TILT: Book Nooks!

Things I Love Thursday: Book Nooks edition. I want a book nook! How about you? Do you have one? Want one? Get claustrophobic and no way would you sit in a tiny room? 

Children's Book Nook by HiyaPapaya --this person's pictures are amazing! You should go thru and look at them when you have some time. I love this reading seat because it's so bright and cheerful and still functional.

Fairy Book Nook by Berry-Break?? --I couldn't find the original person for this, so if you know, please comment and I will fix it! I called this one the Fairy Nook because it just looks like a room you would find deep in a forest with fairy lights twinkling all around it. :)

Book Nook with a View by Safdie Rabines Architects --that looks like an amazing view, doesn't it? I would love to curl up with a big thought-provoking book and take breaks looking at the scenery.

Closet Turned Book Nook by Thrifty Decor Chick --she made this nook herself out of materials she had around the house during renovations! It is so cool. You have to go read her post on it. And I think I found a new blog to follow! :)

Review: "Sweet Thursday" Classic a Month #8

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
5 out of 5 stars

My Steinbeck summer has ended with a bang, and not the bad kind like in Of Mice & Men lol. Sweet Thursday enchanted me just as much as its predecessor, Cannery Row. I have decided that it is the combination of Steinbeck's way with words plus the characters of Cannery Row that make me so happy. Before I get into my gushing review though, I want to talk about the physical book. Ever since I read Cannery Row and found out there was a sequel, I've been looking for it at Half Price, Barnes & Noble, the library, everything and was unable to find it. I finally gave in and ordered it on Amazon, the cheapest one I could find, and did my fancy Prime Shipping and got it in one day. (That was totally awesome btw.)

My copy is from 1963 (if I'm reading the copyright correctly lol), and the original cost was .75¢. The cover is that bright orange with the cool line drawing and the pages are thick. Like, I had to constantly check that I wasn't turning two pages instead of one. And it smells like an old book. You know you smell your books sometimes, don't look at me like I'm crazy. Until the Kindle comes with a scratch n' sniff feature, I'm going to stick with my physical books for the most part. ;)

The beauty of this book is its simplicity: it's a story about normal men and women living a normal life. There's nothing special about the town or the time. It's like reading a story about your family. You know that one crazy uncle that always gets drunk and throws raucous parties but has the best of intentions? That's Mack & the boys. Or your grandfather who could go on for days about the intricacies of octopi and how they are highly emotional animals and sometimes they get so mad they collapse and die of something that parallels apoplexy. Well, that's Doc. And that sister that runs the local whorehouse and does astrology on the side? Okay, we don't talk about her (hah!) but that's Fauna. There's just something comforting about having an uncomplicated (I almost put noncomplicated oops) book that you can read and enjoy and then be done. It's not a series of 15 books, it doesn't make you depressed for days after reading it but leaves you feeling good about life for once.

Sweet Thursday is set a few years after Cannery Row and right after World War II. Doc is back from the war and is a bit disenchanted with life, which is understandable. He feels like he should be doing something important with his life or something is missing, but he doesn't know what. As he wanders around aimlessly, his friends get a little worried, since he is the moral backbone of Monterey. And if he can't live a full and rich life, what chance do they have? So of course, Mack and the boys decide to do something about it. I think Mack's intentions were even more honorable here than in the first book. He really and truly wanted to help his friend. And what's the best way to help a friend who's feeling down and forbade you to give him any more parties? Find him a dame.

Well, I remember this girl. I am not whole without her. I am not alive without her. When she was with me I was more alive than I have ever been, and not only when she was pleasant either. Even when we were fighting I was whole.

That's what Mack sets out to do, with a little help from Fauna (matchmaker to working gals since 19 diggity two) and Hazel (one of the "boys", a little slow on the uptake, but destined to be president according to Fauna's charts). Hijinks ensue, as is always the case when Mack is involved, and we get taken along for the ride.

There were a few stand-out parts for me that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the central plot. The first was a chapter about a neighboring town where a friendly roque (similar to croquet, played on a hard, smooth surface) competition between senior citizens somehow turned into a race/gang war. The two teams (Green and Blue) became super competitive and suddenly didn't want to talk to each other, wouldn't allow their kids to "intermingle", built separate churches. It all came to a terrifying end when a Green was clubbed to death with a mallet. Yeah.

There are people who will say that this whole account is a lie, but a thing isn't necessarily a lie even if it didn't necessarily happen.

Let's do a good thing now to get rid of that ugliness, okay? Fauna is trying to make one of her girls, Suzy, realize she is worth something and tells her to say these lines out loud: I'm Suzy and nobody else. I'm a good thing. There ain't nothing like me in the whole world. Aw. :) Fauna also gives Suzy some wise rules to getting a man, such as no cussing, listen and ask questions, let them do nice things for you, think before you speak, and don't get in fights. That Fauna is a smart lady.

I know you're probably wondering if Doc gets over his funk or finds a dame. Well, I'm not telling you lol. You'll just have to read it and find out! I will tell you though, this story does end happy. No one gets shot in the back of the head or tries to commit suicide or gets stung by a scorpion or has to kill his beloved pony. :'( Nope, things are good on Cannery Row.  Sweet Thursday was one hell of a day.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Book Confessions

It was kind of hard coming up with 10 book confessions for this week's Top 10 from The Broke & The Bookish, but once I started thinking about it and reading a few others, I got it. :) I'm going to start with the easy ones and work up to the most shameful secret of all. Please don't judge me!

1. I would prefer to have all my books in a series be in the same style and it really bugs me when I can't make that happen. Especially when a series starts out as trade paperbacks (Sookie Stackhouse!) and then gets popular, so they start doing hard-bounds. Ridiculous.

2. I almost always have at least 3 books going at once: one at work, one lighter read at home, and one heavier read at home. (Sometimes the lighter and heavier is literal; I can't read Bitterblue while I'm eating! Lol) I think the most I had at once was 5.

3. I hate dog-earing pages and refuse to do it. My sis does it (on library books!!) and I yell at her every time. I even made her a pretty bookmark and she forgets to use it.

4. If a hard-bound book has a dust jacket, I take it off and put it on my bookshelf. I can't seem to keep them on while reading.

5. I always have to read the back cover/summary before starting a book. Even if it's a reread.

6. I have at least 10-12 bookmarks scattered around the house. Some I bought, some I made, some others made for me. And yet...I kind of want to make some more or do another bookmark swap.

7. I refuse to buy books with the movie tie-in cover. I hate it. The only exception I made was for Beastly, because it was super cheap at Half Price. And it bugs me every time I see it.

8. Sometimes I catch myself reading ahead on the page and spoiling myself. I try not to, but I read fast and my eyes get ahead of my brain lol.

9. If I am at Barnes & Noble, I will grab 3-4 books and go sit down and read a good 30 pages in each one to see which I should buy. It drives my sister crazy.

10.On that same note, I have been known to read an entire book at B&N before. Oops. The most recent one I did that with was a middle grade book called 11 Birthdays. It was really cute though and I will probably buy it eventually.

11.And my extra, most shameful secret of all that I've never told anyone: in high school, my best friend and I stole a book from the library. It was a book on witchcraft (we had just watched The Craft and of course, were way into it) and it was in the reference section, so we couldn't check it out. So we decided to just take it. My friend put it in her backpack and we walked out. The buzzer sounded, we freaked, they told us it was okay and to just go ahead, and we bolted out of there. We hid the book under her bed and I'm not sure what happened to it after that. We used it a few times and then moved on to something else. *hangs head* I'm so ashamed.

Review: "Mary Anne & Too Many Boys: The Baby-Sitters Club #34"

Mary Anne & Too Many Boys: The Baby-Sitters Club #34 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

Sea City again!! Woot woot! This one wasn't quite as good as the first, but not too bad. It's summertime again (already??) and Mary Anne & Stacey are going with the Pikes to their summer home. Mallory is a sort-of baby-sitter this time too, but her parents mostly want her to enjoy her vacation. So basically, she has to watch the kids, but she doesn't get paid. How come Mary Anne & Stacey get to go each time? That doesn't really seem fair. I mean, Claud is going to Vermont with her family and Dawn is going to sunny Cali to meet her soon-to-be, foreshadowed like crazy, stepmom. But Jessi & Kristy are both staying home. Nofe-air as Claire would say.

The best thing about this book? We get the condensed version of the "5 W's+1 H" of the BSC, only 1 chapter this time, since most of it takes place in Sea City. Also, a special What Stacey is Wearing to the last club meeting before vacay. Stacey looked very "New York" as usual, in a pair of khaki safari pants, topped with a jungle-print blouse and a leather belt that must have cost two months' allowance.

(click here for details)

Once they get to Sea City, they get settled in the same house they had last time. I love this house. It looks like something out of Hansel and Gretel. It's a giant gingerbread house, which Mrs. Pike says is Victorian style. It's painted yellow with white trim, and has carved railings and posts and eaves and edges. Best of all, it has a big front porch, so you can sit for hours and look at the ocean. Doesn't that sound awesome? Stacey and Mary Anne are sharing a room again and honestly, Stacey is a real brat in this one. Something about the beach always makes her turn nasty. It must be her diabetes.

Mary Anne takes the girls into town to wander around and they end up at the Ice Cream Palace, where for some reason, there is a 12 year old boy working there. Although, since we have 11 year olds watching babies, I guess that's not too far off base. We get this odd love triangle thing going now, with the boy liking Mallory and Vanessa liking the boy and it's all just a big mess. And can I just say? Vanessa is 9 years old. 9!! What is she doing liking boys?? This just seems really, really odd to me. So, Vanessa starts writing all these love poems to the boy, who thinks they are from Mallory, who has no idea that any of this is going on. Got it? Vanessa is heart-broken when the boy asks her to ask Mallory on a date for him. Yeah, I don't even know anymore. Mary Anne feels super bad for her, but doesn't really know what to do. So she kind of ignores it.

She has a good reason though, because those cute mother's helpers from last year, Toby & Alex, are back this year with new families! What a shocker, right? And even though Mary Anne is in "total love forever" with Logan "I look like Cam Geary and talk funny" Bruno, she immediately starts hanging out with Alex without bothering to mention that she has a boyfriend. Totally leading him on. (Mallory is rightfully disgusted.) And of course, Stacey is in LUV with Toby again, which makes her completely oblivious to anything else. Like the fact that the Pikes asked the two girls to take separate nights off, but they didn't talk about it ahead of time at all. So both girls planned dates for the same night, but Stacey gets it by default I guess, because she's Miss Super Awesome New Yorker Sophisticated Girl and also, she has diabetes. ;) But the next night, when Mary Anne plans on going out, Stacey tries to go out again!! What?! Not cool, Stace, not cool. Luckily, Mary Anne stands up to her and goes out on her boring date with Alex.

Meanwhile, back in Stoneybrook: Kristy is shocked to discover that Jackie Rodowsky is kinda clumsy when she takes him & his bros to the swimming pool. I guess she forgot to read the club notebook. Jackie manages to drop his giant cookie in the pool, get stung by a bee, hold up the line at the snack stand by ordering a huge amount of food and not having enough money, and disappearing for 10 minutes to the showers, making Kristy nearly have a heart-attack. Also, Jessi thinks her little brother, Squirt, is a super genius because he watched the TV and made a connection to real life. Okay, Jessi.

So, what happened with all the boys, you ask? I know you're dying to know. Well, Toby dumps Stacey so he can "play the field" when he gets home; she's upset but I'm not really sure why since she basically forgot about him after the last vacation anyway. Mary Anne realizes she really does love Logan best of all and Alex is just a good friend, not that it matters, because turns out Alex has a girlfriend back home too. (Mary Anne conveniently leaves this whole part of her vacation out when she tells Logan all the deets later.) And Vanessa writes the ice-cream boy this super sappy goodbye poem and tells Mallory nothing:

Dear Chris,
I'd love to see you tonight,
but the timing just isn't right.
We're leaving Sea City today,
and going far away.
I'll always remember your smile,
please think of me once in a while.
I <3 you forever, your secret admirer.

Gag me with a spoon.

Special Sunday Review: "More Than Meets the Eye"

I dug out my box of children's books from my closet yesterday and found some of my old elementary education books and notes. It was kind of sad, because I didn't make it in becoming a teacher, but funny because I found a few assignments, including some book reviews. So how about a special throw-back Sunday review? Today's is a tad longer so I'll do it by itself and then next Sunday will have 2 in 1. And maybe after that, I'll find something new/old to post on Sunday! Some old, angsty poetry perhaps? :) Oh and I will say up front that the quality of writing is um, not good. Sorry!

More Than Meets the Eye by Jeanne Betancourt, was published in 1990. It is appropriate for ages 10-15, but probably closer to 12 or 13. The cultures described in the book are those of the Chinese, Cambodians, and whites.

The story is set in a high school where there is only one Asian American, Ben, who usually gets along great with everyone. Then, a young Cambodian girl who can't speak English moves to town, and everyone tries to put the two together, like they are from the same culture. Ben gets upset, more so when his friend, Elizabeth, starts helping the girl learn English. Elizabeth is going through her own struggles with her parents. She likes Ben as a boyfriend, and since she is Caucasian and he is Chinese, neither one's parents approve. The story climaxes with the entire town in an uproar about Asians taking over, and the boy who has been insulting Ben throughout finally realizes what a racist he is. Ben and Elizabeth get together in the end, and the town begins to accept the new Asian families.

This book is a little oversimplified, but it makes its point well. It's trying to show how racism works and how it hurts people. The Asians are depicted as very smart and as hard workers. "They give him [Ben] better grades because they expect him to do better than you." The boy who insults Ben finally learns that what he is doing is wrong, when he has to help a Korean family and loses his job. Most children will understand the message of this book, even though they may not enjoy reading it. The author is trying too hard to get her point across.

Dirty Little Secret Saturday

I came across a new meme and thought it would be fun to do every now and then as an extra weekend post. It's hosted by Under the Covers, a saucy little blog! :), and they post a question each week to find out more about fellow bloggers by unearthing deep, dark secrets...or silly ones, whichever.

This week's question is:

"What quote or picture would you get tattooed from a book and where would you get it?"

Well, I don't currently have any tattoos but I do want some soon and at least one planned already is literary inspired so this should be pretty easy! :) And no surprise to those who know me, they are mostly Harry Potter. The first one, that I really want, is "Expecto Patronum" down the inside of my left (wand) arm in white ink, with a simple raccoon drawn at the wrist. Raccoons have always been my animal, so I thought that would be really cool. 

My sis wants "Lumos" or maybe "Practically Perfect in Every Way" from Mary Poppins on her wrist in white ink. I think the Platform 9 3/4 would be cool too.

I'd also love to have a Wild Thing or Max, but I don't know where? There's this super cool person at my local Half Price Books that has a Wild Thing on their arm and I always remember I love it whenever I go in there and see them.

I would get this quote from Anna & The French Kiss over my heart maybe: "Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?" Le sigh. :) Or maybe "Oh, you're just talking silly talk." Which is a line from a lovely children's book called Rain Makes Applesauce. (My second favorite line is "Monkeys mumble in a jelly bean jungle." Lol) So, what about you? Would you get or do you have a literary inspired tattoo? A picture? A quote? 

(I understand tats aren't for everyone, but please be respectful in the comments!)

Review: "The Morganville Vampires" Series Books 9-10

So I finally gave in and picked up the next 2 individual books in the Morganville Vampire series, because I couldn't wait for the omnibus' any longer lol. And I guess I'll go ahead and keep buying them like this now, but I refuse to buy them in hard-bound! Yeah. This is going to be a review of books 9 & 10, so if you haven't read the first 8, I suggest you stop here and go read my review linked up above. :)

Ghost Town: Morganville Vampires #9 by Rachel Caine
4 out of 5 stars

I really, really liked this one. I'd venture a guess that it was my favorite, so far. Even though the majority of it was pretty heartbreaking, I felt like it was the best written. The suspense starts right from the beginning when Claire gets into serious trouble with Amelie, the head-honcho, and is given a severe punishment: fix the town's computer system within a certain time period or else. Meaning she is stuck with Myrnin, the sanity-challenged, vampire-bunny-slipper-wearing, steampunk-loving vampire who doesn't quite understand why he can't bite whomever he pleases.

Oh, I love Myrnin. He is so unhinged, you never know what's going to happen. There is a rumor/theory/wish that I've read in many people's reviews that Myrnin and Claire are going to eventually get together. I just...I don't know how I feel about that. I love Shane & Claire together so much and Myrnin is oooolllddd lol. I know he's supposed to be very young looking and pretty dang hot, but I can't picture it.

Okay, anyway. Claire manages to fix the machine, but she doesn't realize that Myrnin has made a few "tweaks" until odd things start happening around town. Michael lashes out at her unexpectedly, people forget where they've been working and living for the last few years, that cow Monica suddenly thinks she's dating Shane because she did in high school. Turns out Myrnin's "tweaks" actually erased people's (including vampires) memories for the last 3 years. Which, you know, could be bad.

Bite Club: Morganville Vampires #10 by Rachel Caine
3 out of 5 stars

First things first: is that supposed to be Shane on the cover???!?? Um, no. That is not my Shane. At all. Yes, I feel very strongly about this lol. All right, this one wasn't nearly as good as the last for me. It just felt off somehow. Why can't these kids get a break every now and then? Oh right, then the books would be boring.

There's a new gym in Morganville and everyone is abuzz, because it's being run by vamps...to teach humans how to kick butt. Shane, especially, is like "heck yeah!" Dude has some major anger issues, which I get, but this is not the way to unleash them. Maybe try a little therapy next time.

This book is the first to have mini-chapters from Shane's point of view (which I guess is why he's on the cover?) and at first I thought that would be great, but after a while it gets old. Total angst-ridden, huge amounts of anger towards just about everyone, including Claire, Michael, and Eve, dark, dark thoughts that no one should be able to see. I'm starting to wonder if Claire and Shane will get their Happily Ever After. :(

There are some good things in this one though: Myrnin driving like a blind geriatric on crack with the cops on his tail, Oliver and Amelie's relationship growing to almost "like", highlight for spoiler re: Eve & Michael: getting married! Like Amelie is actually going to let that happen, but it's so cute to see Eve so happy for once! /spoiler, Claire getting some news about her future, Myrnin protecting Claire and her friends, all the bits with Myrnin really lol. I do <3 him. And now I really want to go get the next one. Arg, when's payday??

TILT: DIY Book Crafts

Are you a reader and a crafter? I am, when I'm in the mood lol. I do lots of papercrafts (cards, ATC's, bookmarks, art journaling, etc...), make jewelry, embroider, knit (long, rectangular scarves only please), glue magnets to anything and everything and probably lots more. So I gathered up a few fun possibly DIY book related crafts for today's TILT. If you craft, I want to hear about it and bonus points if it's book related! :) Maybe one of these days I'll share my book related crafties too.

(if you do not want your picture & link listed, 

please contact me & I will remove immediately!)

Labrador Bookends by PBTeen --these didn't start out DIY, but how easy would that be to do? Find some plastic toys at the thrift store, glue them to a block of wood, spray-paint and tada! I love it.

Book Button Bouquet by @JulzReads & found on BookRiot --these are so cute, I'd love to have some sitting on my bookshelf by the window. And these are my kind of flowers, no watering!

Where the Wild Things Are Globe by ArtOnGlobes --this is seriously awesome. Those images are cut out individually so you can still see the map around it. I don't think I could do that (I have issues cutting straight lines sometimes lol), but just covering an old globe with book pages would be neat.

Book Spine Bookmarks by GreenPaper --great way to reuse old books (and you can use the pages for button bouquets or covering globes!) and they were awesome to give some tips and tricks down at the end of their post!

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Fave Books of My Blog

My top 10 favorite books that I have read during this blog...thanks to the Broke & The Bookish as always! :) I'm going to try to pick books that I haven't posted yet in a Top 10, but that may be kind of hard lol.

1. The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann M Martin

2. Mary Ann Saves the Day: BSC #4 by Ann M Martin

3. BSC Super Special #1 by Ann M Martin

4. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal

5. Burn by Linda Howard

6. The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

7. The Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen

8. The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

9. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

10.The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

11.Mallory & The Trouble With Twins: BSC #21 by Ann M Martin

Review: "The Help"

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3.5 out of 5 stars

The Help was an interesting book. It was funny and heart-warming and sad. But it was also really uncomfortable, as a white person in her 30s, to read. I've never been through anything like that and I have no idea what it's like. I felt like I shouldn't be reading this at times. This is even kind of awkward to write, but I'm going to try and please, please feel free to call me out on something if you feel strongly one way or the other about what I'm saying.

The story opens in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi with Aibileen, a black woman in her late 40s who is a maid/caretaker for a white family, the Leefolts. She is basically the main caregiver for their 2 year old daughter, Mae Mobley. There's plenty of segregation still in Jackson, MS and being a maid is basically the only job for a black woman there. They are forced to raise these white babies, sometimes loving them more than their own mamas, but can't use the same bathrooms or dishes. It's embarrassing and degrading, but these women have no choice.

Aibileen is a smart woman, but she didn't really have much personality in my opinion, even though she is one of the main characters. Her best friend Minny, a loud, sassy woman in her mid-30s was a lot more dynamic and interesting to me. The third main character, Skeeter, is a white socialite in her early 20s who thinks maybe things should be changing in Jackson. Skeeter dreams of being a writer of Important Things but the best job she can get is a housekeeping advice column in the local paper, which she has to use Aibileen for, because Hello? She has never had to clean anything in her life.

The three women's lives intersect when they are each humiliated by Miss Hilly Holbrook, the "queen bee" of the town. Skeeter decides to start writing the maids' life stories down and she gets Aibileen and Minny to help her. This is extremely dangerous and honestly, a little stupid and misguided on Skeeter's side. She is doing this to help her get a position at a New York paper or publishing company. She has no idea how this could affect the women of Jackson, black or white. She doesn't consider the safety of these women helping her, besides meeting in the evening on the "black side of town" and changing the names in her book. It seems incredibly irresponsible to me that Skeeter doesn't consider the ramifications of what she is doing. She's a white woman in a prominent family, what could they possibly do to her? That just really bugged me.

The stories about the women themselves were all interesting and I really enjoyed them for the most part. Minny's revenge on Miss Hilly was OMG hilarious. When she gets a new job with a new girl named Miss Celia Lightfoot, she ends up becoming almost friends with this white girl from the boondocks. Celia was an interesting character. I wanted her to be even more fleshed out than she was, I felt like she didn't get her story told appropriately. She did have one part that would be extremely triggering for some people. Spoiler, highlight to read: it was pretty obvious to me that she was having miscarriages but when she actually had one with Minny there, I was as grossed out as she was. /spoiler. I also had a big issue with the fact that Stockett chose to write the black women with an extreme Southern accent, but not the white women, especially Celia. Southern people, black or white or purple polka-dotted, they all say ain't and y'all every now and then. ;)

You done burned ever bridge there is. And you ain't never gone get another boyfriend in this town and everbody know it. So don't walk your white butt to New York, run it.

This review is kind of all over the place lol...I think it is a very good book and I would recommend it, but I would also say, read it as a "chicklit" book. Is it going to break ground like To Kill a Mockingbird? No way. But that doesn't mean it can't be important in its own ways. If someone picks up this book because it was so popular and gets a deeper message out if it, isn't that a good thing? I don't know what I'm trying to say here anymore :p so if you have any ideas, let me know!

Review: "Key Trilogy"

Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
4 out of 5 stars

I picked up the first book in this series at Walgreen's months ago just because I wanted to buy *something* (funny how many of my book purchases are like that huh?) and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. I finally decided to give it a shot and hey, I really liked it! So I went and grabbed up the other two and gobbled them up as well. Nora Roberts is all about the Happily Ever After and the Big Romance but also believes in Empowering, Strong Women so that's cool. She also likes to throw in some magic occasionally and this trilogy is heavy on that.

I just want to talk about the trilogy thing for a minute...have you noticed how many books out there are parts of huge, gargantuan series now? I mean, it's nice to have lots of material to read about a favorite character or story, but after 8-10 books it starts getting a little redundant. 12-16 books? That's just verging on ridiculous. I think the only one who can do more than that is Piers Anthony, the king of Xanth (36 books and counting) and even those are excessive. Actually, I don't think I've read one since around #30 or so. Honestly, a trilogy is the best for me. You get a nice, long story but it doesn't go too long and it ends at the right time. Nora Roberts loves trilogies too. :)

Okay, I'm done with my mini-rant. On to the books. Three demi-goddesses have been trapped by an evil god king (see, told you there was magic) for thousands of years and can only be freed (free'd?) by 3 mortal women...in come Malory, Dana, and Zoe. They are told this unbelievable story by the extremely beautiful Rowena and the strong, broody Pitt at their mansion, Warrior's Peak, and offered a heavy incentive if they succeed. Once they agree to go on this outrageous quest to find the 3 keys, the story really gets going.

All 3 women are very strong characters but have been brought down by recent events in their professional lives. This, combined with their strange quest, brings the 3 together and they soon become close friends. I think Dana was probably my favorite, because she worked in books and that passion comes thru the pages in her (2nd) story. Spoiler, highlight to read: I loved that these 3 different women combined their talents and loves to make their shop. That is something I've always dreamed of and I really enjoyed all the parts about making their dreams come true. /spoiler

We can't forget their romantic counterparts of course: Brad, Flynn, and Jordan are great guys and had interesting stories on their own. Past loves, a crazy dog named Moe (that I loved), writing books, lots of money, and more for these hunka-burnin' loves. ;) There's the typical 3 men for 3 women and they all fall madly in love in the end, but you know what? Sometimes you need that kind of story! And this is a good one. It's got that ooey-gooey stuff plus some adventure, friendship, a cute kid & dog, a villain that you love to hate, redemption, and more.

And with that, I will leave you with the buttons that I got the other day from my library for filling out a survey on romance books. :)

TILT: Booky Gifts!

Today's Things I Love Thursday is all about book-type gifts. If you are way on top of things, you're already thinking of Christmas gifts and these would be perfect for that book nerd in your life! :) Or you know, to send to me. Hah!

(as always, if you do not want your picture & link here, please contact me!)

Illiterate Rainbows T-Shirt by ShirtWoot! -sad rainbow is sad.

Literary Pendant Necklace by BookishCharm -oooh, I love everything in this person's shop! I would do 3 different necklaces all worn together.

HTML Bookends by Fifty Five Hi's -these are so cool!

Vintage Owl & Book Messenger Bag by SkipnWhistle -I really, really, really want this. Like whoa. Family, I hope you are taking notes!! :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Loves That Will Last Forever-ever

10 romances/loves that I think will last outside the book? Hmm...interesting topic, The Broke & The Bookish, although a little hard lol.

1. Ron & Hermione -kind of an easy start, since she actually showed them 19 years in the future lol. But I think Hermione is enough like Mrs. Weasley (strong-willed, opinionated, smart, passionate about family) to keep Ron in line.

2. Anna & St. Clair -because I love those crazy kids and they fit in the Top 10 again. :)

3. Shane & Clair from Morganville Vampires -this is just based on thru book 9. I know a lot of people ship (spoiler, highlight to read: Myrnin & Claire, which I do not see at all. /end) but I think these two can keep each other sane and strong in Morganville.

4. Tibby & Brian -Brian understands what Tibby's friends mean to her and he doesn't try to get in the way of that. But he enhances that friendship and makes a special one for just the two of them. He gets when she needs to let out her frustrations on him and when to push her for more. Plus, he's a really cool dude. ;)

5. Katsa & Po from Graceling -these two support and compliment each other in fighting and in love.

6. Lupin & Tonks (from the books, not the movies) -I had to make that distinction, because I really don't think the movies did Tonks or their relationship justice AT ALL. I looooved Tonks in the books, with her bright pink hair, but they made her totally flat and washed-out in the movies. :( Plus, they didn't explore this relationship nearly enough. Tonks makes Remus young again and Remus makes Tonks responsible. I love them more than Harry & Ginny together (blasphemy for many, I'm sure lol).

(cute pic by napalmnacey!)

7. Mia & Adam from If I Stay -do I really need to explain this one? No, I didn't think so. Le sigh.

And that's all I could come up with, without repeating myself a lot more from previous lists. What are your faves? Thoughts? Who did I miss?

Steinbeck Death Match 2: "Of Mice & Men" vs "Tortilla Flat"

Are you ready for another Literary Death Match? We're going to do this slightly different this time, because I don't want to end up with negative 22 points again lol. I'm rating on a scale of 1-5, 1 being "ZOMG WHY WOULD YOU KILL DOBBY??" and 5 being "YOU'RE A WIZARD HARRY". :)

Today's Death Match features more Steinbeck...this has turned into the Steinbeck Summer, but I swear I'm almost done with him. I still want to read Sweet Thursday, but my library only has a large-print version. I may just give in and order it on Amazon. And I know you may be wondering why I haven't tackled East of Eden or Grapes of Wrath...well, I just don't have the interest in them that I have had in the others. Maybe I'll try next summer? Lol. Anyway, Death Match! In the first corner we have Of Mice and Men: "a thriller, a gripping tale that you will not set down until it is finished." And in the other, Tortilla Flat: "temptations of greed and lust, stand firm in their loyalty to one another." Let's see how we do and as before, consider anything in this Death Match a spoiler if you haven't read the books yet! Skip to the end to see if you should read them or not.

(image courtesy of LiteraryDeathMatch)

Interestingness:
Of Mice and Men-
1. Lennie-oh, I love Lennie. He's so sweet and simple (not calling him dumb, but his wants and needs are simple). 5 points
2. George-looking after Lennie all this time, even when it causes him problems. 4
3. "...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why."..."an' live off the fatta the lan' an' have rabbits." 4
4. Slim 3
5. Lennie gets a puppy and tries to sneak it into the room. 4
6. Lennie & George's dreams of a house of their own and a garden and rabbits for Lennie. 5

Tortilla Flat-
1. Same setting as Cannery Row! 5
2. "Thou knowest not what bitches women are." 4
3. The Pirate and his dogs 3
4. All the drinking and partying 3
5. "The wind rose as they walked, and drove the fog across the pale moon like a thin wash of gray water color. The moving fog gave shifting form to the forest, so that every tree crept stealthily along and the bushes moved soundlessly, like great dark cats. The treetops in the wind talked huskily, told fortunes and foretold deaths." 3
6. The kindness and well-meaningness of Danny's friends, no matter how much trouble it causes in the end. 3

The Ick Factor:
Of Mice and Men-
1. Skittering Lizards 2 points
2. Curley's glove full of Vaseline-ew ew ew 1
3. Curley's wife and her treatment towards Crooks, Candy, and Lennie 2

Tortilla Flat-
1. Racism against the "paisanos" and the blatant stereotypes throughout the book re: Hispanics, Portuguese, etc. 1
2. Big Joe's beating after he steals his friends' money. 2

All the Tears:
Of Mice and Men-
1. Curley beating on Lennie 2
2. Lennie's joy at having a puppy 5
3. Candy's old dog being killed 2
4. Lennie accidentally killing the puppy 1
5. Lennie accidentally killing Curley's wife-"And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young." 1
6. The ending :(( 1

Tortilla Flat-
1. Danny's descent into madness and his struggle to find the freedom that he enjoyed again. 2
2. Danny's friends throwing him a huge party and succeeding in cheering Danny up for a bit. 3
3. Danny dying in the end. 2

Death Count:
Of Mice and Men-
1. Candy's Dog 2
2. The puppy 1
3. Curley's Wife 2
4. Lennie 1

Tortilla Flat-
1. Danny 2

Overall Likeability:
Of Mice and Men-I've read this before and knew I had enjoyed it. The story of innocence, brotherhood, and dreams is inspiring. Lennie is one of (only?) the most parodied Steinbeck characters I've seen. But the desperation and sadness in the end kind of ruins it. 3 points

Tortilla Flat-this had so many similarities to Cannery Row, I had to go look up the publication date in relation. (Tortilla Flat was written 10 years before Cannery Row) I was excited to see the similar style of writing and characters in this, but I don't think it was quite as good. 4 points

Totals:
Of Mice and Men-51 points
Tortilla Flat-37 points

Well, there you have it! The second Literary Death Match was a success, don't you think? Despite the huge point difference, I would still highly recommend both of them, especially if you are a Steinbeck fan.

Versatile Blog Award!

The Rules Are:

1. Nominate 15 other bloggers relatively new to blogging.

2. Let the bloggers know that you've nominated them.

3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.

4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post.

Thank you Emily at Too Many Books! This was neat to get and  lots of fun to do. :)

Nominations: I'm not sure if I'm following 15 book bloggers, so let's see how far I get! This will be a good chance for me to add some new ones too.

1.  A Bookworm Belle

2.  I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

3.  Nancy Drew is My Homegirl

4.  The Book Rat

5.  The Broke & The Bookish

6.  Katie's Book Blog

7.  Makeshift Bookmark

8.  Andrea's Book Nook

9.  Sherry's Book Reviews

10.Writer Quirk

7 Random Facts About Me:

1.  My sister and I are 4 years apart (I'm older), but everyone always thinks we are twins when we go out. Or they think she is older. 

2.  I just started eating avocados, bacon, and broccoli this year. (Not all together) I looooove avocados/guacamole now. Like obsessed with it. Omnomnom.

3.  When I was younger, I wanted to be a 1st grade teacher or a librarian or both. I went to school for teaching, but it didn't work out. I still want to be either.

4.  My left-handed self did not learn how to properly use right-handed scissors until a 9th grade science teacher showed me how to hold them differently in class one day. I still have issues lol.

5.  This is the first summer I haven't reread the whole Harry Potter series. I'm kind of missing it but I think I'll enjoy it even better next year. And I'm planning on making my sister read them for the first time too, because she looooves the movies and Ron Weasley. :)
6.  My top 5 fave movies are: Harry Potter, Toy Story, Despicable Me, Meet the Robinsons, Up. I watch a lot of kid movies lol.
7.  I'd rather drink a cold Dr Pepper in the morning than coffee.

Review: "The Time-Traveling Fashionista"

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky
4 out of 5 stars

This was such a cute book. It's been on my to-buy list for a while and I picked it up one day at Barnes & Noble when I couldn't find anything else. Don't you hate that? You want to buy *something* but can't find the right thing? Well, I'm pretty happy I finally got this one. The cover and style of the book is gorgeous. The paperback (pictured below) is slightly glittery and it has these wonderful illustrations of vintage gowns, wardrobes, and that famous staircase throughout the book. It's such a pretty book, my sister even said she wanted to keep it in her (pink, girly) room. I said no.

Louise, the main character, is a 12 year old girl who is very into vintage clothes (despite her mother's objections to "old hand-me-downs") and loves reading all about designers and artists. She wants to fit in at school but still show her individuality and it's a struggle sometimes. One day, Louise comes home and finds a purple invitation in the mail with her name on it...an invitation to a traveling vintage fashion sale. She is obviously ecstatic: this is her chance to get some new pieces for her collection and maybe meet some other like-minded people. When she gets to the sale, she's a little disturbed by the owners, two eccentric old ladies, but pushes it aside for the beauty of the clothes. Louise falls in love with one particular dress: pink, sparkly, flowing in that perfect way, and just her size. Even though it smells slightly of ocean water and has a few rips, she decides to try it on anyway...and everything changes.

Louise is somehow transported back in time to 1912 and a gorgeous, gigantic, now infamous cruise ship. She is no longer her awkward 12 year old self, but 17 year old actress Alice Baxter and she has no idea how or why she got here. Louise is determined to have fun at first (especially after seeing her wardrobe), until she finally realizes exactly which cruise ship she is on: the White Star Line, aka The Titanic. Yep, that Titanic. Knowing only the barest of the details about the disaster, thanks to a boring history teacher, she still tries her hardest to change the fates. But of course, no one believes her. All they see is a young actress having fits on a luxury cruise liner. Maybe her corset is too tight? Better get the smelling salts!

Can Louise/Alice help these doomed people? Can she get herself back home? Can she take one of these gorgeous dresses back with her? Who were those old ladies?? Read the book and find out! :) (Yes, I'm talking to you, my 12 year old sister, B!!)

Things I Love Thursday: My New Blog Planner!

Today's "Thing I Love Thursday" is something I made: my new blog planner. :) I do a lot of my organizing and stuff online, but sometimes I just want pen and paper, you know? I'm pretty excited about it and even though it still needs some tweaking, I wanted to show it to y'all anyway! I got the idea, via Pinterest of course, from Infarrantly Creative (Beckie) and then made a few slight changes to mine.

(big ol' spoiler for that top book lol, sorry!)

(I apologize for the not great pictures, hopefully you can get the idea!)

I loved the idea of making it for my left-handed self (it's a special torture having to write in a right-handed person's spiral on a teeny-tiny right-handed person's desk in college!) and having the monthly calendar and then the weekly on the left. I also really liked how she had the calendar flip out, but I didn't really want to pay to get the spiraling done (since I wasn't sure I would keep up with it yet), so I decided to wing it and make my own version.

I took Beckie's page ideas and made my own from scratch, adjusting my boxes and titles for what I wanted: 4 Post Idea/Project boxes; Top 10 Tuesday; TILT; To Do. Added a cute background and printed. I printed enough for the end of the year, just to see how I like it. (If you like my pages, I would be more than happy to email them to you!)

Then I picked up a few folders at Target one day (folders are soooo cheap you guys, I wanted to buy like 50!!): one in a dark blue, heavy plastic with brads and pockets; one green regular, cheap folder with brads and pockets; and one pretty one with owls all over it with pockets that alas, I couldn't use because it didn't have brads. :( Then I sat down and thought about what I was doing for about 45 minutes, bugging my sister to help brainstorm with me. She refused. I finally figured it out on my own. :)

For the monthly calendar pages, I wanted them to flip out to the right, but still be able to remove them and keep them each month. So I took the green folder and glued it to the inside edge of the blue folder. I had to trim a little bit off the left side and top to make it fit inside, then I glued about 1/2 an inch after the brads to the inside of the folder. Then I folded the right side backwards over the back of the blue folder, cut it to about 1 1/2 inches and glued that to the back of the folder (with hot glue) to make it more secure. I wanted to use the owl folder on the outside to cover up that ugly, but it wouldn't work. :( So now I have my flip out calendar with folders behind it (with my cute Pixar stamps in the back!). And I used pretty tape to make the pockets and brads more secure.

The front pocket has my to-buy list printed out for easy usage or to give to my family at Christmas. :) The right side shows the back of the weekly sheets and that list is the books that I still need to review for the year. Eep.

Like I said, it's not totally perfect. The size is a little too big to carry around, I'd like to either find half-sized folders (do they make those?) or go get it spiraled next time. Also, I realized I need more boxes or lines on the back for extra ideas, to-buys, etc. And I need to make my Top 10 box bigger, I write too big lol. Overall, I'm really happy with it though. It's already helped me stay more focused and organized. This is obviously not for everybody, but maybe some of you will like it and get inspired to make your own! I'd love to see it if you do. Or if you have a different way to stay organized, tell me about it! My sis is trying to get back on track with her blog (Dash of Dazzle) starting in September and she wasn't crazy about the hand-written planner, so she's doing hers all in her phone calendar. She even made her a pretty leopard banner lol.

Review: "Claudia & The Great Search: The Baby-Sitters Club #33"

Claudia & The Great Search: The Baby-Sitters Club #33 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

Okay, so this is the one where Claudia suddenly freaks out and thinks she's adopted, because she can't find any baby pics of her and she's nothing like Super Genius Janine. And she over-identifies with Kristy's new sister, Emily Michelle, who IS adopted.

Also, why don't the illustrators ever show Claudia's crazy outfits on the covers? That is so annoying. Jeans, a stripey tee, plain white socks AND sneakers?? Come on people! I guess they aren't capable of drawing one of her usual wild outfits - a very short black skirt, an oversized white shirt with bright pink and turquoise poodles [poodles again??] printed on it, flat turquoise shoes with ankle straps, and a ton of jewelry, including dangly poodle earrings. [Her] long hair was swept to one side in a high ponytail held in place with a huge pink barrette.

(click here for details)

Anyway, after Claud massacres a poodle for her outfit above and has a sudden identity crisis, she decides to research and find her real family. Before talking to her parents of course. She gets the bright idea (after reading a book that wasn't Nancy Drew for once) to go to the library and search for her birth announcement in the paper. She has to sneak around though, since her mom is the head librarian. She doesn't find it, but does see three other girls all born the same week as her. So she jumps to the immediate conclusion that one of those girls is really her. Or something like that, I don't know, it's all very confusing.

In between all that nonsense, we have poor little Emily Michelle, who is way behind developmentally; so much that Kristy and family are starting to get worried. The pre-school won't accept her for next year (although isn't that why Nannie is there?) because she's not potty-trained and can't speak a lot of English yet. Claudia is baby-sitting her one evening and feels bad for her, so she starts playing shapes & colors with her...and amazingly, Emily starts picking it up! I'm not sure why none of the other family (especially Bright Ideas McGee) had this idea, but they decide to have Claudia tutor Emily on a regular basis. Claud is obviously pretty proud of herself, because she's usually the one with the tutor. 

Stacey finally convinces Claudia that maybe she should, you know, talk to her parents about all this adopted mess. When she does, hey guess what? She wasn't adopted! Duh, Claudia. It was just the usual second child syndrome...too busy for pictures, baby books, etc.

Quick story: my sister is four years younger than me and suffers from "second child syndrome". She was complaining about it a lot one year and my mom go so sick of it, that she made her a "Big Book O' Ally" for Christmas. She gathered up every single picture she could find (including the million photo booth strips from the mall), artwork, awards, and such and made a giant scrapbook for her. :) It was really cute. Now I'm kind of jealous lol.

So Claudia was not adopted, her birth announcement was in an old paper, her mom has a copy of it, and it turns out she looks just like Mimi did at that age. And the lock box that Claudia thought held her adoption papers actually has $500 in cash. For emergencies, like if a really down-on-his-luck thief breaks in and thinks to maybe look for a locked box in a desk drawer. :p And also, Stacey is really run-down and tired all the time and you guys, I'm really worried about her. I think she might have a break-down soon, possibly related to her diabetes.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Posts That Reflect Me

I'm pretty excited about this week's Top Ten on The Broke & The Bookish...10 posts that really show who I am and how I write? Sounds fun!

1. The Book Thief review - I think this was probably some of my best writing. I don't claim to be a superb writer or a super-genius (well, occasionally) I just wanted to start this blog for myself, to write about the books I'm reading and to have fun. This book affected me in a very strong way and I wanted to show that in my review. I think I did, my dad even commented that he really liked my review.

2. Cannery Row review - My second best writing? I think so, this was one my mom liked a lot. :)

3. The Doll People review - this was my very first review and one of my most popular in terms of view counts.

4. The Baby-Sitters Club #1 review - my first BSC book aww...I love snarking on these books, but really, they were my childhood. Going to B Dalton's or Walden's with my dad and sitting on the floor picking thru the books. It was great.

5. The Baby-Sitters Club All Grown Up Kristy - I know I can't be the only one who wonders how these perpetual 8th graders turned out, so these are always fun to do. Plus, extra Polyvore fun lol.

6. If I Stay review - another "serious" review of an excellent book.

7. The Baby-Sitters Club #8 review - Stacey falls for a creeper, Mary Anne falls in LUV for the first time, and the Pike family is introduced. What's not to love?

8. Literary Mixtape - a brand new feature for me. It may end up not being very popular, but I had fun doing it, so that's all that matters right?

9. Literary Death Match Steinbeck - because I'm weird and sometimes weird things happen in my brain and this is one of those times.

10.Top Ten Tuesday 10 Books I'd Turn Into Movies - I think it's okay to have a Top Ten post inside a Top Ten post, don't you? :) This was one of my favorites.

11.Anna & The French Kiss review - I've just decided I'm going to add this to as many Top 10's (11's) as possible. :) I go kind of fan-girly in this, but I think most people do so it's cool.

Review: "Sisterhood Everlasting"

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
4 out of 5 stars

This is the 5th and final book in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and boy, is it a cry-fest. If you've been living under a rock and never heard of these books, here's a brief synopsis thus far: four BFF's find a pair of magical jeans that happen to fit them all equally well. They share the pants over four summers together and apart, good and bad things happen, people are found and lost, and their friendship grows even more. Fast forward 10 years and the friends are nearly 30 and spread across the world. Are they still BFF's? Well, sort of.

Let's start with Carmen...she's living in New York with fiance Jones, who reminds me of Smith from Sex & The City, only Jones is a jerk. Carmen has finally made it to the big time and is an Actress, capital A. She's super busy, obsessed with keeping her weight down (and out of her big butt), and glued 24/7 to her iPhone. Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;) She'd love more Latina casting, but her agent forces her to lighten her hair and go for the "white" roles.

Lena lives in Rhode Island and is still drawing, painting, and pining over Kostos. Seriously, get over him already. She's incredibly awkward and anti-social, preferring to stay home and draw pictures of her feet.

Bee is still with Eric, in California, and he helps to ground her wild and jumbled ways and thoughts. She is still spontaneous, wanting the most sunlight in her life, loses her phone constantly and bicycles everywhere. She is terrified of settling down with Eric permanently, even though she is heart-achingly in love with him.

Tibby is the farthest (furthest?) away, physically and emotionally. She moved with Brian to Australia two years before and the rest of the girls hardly get to talk with her. She has purposely distanced herself and no one knows why. Until one day, she sends all 3 girls a letter and tickets to Santorini, Greece for a reunion of the Sisterhood and everything changes.

Even though the book is depressing as hell in some points, I think it would make a beautiful movie. Especially considering how much the actresses have grown up as well. America Ferrera has changed so much since the first movies and her Ugly Betty days, I think she epitomizes Carmen's transformation into this sleek, stunning "Americanized" actress. Plus, I love movies shot in Greece, it's such beautiful scenery. :)

If you read and enjoyed the first 4 books in this series, I would highly recommend the final book. If you need a good cry, this is the book for you. If your BFF has just moved across the country and you don't know how you'll live without her, well you may want to skip it hah!

Huge, gigantic spoilers in this part...if you have any intention or inclination to read this book, don't read anymore! I wasn't spoiled before I read it and I am so glad, because I don't think I would have been able to pick it up if I had.



I guess my first clue that something weird was going on should have been the cover...only 3 girls frolicking on the beach? That's odd. No chapters from Tibby's perspective? Hmm...Tibby's not at the airport? Well, she probably got held up. Wait, she's not at the house either? She doesn't come home all night? What's going oooonnnn?? Why did Tibby have to die?? I don't see how this benefited the story at all, honestly. She could have been sick, but gotten better. It just feels like a disservice to all the people who have read and loved these stories over the years.

Honestly, I didn't believe for a minute that she killed herself; Tibby was always one of my favorites and she was just too strong and angry to give up like that. I was happy to see that she finally let herself love Brian (although the fact that 3 of the 4 girls are with the same guys they loved in high school is a little (lot) hard to believe). When I found out she had a daughter and named her Bailey, I bawled. Seriously bawled. The chapters with Bee learning to grow up and take care of this mini-Tibby were some of the best parts for me.

There were some not so great parts too, of course. I got bored with the Lena/Kostos thing in the 2nd or 3rd book, so why would I want more of the same 10 years later? Yes, I know it's supposed to be the "big love" but come on. Also, Carmen meeting the man on the train with his children. I know it was meant to be a break from Jones and a way for her to go back to her "roots" and stuff, but I don't know. Bee running away, again, and finding herself back with Eric where she belongs, again. And the worst part, like the best, for me was Tibby. How could she keep this from her best friends, not to mention her family? Bailey? Being sick? All of it, for 2 long years? It's just making me want to cry all over again, thinking of it.