Monday, July 26, 2010

Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore


Summary:
Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers y...more Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

Review:
I really enjoyed this book. I was worried that it wouldn't be able to live up to all the hype. They are already making a movie out of it, the author Pittacus Lore is giving crazy interviews to EW and the press is already unbelievable and the book isn't even out yet. Again, I was worried. I shouldn't have been.

The book is about a a boy named John who isn't all he seems. He is actually an alien who fled his home planet with 8 other children and their guardians and came to earth to reach maturity (and to recieve their legacies- powers that they will grow into) before they can return to their home planet of Lorien and hopefully rebuild it. The Mogadorians (aka: the bad guys) have followed them to earth and are picking them off, one by one. Numbers 1-3 are dead, John is number 4. The author (who by the way, is not really named Pittacus Lore) asks you to buy into a lot (including who he really is) but if you are the sort of person who likes to read book that create worlds within worlds and crazy creatures that might be walking amoung us, then this is really a great book.

I really enjoyed it. I loved seeing John come into his own and am looking forward to the next books in the series and to see what happens with the movie.

Rating:

Friday, July 16, 2010

A Scheduled Break

I have news! I'm going back to school- for my Masters. For the next two weeks I'll be hanging out here:



The Hall of Languages at Syracuse University, where I'll be doing my summer intensive, my first step on the path to getting my Library and Information Science degree. That's right, working on this blog and doing the book of the month club at EFG and TwilightMoms has made me realize that I want to work with books and people all the time, so it's back to the classroom. It will be a grueling few weeks- 3 classes (7 credits) in 12 days- for some of those days I'll be on campus for 11 hours! Thankfully I live close by, so it will be my own bed each night and not at the dorms.

While this is exciting, it means that there will be no blogging for a few weeks. There just won't be any time! I've got a few reviews in the pipe though- Brenda Pandos' The Emerald Talisman and Aprilynne Pike's Spells. Both are great books and if you are not reading Pike's books- go get them starting with Wings. They are so wonderful!

And because I'm a big dork- check out this cool picture of the Hall of Languages from 1873. How cool is that?

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Coal Miner

Coal Miners Daughter aka "The Coal Monster"

So this post is going to be a complete departure. It's not about books or reading, but is instead about my horse A Coal Miner's Daughter. I just wanted to share a bit about her and also some pictures. The farm I boarded at bought her at auction several years ago and she was a mess- I took her under my wing and we spent many, many hours together, working thorugh her numerous issues. She had been battered and abused and needed some love and I needed help getting over some serious anxiety issues in terms of horses. We worked together for about 3 years and in the end she turned out to be one of the best, most loving little horses ever. She was a beast who hated to be ridden (or more accurately was afraid to be ridden) and gave me a broken tailbone and many bumps and bruises. She handed out concussions and cuts like candy to anyone who thought they could "tame her", but everyone loved her anyways. She was my Coal Monster and I loved her very much. She was my snuggly horse who liked to get and give kisses, loved to play and was always the first to the gate to see you- unless you wanted to ride, at which point she'd be as far away as possible. But she was always ready to work and was the most kind horse I've ever had or worked with. She definitly helped me to rebuild my confidence, and I hope I helped her build hers as well. She went to live with my cousins family where she became a great family horse. Yesterday at the age of 8 Coal Miner died. She was found in her pasture and was buried today on the farm.

Coal and her big brother Paint, who was teaching her very bad habits

Coal with her forever family -

Who would have thought that the monster would have turned into such a great horse?

As much as I hate that she is gone, I'm extremely happy and thankful that she finally had the family she deserved with my cousins. I'm glad that we were able to take her from her situation and help her see that there are people who will love you even when you are bad, and who won't raise a hand to you when you do something wrong. She was my original little girl and she will be missed.

Coal at the farm

Me and Coal taking our Christmas Pictures


Coal Monster loved to Run- and she looked beautiful when she took off!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Habits and Rituals


Everyone has habits, good ones and bad ones. For instance I bite my nails=bad habit. I have some habits and rituals that relate to books. I got to thinking about them the other day while cleaning house, which inevitably includes tracking down all my books and trying to get them back on the correct shelf.

My biggest book habit has to do with dustjackets on hardcover books. I hate them. Love hardcover books, hate the covers. The book gets to the house, comes out of the bag and the dust jacket goes into the trash...immediately. It's a habit I picked up years ago when I would read in bed under the covers and that stupid cover would keep falling off and getting in the way. It was so much easier to just ditch it, so that's what I did, and it stuck. I love the way the books look all lined up, plain colored bindings with shiny writing staring out at me.

Another habit I have is sticking my name on the inside of every book I own. I don't know why I do it, I rarely let anyone borrow them, so it's not like they leave the house. Maybe someday I'll feel like they're old enough to go out on their own and visit friends, at which point tagging them on their covers like a mom writes her kids name on shirt and underwear tags will make sense, but right now it's just a habit that I can't seem to break!

Some people have great book habits. They refuse to fold pages or write in the margins. They keep their books looking brand new for as long as possible. I'm the opposite, I love when my books look all beat up, and used. It shows that they were well loved, which any good book should be! I have some books that are literally held together with duct tape and one very well loved copy of Shakespears complete works that isn't held together at all- it simply lives on the shelf in 3 very seperate pieces.

How about you? Any good or bad habits you have?

Friday, July 9, 2010

Book Blogger Hop



It's the time of the week when we blog hop! The wonderful blog site Crazy For Books hosts each week.

This week the question is: Tell us about some of your favorite authors and why they are your favorites!

Okay- so I'm pretty sure this post could go on for pages, beacuse there are so many great authors out there who I love for so many different reasons, but I will try to restrain myself. First I'll give you some of the authors I loved growing up and still hold a special place in my heart- I loved on Mark Twain and Jack London. They wrote about adventures I wanted to go on and places I wanted to visit, and it was such a great escape. I love Marion Zimmer Bradley and Jean M. Auel- they both wrote series that I read when I was a teen and I can still remember reading them that first time. Both series still sit on my book shelf, looking tattered and torn and completely well loved. More recently I can't help but read everything Simone Elkeles puts out there- her book are fast, fun reads that managed to still pack a punch. Add the fact that in person she is hysterical and so easy to talk to and she really is the perfect author! Suzanne Collins books are amazing and can really take you to another world.

However- my absolutely favorite authors are JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. I avoided both series like the plague at first, thinking Harry Potter was for little kids and then that Twilight was for silly teens. I'm the first to admit I was wrong on both counts! Both Rowling and Meyer created worlds I wanted to live in and characters I wanted to be friends with, and I can't help but read their books over and over again, loveing them more each time!

So...I think I'll stop there. Those are some of my favorite authors, but there are many more who I love and whose books that I love. And now, on to the hop!

Check out these blogs I found last week:



Thursday, July 8, 2010

Contest Winners!


The contest is over, our winners have been picked (random.org) and I'm happy to say Congrats to our winners!

Grand Prize: Melissa who wins Fire, Nightlight and Fallen!

Second Prize: Vicki who wins What the Dickens and The Hearts of Horses!

I have sent out emails to the winners. Thank you to everyone who participated in my first ever contest. I'm up to 60 followers, so keep your eye out if I ever hit 100, I'll have to go big or go home :)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Book Blogger Appreciation Week



It almost the time of year again for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, which this year will run from September 13th-17th. This is a week that recognizes and celebrates all the fabulous book bloggers out there who work so hard to share their love of books with everyone!

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From the BBAW website:
Book Blogger Appreciation was started by Amy Riley of My Friend Amy in an effort to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading.

The first Book Blogger Appreciation was observed in the fall of 2008 and occurs every September. The week spotlights and celebrates the work of active book bloggers through guest posts, awards, giveaways, and community activities. Book Bloggers are encouraged to register their participation for inclusion in a database of book bloggers.
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I've decided to register my blog in the niche catagory of Young Adult Book Blog Niche Category and the New Book Blog Featured Category. As part of the registration process I need to link to 5 previous posts that I feel represent my blog, so without further ado...

Review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Review: The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
Review: Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Article: Are We Too Nice?
Article: Do You Judge A Blog by it's Cover?

If you are interested in registering your blog, head on over to the BBAW2010 website and sign on up! You only have until July 7th to register, so get on it :) Good luck to all who entered.

Friday, July 2, 2010

50 Followers Contest


So here it is, my first ever contest, to commemorate the modest accomplishment of 50 followers. I've perused my bookshelves and come up with a small haul of books. Most are books that I have duplicate copies of and really enjoyed, so they are perfect to share with all of you!
Grand Prize winner will get your choice of any three books off the list.
Second Place winner will get your choice of any two remaining books on the list.
Here's is a quick look at what's up for grabs- check here for a more detailed list of the books.

Fire by Kristin Cashore (audio book)
What the Dickens by Gregory Maguire
Bran Hambric and the Fairfield Curse by Kaleb Nation (hardcover)
Fallen by Lauren Kate (hardcover, however this book is missing it's dust jacket)
Nightlight: a parody by The Harvard Lampoon
Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards
The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

Details: This contest will begin now and run through next Wednesday, July 7th at midnight. The two winners will be chosen by Random.org and will notified by email on Thursday morning.

Rules: Just fill out the form below, ranking the books from 1-7 (1 being the one you want the most, 7 being the one you could really do without). This contest is open in the US only, if you are international and would like to enter, you will be required to pay any shipping above $4.00.

(my apologies on the jank sizing of the form- I have no idea why it looks so silly or refuses to shrink down to fit the page, but just roll with it, it should effect your ability to enter the contest)

Book Blogger Hop!

It's the time of the week when we blog hop! The wonderful blog site Crazy For Books hosts each week.

I've been out of the game for a few weeks as I was on vacation, but I'm ready to hop around today ;) There's also a new twist- a question to answer. This week the question is:
Tell us your NAME and WHY YOU STARTED BLOGGING
So- my name is Kate nad I started blogging as a way to talk about all the great books I was reading. Simple enough right? If I go more in depth I may be here all day- but the short version is that in March of 2009 I read the Twilight Series (cliche right?), and LOVED it. I had been so immersed in school and work for so long that I forgot that reading was supposed to be fun and exciting. I joined TwilightMOMs and their book of the month club and suddenly I was reading all these amazing books and needed an outlet beyond the BOTM discussions. So I started this blog in October 2009 and here I am. Now I'm back in school to become a librarian, reviewing and moderating at Eve's Fan Garden on their blog, moderating at TwilightMOMs on the BOTM, blogging about Syracuse University's Library Science Program and of course blogging here!
Check out some of these great websites I've found while hopping around :)


Emily's Reading Room

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Book Trailer- The Dark Divine

Hi guys- I wanted to share this awesome new book trailer for Bree Despains The Dark Divine. It's a great book and the trailer doesn't dissapoint.



The Dark Divine book trailer

After you check out the trailer- head over to Bree's website and see the AMAZING contest she has going on!