat was so fluffy and fun to see, and Tucker's facial expressions in some of the pictures were hilarious!

-    I wish the crickets outside our house played as beautifully as Chester.  

-    Every kid needs to read this book!  It is charming!

What's Left of Me

Goodreads Synopsis:    Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a really unique and interesting idea and story.  I loved it from the get go!

-    I really liked how all the characters were introduced.  I got to meet each one, and I gained a relationship with them as I learned more and the story progressed.

-    It would be really weird and hard to share a body with 2 souls.  It would have it's advantages, but I think it would be really hard, and the story reveals a lot of the pros and cons to the situation.

-    Speaking of pros and cons, how do the 2 souls handle it when 1 is interested in someone and other soul isn't?  I liked how the romance was just beginning in this first book, but I have a feeling it is going to get more complex though.  I'm really interested to see how it all plays out. 

-    I liked how Addie and Eva really complimented each other.  One was stronger in certain areas that the other lacked, and they helped each other.  They treated each other like sisters, and their relationship was very realistic.

-    It was interesting to read the story from Eva's perspective.  I thought the author handled that really well.  Addie and Eva share a body, but we see the world through Eva's eyes.  Really cool!

-    I'm glad there were 2, or rather 4, friends to help Addie and Eva through the story.  Hally/Lissa were like one of those girls who don't do much, so you have to help them a lot.  A damsel in distress type character, but Ryan/Devon was a great hero figure that Eva could rely on.  I liked seeing that contrast.  

-    There wasn't a huge cliffhanger, THANK YOU!  I really enjoyed the ending.  I felt like I got some closure, but they left some things open for the next one. 

-    Overall, this was a really fun and interesting read!  I am very eager for more! 

Re-read Thoughts:

-    Not as amazing as I first thought, but still good. 

The Kill Order

From Goodreads:    The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a very intense book!  It starts off crazy and doesn't slow down!  It was just one thing after another.  It was like the author tried to squeeze as many horrible things he could into this book.

-    The dreams/past scenes were intermingled in the story.  I would have liked it better if they had just done one continual story instead of break up the time sequence.

-    There is some gruesome stuff in this book.  There were a few cringe worthy moments.

-    I kinda felt like the Maze Runner series had zombie like creatures in it, but this one just confirmed it.  Zombies EVERYWHERE!!

-    I really wanted the prequel to be about how WICKED started and how Teresa and Thomas met and started the whole process, but alas, it wasn't.  It was about how The Flare started, which is terrible!   We get a tiny bit about Teresa and Thomas, but not much.  I personally think that Deedee is Teresa.  

-    I still have questions that I want answers to, but looks like I'm not going to get them!  Grrr!

Plants vs. Zombies

My Overall Thoughts:

-    This is a super fun and highly addicting tower defense type game!!  I played for hours and still craved more!

-    I've complete everything I can, but I'm still playing.  Seriously, I did EVERYTHING!  I have ALL the achievements.  I'm going through adventure mode again!

-    This is a great game for all ages!  I enjoyed it on the Xbox 360 just as much as I did on the PC.

My Thoughts on Gameplay:

-    The whole "story" of the game is waves of zombies are attacking your house, and you must plant different varieties of plants to protect your house/brains.

-    Going through adventure mode is a great place to start the game.  It teaches you how to play and introduces you to each plant and what it does as you unlock them.  You'll also get to battle in every scenario.  Fog is my least favorite.

-    Mini Challenges are really fun.  Each level is a different puzzle that makes you think a bit to solve.  Some levels are patterned after other popular PopCap games.

-    Survival levels are hard to get through towards the end.  I had to look online for help on a few of them.  It is played on the pool scenario.  I made it to flag 120 on Endless Survival!!!!

-    After you play for a while, you unlock the Zen Garden.  You can find plants during levels you play or buy some in Dave's shop.  The plants give you money, and you can sell them for lots of money when they're mature.

-    Dave's shop is run by Crazy Dave, apparently he is the only one who has survived the zombie apocalypse cause he's craaaazy!  At Dave's shop you can buy additional (awesome) plants, flowers, house upgrades, additional slots, and various other useful items.  My house is awesome!  Dave runs his shop out of the back of his car.  It's pretty funny.

-    You can play a cool Co-op mode where one player uses plants and the other player plays the zombies.  I personally like playing the zombies.  I think they have the advantage.  You can also play some of the mini challenges and adventure mode with 2 players.

My Thoughts on Control:

-    It is different to play with an Xbox controller rather than a mouse, but it isn't difficult at all.

-    I liked how I could scroll through the plants using the RB and LB.

My Thoughts on Graphics:

-    The graphics aren't anything fancy, but it is fun. 

-    I think the plant and zombie designs are really clever.  They are fun and cartoony.

-    I like that anyone can play this.  The zombies won't scare your little ones, but they are fun enough for adults to play.  

-    Watch Crazy Dave's license plate in his shop.  It changes each time.  Some of them are pretty funny.

My Thoughts on Sound:

-    I find myself humming along to the music and sound effects of the game A LOT!  I also like to say "brains" all deep and gravely like the zombies.  

-    I like Crazy Dave's jibberish!  He is a funny guy.

-    I LOVE the little music video at the end, and the song is highly addicting.  Don't be surprised if you are singing about zombies in your yard all day.  

Random Thought

My mouse broke this week, and I ordered this bad boy on Amazon!

It came today, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!

It's sexy!

Party!!!

Although most of the UBM celebration happens online, some of it actually takes place IN UTAH for REAL! Please come and join us for our summer social! Whether you're a blogger, author, or anything in between WE WANT TO SEE YOU! Here are the details:

Utah Book Blogger Bash

Friday, August 24, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Wines Park in Lehi*

Pavilion #3, SW corner

• Bring a dessert to share; we'll provide plates/forks/napkins/cups/water. If you can, please consider bringing a gluten free dessert.
• We'll be having a book swap again, so bring a book(s) to give away!
• You may also want to bring chairs and blankets for sitting on the grass.
• Families welcome

*From I-15, take Lehi Main Street Exit. Turn west onto Main Street (toward Lehi Roller Mills). Turn right onto 100 East. Turn left onto 500 North.

I will attending the event and I hope to see you all tonight!!!