I know reading blogs is the last thing people will want to do today, but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I'm so grateful for this magical time of year. There is a special spirit about Christmas that I just love. I'm so grateful for my Savior and all he did for me, and I'm glad we get to celebrate his birthday with presents, decorations, good food, friends, and family.
I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with joy and laughter, and I hope Santa brought you lots of books!
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team p.s. HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE! Santa is coming tonight!
I'm a little late in posting this, but here it is! I MET CARY ELWES!!
The King's English hosted an event where Cary came and talked to us about his book and his experiences making The Princess Bride.
I went with my amazing friends Jenni, Tori, and Suey.
We went early and got really good seats.
He told some hilarious stories about Andre, Billy Crystal, and a couple others. I wish it had gone on longer.
Here he is signing a book:
He shook my hand!
I had things in my head that I wanted to say, but when I got up there, I choked! I was starstruck and my introvert side came out. I was quiet and shy. I said hello, my name (barely), and thank you. It was all I could get out! I felt so stupid afterwards.
Oh well, at least I have his book signed and personalized.
A girl in front of us was crying, so Cary gave her a hug, and she freaked out even more. It was pretty funny. Jenni and I contemplated crying if we got hugs.
It was such an honor to meet him! I remember watching The Princess Bride with my brothers when I was little. We would quote the movie all the time. I grew up with this movie! It was released the same year I was born. It was so amazing to meet the Dread Pirate Roberts himself. He was so charming!
From Goodreads: Katie’s got it pretty good. She’s a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie’s life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all—but they don’t come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over: 1. Write your mistake 2. Ingest one mushroom 3. Go to sleep 4. Wake anew And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She’s also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms—and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it’s against the rules. But Katie doesn’t care about the rules—and she’s about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions.
My Thoughts:
- I didn't know anything about this book going in, so I had no idea what is was about or anything. It isn't about seconds as in 60 seconds in a minute. It is about second chances. A lot of second chances.
- This is probably the thickest graphic novel I've read. I was surprised.
- I wasn't a huge fan of the story. It has a good message at the end, but a whole lot of stupid things happen.
- I love the illustrations! They were cute.
- Katie thinks she can have it all, and she keeps making one dumb mistake after another. Will she ever learn? Those mushrooms were way more trouble than they were worth.
- Although I thought Katie was dumb and a brat, I saw a little bit of myself in her. Sometimes I want a different life and situation too, especially when things are down. I've been working harder to be grateful for who I am, what I have, and who I have.
- Even though I wasn't a big fan, I think this is worth reading at least once.
Goodreads Says: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth
Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.
Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.
Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.
My Thoughts:
- I read this ages ago, but somehow I forgot to write a review! Oops!
- I love how the first book was about Jason at Camp Half-Blood, and this one is all about Percy at Camp Jupiter.
- I loved exploring the new camp. I really glad they provided a map. It was really helpful.
- It was fun to learn the Roman names for all the gods and who their Greek counterparts were. It was also fun to see the difference between satyrs and fauns and the cyclopes.
- I really liked the new characters introduced. Hazel and Frank were great, but I'm really curious about Reyna. I hope there is more of her in the future.
- Nico is back!!
- Percy is a natural leader. He grew so much in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, so I'm glad the book focused on Percy helping Hazel and Frank find their strengths.
- I can't remember everything I wanted to say, but I really liked this one!
- Tom Hanks has some pretty classic movies. There is Big, Castaway, Saving Private Ryan, all the ones with Meg Ryan, Splash, AND The Terminal. Great actor!
- I am so amazed at Tom's performance in this one. His speech, posture, and even the way he walks is so unique for his character. That would have been hard.
- I love Viktor. You can't help but cheer for him and sympathize with him. Great character!
- Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of the most beautiful actresses. I wish I looked like her, and had her voice. Her acting is great as well.
- This movie is so funny, heart warming, and all around great! I really enjoy watching every moment.
- The music is AWESOME!! I want to learn that clarinet part!
- All the sub characters are great as well. They give wonderful performances and they make me laugh.
- I don't like seeing Stanley Tucci as a bad guy, but he does a good job, like always.
- I love watching how Viktor uses his skills and resources to survive in the airport.
- This movie makes living in airport look a little fun. I wouldn't want to do it for a long time, but a couple weeks would be fun.
- If you haven't seen this yet, get ye hence and find it!
There was so much out there for this book! Wow! My favorites are the last two. I love epic scenes, and I'm a sucker for anime. I love the style and colors on the last one. Which is your favorite? So many talented artists! Each picture is linked to the source where I found them. I recommend clicking on the last picture. That artist has a drawing of a lot of the characters from the series. They are fantastic!
Goodreads Says: The second volume of a glorious two-volume, four-color graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning novel The Graveyard Book, adapted by P. Craig Russell and illustrated by an extraordinary team of renowned artists. Inventive, chilling, and filled with wonder, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book reaches new heights in this stunning adaptation. Artists Kevin Nowlan, P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman, Scott Hampton, and David Lafuente lend their own signature styles to create an imaginatively diverse and yet cohesive interpretation of Neil Gaiman's luminous novel.
Volume Two includes chapter six to the end of the book.
My Thoughts:
- I think more books should be adapted into graphic novels. This was so much fun! It is a great way to experience books in a new way.
- I liked the first volume more than the 2nd, but I liked the first half of the original better as well.
- I think I might enjoy the graphic novel more than the original. The artists did a great job illustrating the book.
- The different illustrators worked out a lot better in this one. It was more consistent.
- I loved the illustrations! Great portrayal of everything!
- I love the bitter sweet ending to this tale. Bod has to grow up and live his own life, but I feel sad about everything he has to leave.
- Even though I knew what was coming, it was still exciting to see/read some of the scenes.
- Wonderful adaptation! Every fan of The Graveyard Book should check these out!
My love and admiration for Richard Armitage is no secret! I LOVE watching North and South over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It never gets old!
Well, I've never read the book, and my friends want to remedy that! We are hosting a North and South Read Along for January! Are you excited? I am! Will you be picturing Mr. Thornton as Richard Armitage? I will!
Twitter chats will be announced on discussion posts! We'll be using #NorthSouthRAL for chats, thoughts, quotes, and anything else!
We'll also be having a movie night after the read along.
Details will be announced later!
We plan on kicking this off on January 1st! I'm really excited! I hope you'll join us! It will be lots of fun! I love read alongs! Please spread the word! The more the merrier!
And if this doesn't make you love Richard Armitage, I don't know what will!
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