tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341386070593331192024-03-21T17:25:36.920-04:00Innocently Dreaminggoodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-40240086785442533152011-03-30T15:36:00.001-04:002011-03-30T15:36:19.036-04:00"Waiting On" Wednesday (5)"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s200/New+WoW.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week's WoW is...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-Goodbye-Sarah-Dessen/dp/0670012947">What Happened to Goodbye</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Sarah Dessen</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">May 10, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512jY76dOVL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512jY76dOVL._SS500_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm a big Sarah Dessen fan, so I can't wait for her newest book to come out! I finally read <i>Someone Like You</i> in February (the only book by Sarah I hadn't read), and now I need a new one by her. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What about you? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-23059714594380361072011-03-28T07:51:00.000-04:002011-03-28T17:10:15.404-04:00Monday, Monday (3)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/03/monday-monday-1.html" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Monday, Monday</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">is the day where I showcase something I love just to show <a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/03/monday-monday-1.html">my appreciation for Mondays</a>. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I only have one thing this week, but it's excellent. It's a pretty popular website called <a href="http://www.sporcle.com/">Sporcle</a>. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi170EqupPgO9Raxl7Qb435v8nuyyQfWQqrIIeB4BdyhM0ZOjIPa5wvBtj4B7rFX0hL4yMtRkwspxKhDpCMoSGqKBllgM-Dl04oIc-c9q0idv505RLbW9I5cjHVawGaohVki-kxwteZGUU/s1600/sporcle3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi170EqupPgO9Raxl7Qb435v8nuyyQfWQqrIIeB4BdyhM0ZOjIPa5wvBtj4B7rFX0hL4yMtRkwspxKhDpCMoSGqKBllgM-Dl04oIc-c9q0idv505RLbW9I5cjHVawGaohVki-kxwteZGUU/s200/sporcle3.png" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The website is comprised of a bunch of quizzes on completely random things. If you haven't heard of it, I would definitely check it out. There are quizzes based on everything. Whether you <a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/famouswars.php">are a history buff</a> or <a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/bannedbooks.php">love to read banned books</a> or <a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/enough/80smusic">know 80's music better than anyone</a>, there is a quiz (or ten) for you. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now you have a nice way to start off (waste) your week. Happy Monday!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-4279935885840114722011-03-27T20:40:00.001-04:002011-03-28T17:11:11.526-04:00The Boy Book by E. Lockhart<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trashionista.com/images/boybook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.trashionista.com/images/boybook.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: The Boy Book<br />
(Ruby Oliver #2)<br />
Author: E. Lockhart<br />
Published: Delacorte Books <br />
(September 26, 2006) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Here's how things stand at the beginning of newly licensed driver Ruby Oliver's junior year at Tate Prep:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Kim: Not speaking. But far away in Tokyo.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Cricket: Not speaking.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Nora: Speaking--sort of. Chatted with Ruby a couple of times this summer when they bumped into each other outside school--once shopping in the U District and once in the Elliott Bay Book Company. But she hasn't called Ruby or anything.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Noel: Doesn't care what anyone thinks.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Meghan: Doesn't have any other friends.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Dr. Z: Speaking.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- And Jackson. The big one. Not speaking.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But by winter break, a new job, and unlikely but satisfying friend combo, additional entries in <i>The Boy Book, </i>and many difficult decisions help Ruby see that there is indeed life outside the Tate Universe.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
I really enjoyed <i>The Boy Book</i>. It was every bit as good as <i><a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/boyfriend-list-by-e-lockhart.html">The Boyfriend List</a>, </i>and then some.<br />
<br />
Each chapter begins with an excerpt from Ruby and Kim's Boy Book that relates to what happens during the chapter, and they were titled accordingly. (e.g. Rules for Dating in a Small School, Neanderthals on the Telephone: Or, How to Converse; Clever Comebacks to Catcalls, etc.) The excerpts were exactly what the subtitle says: "A study of habits and behaviors, plus techniques for taming them." They were so entertaining, and I thought they were a great way to introduce each chapter and give hints on what would happen.<br />
<br />
Another thing I really liked about the book was the character development. E. did an excellent job of showing each character's personality, including those that only popped up two or three times. Just by the dialogue, their actions, and Ruby's comments, I felt like I knew a lot about them. Ruby didn't need to say exactly what she thought of each person and what they thought of her; I just kind of knew.<br />
<br />
Sure, it wasn't action-packed, and it didn't put me on the edge of my seat, but it still kept me wanting to read, and I was sad when I finished and had to stop.<br />
<br />
Ruby Oliver Number One? Great. Ruby Oliver Number Two? Excellent. Ruby Oliver Number Three? Can't wait.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary from inside jacket of hardcover</span></div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-92124951437268444212011-03-26T14:31:00.001-04:002011-03-27T13:45:28.085-04:00In My Mailbox (6)<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/p/in-my-mailbox.html">In My Mailbox</a> is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>.<br />
<br />
This week was more of an I-Read-This-Book-And-Liked-It-So-I'll-Read-This-One-Too week...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.figment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Figmentreview-Naomi-and-Elys-No-Kiss-List.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://blog.figment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Figmentreview-Naomi-and-Elys-No-Kiss-List.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="http://wellreadreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/pretties.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://wellreadreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/pretties.jpeg" width="142" /></a> <a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175457733l/516182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175457733l/516182.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naomi-Elys-No-Kiss-List/dp/0375844406">Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List</a> by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - After reading <i>Dash & Lily's Book of Dares</i> and <i>Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist</i> and loving them both, I wanted to read about Naomi and Eli too, so I checked it out of the library.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pretties-Uglies-Trilogy-Book-2/dp/0689865392">Pretties</a> by Scott Westerfeld - I also got this from the library because I liked <i>Uglies</i> so much. Not much else to say about it other than I'm excited. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Book-Behaviors-Techniques-Quartet/dp/0385732082">The Boy Book</a> by E. Lockhart - Again from the library. This is the sequel to <i>The Boyfriend List</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there's my mailbox for the week. Very sequel-y. Did you get any sequels? I hope so. Will you link me to your IMM whether you did or not? I hope so.</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-36458451155641691882011-03-26T14:12:00.001-04:002011-03-26T14:26:46.893-04:00Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (QR)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://chachic.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rules-of-attraction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://chachic.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rules-of-attraction.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Rules of Attraction<br />
(Perfect Chemistry #2)<br />
Author: Simone Elkeles<br />
Publisher: Walker Books <br />
(April 13, 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(spoilers if you've not read <i>Perfect Chemistry </i>- highlight with caution)</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #20124d;">Carlos Fuentes idolized his older brother, Alex, when he was a member of the Latino Blood. So when Alex chose to get jumped out of the gang for a chance at a future with his <i>gringa</i> girlfriend, Brittany, Carlos felt shocked and betrayed. Even worse, Alex forced Carlos to come back from Mexico to join him on the straight and narrow path. Trouble is, </span>Carlos just wants to keep living on the edge. And ties to his Mexican gang aren't easy to break, even hundreds of miles away in Colorado.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>In Boulder, Carlos has to live with a college professor--and he feels completely out of place. He's even more thrown by his strong feelings for the professor's daughter, Kiara, who is nothing like the girls he's usually drawn to. But Carlos and Kiara soon discover that in matters of the the heart, the rules of attraction overpower the social differences that conspire to keep them apart.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The quote at the top of the inside jacket of the hardcover reads, "If you loved Alex Fuentes, wait until you meet his brother Carlos..."<br />
<br />
So true. <i>Rules of Attraction</i> was very similar to <i>Perfect Chemistry. </i>It had a lot of the same ideas and same storyline, but with a few different twists. Because of these similarities, I don't have a significant amount to say about it (hence the quick review). (You can really just look at my <a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/perfect-chemistry-by-simone-elkeles.html"><i>Perfect Chemisty</i> review</a>, and you'll get basically the same idea of the book.)<br />
<br />
<i>Rules of Attraction</i> is narrated in two points of view: Carlos and Kiara. They trade back and forth, one starting where the other leaves off. I love the variety of two narrators, and how much I came to understand each character through it.<br />
<br />
A similar but excellent sequel to <i>Perfect Chemistry</i>. I now look forward to book number three: <i>Chain Reaction</i>. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*from inside jacket of hardcover</span></div></div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-84513342582337068042011-03-26T13:47:00.002-04:002011-03-26T13:51:25.932-04:00If You Can Read This, Thank a TeacherBetty of <a href="http://www.reflectionswithcoffee.com/2011/03/if-you-can-read.html">Reflections With Coffee</a> is hosting a mini-challenge as part of Cindy's (of <a href="http://www.princessbookie.com/">Princess Bookie</a>) Contest Craze. (Check them both out!)<br />
<br />
Here's the challenge:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Do you remember who gave you your love of reading? Your mini-challenge is to scribble a quick thank you note to that person. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Maybe it is a parent who read to you at bedtime, or an elementary school teacher or even a college lit professor. If the person is no longer here on earth or you don't have the address, scribble anyway. Then post it on your blog (and leave the link here) or tell us in the comments a bit about the person, and how he/she influenced you.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"> </span></span></blockquote>I tried writing a comment but because I have so many people, I couldn't manage to make a short one. So I decided to post instead.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8w1JkPjCPRDUat6WJ9zlHfRaHw0RqqTl6e9q-sV-1VG5Rvm1C-pUcrmoTGNvst84U8bIbjId82iZDx_M5wnM1S1LlUZoMRy_xMdSDOZIdIrSlSO7XJYhO0ZIccGXoe5MWaxom8pvynw/s400/if_you_can_read_by_mcbetty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8w1JkPjCPRDUat6WJ9zlHfRaHw0RqqTl6e9q-sV-1VG5Rvm1C-pUcrmoTGNvst84U8bIbjId82iZDx_M5wnM1S1LlUZoMRy_xMdSDOZIdIrSlSO7XJYhO0ZIccGXoe5MWaxom8pvynw/s200/if_you_can_read_by_mcbetty.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Betty's card</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here's who have I have to thank for my love of reading:<br />
<br />
<b>My Parents - </b>Before I could read, my parents would read to me (like most parents do). And then, once I could read, they would read to me if I wanted them to, or they would help me read to them. For most of my young life, if there was reading going on, it was generally them reading to me or me reading to them. So they introduced me to the wonderful world of reading. (Surprising, isn't it?...)<br />
<br />
<b>My Sister - </b>My sister is only three years older than me, but she was a pretty big influence on me (still is). One thing she loved to do was read, so, because I wanted to be just like her, I started reading a lot too. She read to me sometimes, and at other times, she would help me read. Honestly? She was probably the biggest influence who wasn't one of the <i>main</i> ones teaching me to read. (She did help teach me though.)<br />
<br />
<b>My Teachers - </b>Mrs. B<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> was my kindergarten teacher. I could read before kindergarten, but she helped me read more and gave me different books to read to help me, so she was a big boost to my love of reading.<br />
I had Mrs. H<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> for first grade, and she was constantly giving me and two other kids books (like <i>Henry and Mudge</i> and <i>Mr. Putter and Tabby</i> and <i>Amelia Bedelia</i>), and she (as most first grade teachers do) encouraged me to read as much as I possibly could. She was such a huge influence on my life in a lot more than just loving and learning to read, but she passed away three years ago.<br />
Mrs. F<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> was my second grade teacher (who actually still teaches the exact same class in the exact same classroom as she did when I was in second grade). She helped in lot of ways similar to Mrs. H, but it was at a higher reading level. She was/is an even bigger influence on my life, and she was a fantastic teacher. (I'm sure she still is.) I could go on and on about how much I love Mrs. F, but I won't take up more space about her. I think we all have a teacher like that.<br />
I obviously have many more teachers who influenced my reading life, but those are the ones who shaped my love for reading the most.<br />
<br />
<b>My Librarians - </b>I live in a small town with a very small library, but I was constantly going with my mom to the library. I couldn't tell you for sure (I don't totally remember), but I think that how sweet the librarians were<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> also helped me love reading. Not as much as everyone above did, but they are worth mentioning and worth thanking.<br />
<br />
And there you have them. The people who helped me love to read. All of them are wonderful, and I have all of them to thank.<br />
<br />
Now that I've shared mine, I want to see yours. Make your own post (whether you enter the challenge or not) and link me to it or just leave me a comment. Wherever it is, whoever it is, I want to read about why you love to read.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*I'm not putting their full names, just in case. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">**and still are - There were two of them at the time, and yes, one of them still works at my library. The other now works at the county level, so I still see her sometimes. </span>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-44500316508828739412011-03-24T18:04:00.000-04:002011-03-24T18:04:55.634-04:00GoodreadsI got a Goodreads account last year (it told me that it was in February), but I've never actually <i>done</i> anything on it. Until today. I finally added some books to my read and to read piles (okay, I had made a small read pile forever ago), rated my reads, and added a couple reviews. I also joined a couple groups. Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all of this is (a) so you can <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3294890-lydia">check it out</a> if you want and (b) because I'm not completely sure what else I should do on the site. So, if I haven't done something yet/you know of some fantastic group I should join/there's a book I need to read to my TBR/we should be friends/whatever else, let me know! Okay? Okay. Awesome. =)goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-55997400315121251282011-03-23T16:39:00.000-04:002011-03-23T16:39:32.612-04:00"Waiting On" Wednesday (4)"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s200/New+WoW.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week's WoW is...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-She-Went-Gayle-Forman/dp/0525422943">Where She Went</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Gayle Forman</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">April 5, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ngrZddGvL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ngrZddGvL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My guess is that everyone's heard about this, and most people are excited about it. Although it wasn't my favorite, I enjoyed <i>If I Stay, </i>so now I'm looking forward to reading its sequel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What about you? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-33972815067265766162011-03-21T21:53:00.000-04:002011-03-21T21:53:13.683-04:00Uglies by Scott Westerfeld<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Uglies-the-uglies-672151_316_442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Uglies-the-uglies-672151_316_442.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Uglies (Uglies #1)<br />
Author: Scott Westerfeld<br />
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Feb. 28, 2005)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.<div><br />
</div><div>But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll admit straight off the bat that the only reason I read this was because I was sick of hearing about how great it was and feeling like the only person in the world who hadn't read it, so I finally picked it up and read... thankfully.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">At the beginning, I was kind of regretting the decision, and my expectations for the rest of the book dropped pretty dramatically. (They were pretty high considering all the hype I've heard over it.) I would argue that the beginning is pretty necessary to understand the rest of the book, but that doesn't mean I fully enjoyed it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It took a good seventy, eighty pages to get into it. But, when I finally did, I really got into it. It took off from about ten miles an hour to seventy, and it kept the pace up through the end. I don't have much to say about the middle or the end that without spoiling anything.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I loved the sci-fi element of the book. I thought Scott did a fantastic job of imagining a future like this. It was very thorough and explained well without being too much or getting boring (past the very beginning). He also incorporated the things we do now into the story, and it all fit perfectly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, an excellent book. Maybe not the best beginning, but after pushing past it, I really came to enjoy it. I already have Pretties (Uglies #2) on hold at the library, and I can't wait to get it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary from back cover of paperback</span></div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-71012687373127352011-03-21T17:06:00.000-04:002011-03-21T17:06:58.636-04:00Monday, Monday (#2)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>Hey. You. It's Monday morning. Wake up. It's a new day, a new week. Whatever happened last week is done. Perhaps it was amazing. Then again, maybe it was terrible. Either way, you have a new shot at a great week.</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/03/monday-monday-1.html">Monday, Monday</a> is the day where I showcase a thing or two I love just to show my appreciation for Mondays. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I have two things this week. The first is a Vlogbrothers (if you haven't heard of them, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyQi79aYfxU">here</a>) video from January. It is about John Green's book <i>Looking For Alaska</i>. John basically discusses everything that went into it, which could be terribly awful, but it's not. It's fantastic. So you should watch it.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/S0pz5g5FP0g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second is a comic from <a href="http://xkcd.com/">xkcd</a> that makes me giggle every time I see it:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/collatz_conjecture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/collatz_conjecture.png" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, without further ado, here comes Monday. I welcome her with open arms.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-39947847635796270502011-03-20T17:21:00.001-04:002011-03-20T17:23:14.028-04:00Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (QR)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jessicalawlor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/AnnaFrenchKissSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://jessicalawlor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/AnnaFrenchKissSmall.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Anna and the French Kiss<br />
Author: Stephanie Perkins<br />
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile<br />
(December 2, 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to the boarding school in Paris--until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, <i>beautiful</i>, Etienne has it all... including a serious girlfriend.<br />
<br />
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Reread that last sentence of the summary for me. Sounds pretty cliche, right? Yep. It is. But it's also true. So true. I wanted to move to Paris, attend the School of American in Paris (SOAP), and find my own Etienne.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was planning on making this a normal review, but I can't find anything non-repetitive to say except for the following: </div><div style="text-align: left;">Yes, the book was somewhat cliche. Yes, there were a few things that I didn't like. Yes, I am now in love with Stephanie Perkins. Yes, I highly recommend you go find a copy.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary from inside jacket</span>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-36278884629359216872011-03-20T15:54:00.000-04:002011-03-20T15:54:14.127-04:00In My Mailbox (#5)<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/p/in-my-mailbox.html">In My Mailbox</a> is a weekly meme started by Kristi of <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>.<br />
<br />
Only one book this week...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://midooley87.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/the-bell-jar1.jpg?w=214&h=320" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://midooley87.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/the-bell-jar1.jpg?w=214&h=320" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Jar-Sylvia-Plath/dp/0061148512">The Bell Jar</a> by Sylvia Plath - I bought this at a thrift store in pretty fantastic condition (and not just for a thrift store) and was really excited when I found it because I've been wanting to read it for a while. Plus, the cover is adorable. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did you get something with a cute cover? Yes? You did? Awesome. Link me to it. </div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-26432736716605305212011-03-16T17:23:00.000-04:002011-03-16T17:23:05.054-04:00"Waiting On" Wednesday (#3)"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQUznczEDoj3rRLWJjagiExiDt5KPYvWyFWRflZRxyftBBtXL2RDSKKmarGv0ssVK_uvjJuDdEfVooKY_3CkpIPnVJ4X0-gVEF01QvLO51r4TQageBSKJnN7sgxr_x-XxRB6vd3tF6WQ/s200/New+WoW.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This weeks WoW is...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Name-Star-Maureen-Johnson/dp/1441866396">The Name of the Star</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Shades of London #1)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Maureen Johnson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">September 1, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvdtv1LfnKxDj1PZPULE2qwgYz424tMkQigN9pAure4Qo8wnFZCmB6sHEdhREMqwe-X0Ku0en8k1prY_pgVdsgu1WzL8C720QGK2_Bl1QSe9bDJ3o72uQJ7tgkS4X0n23OyntXuSFinru/s1600/nameofstar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvdtv1LfnKxDj1PZPULE2qwgYz424tMkQigN9pAure4Qo8wnFZCmB6sHEdhREMqwe-X0Ku0en8k1prY_pgVdsgu1WzL8C720QGK2_Bl1QSe9bDJ3o72uQJ7tgkS4X0n23OyntXuSFinru/s200/nameofstar.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What can I say? I'm in love with Maureen Johnson (the author, not the character in Rent). Honestly, I have no more reason for wanting to read this. Like I need it. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How about you? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-9012439212637129032011-03-15T22:29:00.000-04:002011-03-15T22:29:44.693-04:00Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluefieldsagl.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/nick-norahs-infinite-playlist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bluefieldsagl.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/nick-norahs-infinite-playlist.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Nick & Norah's <br />
Infinite Playlist<br />
Authors: Rachel Cohn <br />
and David Levithan<br />
Publisher: Knopf Books for <br />
Young Readers (May 23, 2006)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who's just walked into his band's show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City--and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had always been hesitant to pick up <i>Nick & Norah</i> because of the vastly mixed reviews I've heard. From what I can tell, most people seem to love it or hate it. And I didn't want to read it just to find out that I was in the latter category. After reading (and loving) <i><a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/02/dash-lilys-book-of-dares-by-rachel-cohn.html">Dash & Lily's Book of Dares</a></i>, however, I decided to give it a shot. And, boy, am I glad I did. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not going to say that I enjoyed every single page of this book, but, as a whole, I thought it was excellent. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have a certain chemistry that I saw in both <i>Nick & Norah </i>and <i>Dash & Lily</i>. From the characters to the plot development to the little oddities they find to toss in, I was very happy I decided to read it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The one caveat I have is about the age/maturity level. I'm not going to give you a, "don't read it if you're under...", but I feel as though I should point out the maturity level of the book. There's a fair amount of cursing, along with some sexual content. Just a little warning.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And with that warning in mind, if you're in the same boat I was in, jump out and find a copy of this book. The water's nice and warm.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary from <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/nickandnorah/home.php">Random House</a> </span>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-70380152121815461982011-03-14T20:31:00.000-04:002011-03-14T20:31:19.531-04:00The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nathangiglierano.com/images/7218138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://nathangiglierano.com/images/7218138.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: The Adventures<br />
of Huckleberry Finn<br />
Author: Mark Twain<br />
Publisher: </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since most of us know the basic idea of Huck Finn, I'll leave a summary out. If you really want one, check out <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn">SparkNotes</a>. They have a nice overview of it.<br />
<br />
There were two reasons I was not looking forward to my English class this year. One was the famous-(to our school, at least)-ly difficult newspaper project (in which you make a newspaper about a person's life). And the second reason? <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>. I really had no interest in reading it. And knowing that we would have to take several quizzes and a test, along with writing a paper on it, did not make me look forward to it any more.<br />
<br />
Once we started it, however, I actually began to enjoy it. Not so much the random quizzes to make sure we were actually reading and not just SparkNotes-ing. But the book itself proved to be rather good. I would randomly begin laughing out loud as I was reading. I found myself worried about Jim and excited about where Huck would venture to next.<br />
<br />
There are only two complaints I had about the book: the dialects and the ending. In case you don't know, <i>Huck Finn</i> was the first book to use dialects. The book also takes place in the South, so almost everyone who talks has a distinct dialect. The worst was Jim. Almost every time Jim spoke, I had to read what he said three times: once just to read, the second to decipher, and the third to put everything together. This made it a lot harder to enjoy because it felt more like normal homework than reading.<br />
<br />
The ending was the other thing that really bugged me.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Spoilers ahead. Highlight at your own risk.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #20124d;">The entire book was filled with adventures, so I was expecting the book to end with a bang... It didn't. If you've ever read <i>Huck Finn</i>, you probably wondered what the deal was with the ending. It just... ends. In case you haven't read it (remember that you highlighted knowing there were spoilers), basically what happens is Huck says something along the lines of, "Writing a book is a lot of hard work. If I had known that in the first place I wouldn't have started," and then <b>The End. </b>That's it. It just stops. Don't get me wrong. It's a happy ending. I liked what happened. What I don't like is how painfully boring it was compared to the rest of the book. Honestly, I think Mark Twain just got a little tired of Huck and Jim and decided to just... stop. But he couldn't just end it, so he wrote a conclusion chapter. </span><br />
<br />
Those were just my thoughts. I'd really love to hear others' opinions of the book. Have you read it? Did you have to read it for school? Did you just read it for fun? What did you think of it? How about that ending? <b>I want to know!!</b> So you should tell me. =)goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-37419601776993800982011-03-14T07:46:00.000-04:002011-03-14T07:46:29.766-04:00Monday, Monday (#1)Hey. You. It's Monday morning. Wake up. It's a new day, a new week. Whatever happened last week is done. Perhaps it was amazing. Then again, maybe it was terrible. Either way, you have a new shot at a great week.<br />
<br />
I feel bad for Mondays. I really do. I feel like instead of getting the short end of the stick, they don't get any of the stick at all. It's not like it's their fault. They aren't the ones who chose to come right after the weekend. And yet, most people seem to dub Mondays as awful, even though something fantastic could happen. Judge a book by its cover, why don't you?<br />
<br />
So in honor of dark, dreary, darling Mondays, I've decided to start showcasing a couple things I love every Monday, just to show my appreciation for them.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now most have you have probably already heard of this and voted and check up on it weekly, but just last month I discovered the <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/bookcrushathon/">Literary Crush-A-Thon</a>. The tagline describes it all pretty well: "Testing the lengths of Team ______'s Strengths." Basically, if you haven't seen it yet, click on the link. Because it's fantastic.<br />
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<br />
Monday, Monday... It's a new day, new week. Let's make it a fantastic one.goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-69563650248349500812011-03-13T18:53:00.001-04:002011-03-13T22:39:18.025-04:00Fact: I Wanted to be an Author<i>I really, really did. It was my big aspiration. I loved English. I thought I had what it took. I read every waking second. I did what I could to find out what I should do. Then I discovered I was wrong.</i><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>I've been thinking about this a lot during the past couple weeks, and I really wanted to write it down. So I figured I may as well make a post out of it (seeing as I owe you guys a good month or so of blogging). Since I'm not really sure what to say and in what order, I'm just follow each sentence of the caption. Here goes...</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I really, really did.</b></div><div>Yes. You read it right. Did. Past tense. No longer. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>It was my big aspiration.<i> </i></b></div><div>My plan was to go to college and become a teacher. (Or a librarian. Librarian-ing was also in my thoughts.) But I would write on the side and eventually become a published author.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> I had this part all planned out. Some girls have their weddings planned out, from the man to the cake to the dress to their future children. But me? I had my career figured out. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I loved English.</b></div><div>Although this is in past tense, I still do. I definitely love it more now than I used to. Anyway. It seemed like one more reason to become an author. Now that I think about it, it really wasn't the greatest one. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I thought I had what it took.</b></div><div>You know how I said I had it all figured out? Well I wouldn't have admitted this, but I knew I would get a book published. Knew it. The whole teacher/librarian thing was just a cover up. That's how dead set on the whole thing I was. I had no doubt that I would make it. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I read every waking second. </b></div><div>Good thing read can function correctly in past and present tense. I'm actually pretty sure I read more now than I used to....</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>I did what I could to find out what I should do.</b></div><div>In other words, I searched authors' websites for tips on writing. I still do this, actually. Partly to write better (even if I don't want to make it a career, it's still a good skill), but more to see what they say. Authors have good advice and clever ways of presenting it. Take, for instance, John Scalzi's <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/04/27/10-things-teenage-writers-should-know-about-writing/">10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing</a>. Or <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/ideas-questions/">this page</a> from John Green's FAQs.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span> Or Maureen Johnson's advice on <a href="http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/2006/07/18/how-to-write-a-book/">How to Write a Book</a>. Or <a href="http://www.megcabot.com/about-meg-cabot/frequently-asked-questions-getting-published/">FAQs from Meg Cabot</a>. Or (last one) Justine Larbalestier's <a href="http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2006/09/06/how-to-write-a-novel/">How to Write a Novel</a>. Just to name a few of my personal favorites. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Then I discovered I was wrong.</b></div><div>I realized that I didn't actually want to be an author. I just thought I did. (That, or I unconsciously changed my mind... I'm gunning for the first one.) You probably noticed that nowhere did it say, "I wrote every chance I got," or, "Writing was my favorite thing," or, "Nothing made me happier than when I was writing." Yeah. That's because none of those are true. I did write. But not as much as I would have had I <i>actually</i> wanted to be an author. The day I realized I didn't want to be an author was the day I realized that I'm not a writer. I'm a reader. </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*Cliche much?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">**Okay, so it's not actually advice. It's more people asking him questions on how <i>he</i> writes. But it's still good.</span></div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-63999838766418431342011-03-13T17:46:00.003-04:002011-03-28T07:35:59.606-04:00In My Mailbox (#4)<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/p/in-my-mailbox.html">In My Mailbox</a> is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>.<br />
<br />
I got a couple things this week that I've been wanting to read for a while, but just never got around to. And they are....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/archive/2/24/20100523221652!Ultimate_Hitchhikers_Guide_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/archive/2/24/20100523221652!Ultimate_Hitchhikers_Guide_front.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="http://chamberfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/I_Am_Number_Four_Book_Cover-677x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://chamberfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/I_Am_Number_Four_Book_Cover-677x1024.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe17ZuniFl2iOKnxdOkAeqhljQS5f0ddLOj6mIqW7nUOUXcWbhy6-DI6Y8HDRhyphenhyphensCfWE1Wq0BPcJnbKzzikwmbUm11Gwgh4qtAwx_YhiSHDnnbJNbu9gdG_MG5k7jzkVA_4Cwb2AcgoAv/s1600/Real+Live+Boyfriends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFe17ZuniFl2iOKnxdOkAeqhljQS5f0ddLOj6mIqW7nUOUXcWbhy6-DI6Y8HDRhyphenhyphensCfWE1Wq0BPcJnbKzzikwmbUm11Gwgh4qtAwx_YhiSHDnnbJNbu9gdG_MG5k7jzkVA_4Cwb2AcgoAv/s200/Real+Live+Boyfriends.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hitchhikers-Guide-Douglas-Adams/dp/0517149257">The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide</a> by Douglas Adams - I actually borrowed this one from one of my teachers, and I'm super excited about it. It'll probably have to wait a week or two to be read, but I will get to it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Am-Number-Four-Lorien-Legacies/dp/0061969559">I Am Number Four</a> by Pittacus Lore - This I finally got from the library. I figure if I'm going to be constantly hearing about it, I may as well know what it's about, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Live-Boyfriends-plural-complicated/dp/038573428X">Real Live Boyfriends</a> by E. Lockhart (ARC) - I won this from Claire of <a href="http://bookwormbooklovers.blogspot.com/">Bookworm Readers</a> (check her out!), which explains why I'm just now getting the ARC of a book that came out in December. I will admit to you that I've not yet read the second or third books, so I'll be getting them soon so that I can start in on this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And a couple others....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/157488199X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/157488199X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" width="123" /></a><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1387/870954966_3e70a56f07.jpg?v=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1387/870954966_3e70a56f07.jpg?v=0" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Aviation-Donald-M-Goldstein/dp/157488199X">Amelia: A Life of the Aviation Legend</a> by Donald Goldstein and Katherine Dillon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Flight-Amelia-Earhart/dp/0609800329">Last Flight</a> by Amelia Earhart</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For English class we have to make a newspaper about someone's life. I couldn't really think of anyone I have a particular interest in, so I decided to go with Amelia Earhart. The first book is the one I'm using for my project, but I got the second just because.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How about you? Is your mailbox half comprised of Amelia Earhart? Probably not. Should you link me to yours in the comments? Probably. </div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-59099374196560342852011-03-12T16:18:00.001-05:002011-03-12T16:21:04.147-05:00Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (QR)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1284431674l/7074259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1284431674l/7074259.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Fixing Delilah<br />
Author: Sarah Ockler<br />
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for <br />
Young Readers (December 1, 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.<br />
<br />
She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.<br />
<br />
Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and the moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can ever her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have one word for this book: adorable. Simply adorable. I loved every page of it and had trouble putting it down when I had to. Sarah Ockler managed to nail that perfect combination of fighting, loving, and crazy that family is comprised of, which matched just perfectly with the romance and friendship included. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Delilah was in for a crazy summer when she and her mom left for Vermont. Little did she know that it would turn out to make a beautiful story. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary from inside cover</span>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-78572546507547900342011-03-12T01:10:00.000-05:002011-03-12T01:10:46.274-05:00In Which I ApologizeWhy, yes. I did randomly disappear for a month without telling anyone. However, I am back and ready for some serious blogging. (Not tonight. I need sleep. Have play practice in eight hours. But as soon as that is over. I'm back. Anyway...) I just wanted to apologize for that awkward and terrible absence.<br />
<br />
Also, I've been thinking about the challenges I was going to do this year. I haven't... actually... started on either of them? So I was thinking that I would stop both of them and do one set goal of how many books I'll read this year (120, maybe?). Let me know what you think in comments. I'm really not sure of what I want to do. Help is needed!<br />
<br />
Soooo.... yeah. Sorry. Please forgive me. And help me figure out what to do! I just don't know...goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-36649537476960485832011-02-06T17:28:00.000-05:002011-02-06T17:28:29.919-05:00In My Mailbox (#3)<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/p/in-my-mailbox.html">In My Mailbox</a> is a meme hosted by Kristi of <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>.<br />
<br />
This week the only thing I got was Tuck Everlasting. I saw it at the bookstore and remembered how much I love it, so I bought it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yoTSaX6aL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yoTSaX6aL.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How about <i>you</i>? Did you get something far more interesting this week? Probably. Should you link me to it in the comments? Probably.</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-8715840454493143642011-02-03T14:34:00.000-05:002011-02-03T14:34:08.982-05:00Booking Through Thursday (#3)<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week's <a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/">Booking Through Thursday</a> question:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“How would a teen-age boy who is going to work with his hands ever use Literature of England in his work?”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;">The age-old “How am I going to use this in real life?” question. How would you answer it?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4f402a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlX773eByP6Rab92_F3gDhHuo6PL5Qw0twGSIsboTO0UyoKXEDn11j_AJkktcsZihrzw1GsbKsuELDcmPV5pS26rlszCXs2zzCb4pDuCQ97FAUKUKi3fLn8ycIgQy91qjaXHEwTcyHXo/s1600/btt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlX773eByP6Rab92_F3gDhHuo6PL5Qw0twGSIsboTO0UyoKXEDn11j_AJkktcsZihrzw1GsbKsuELDcmPV5pS26rlszCXs2zzCb4pDuCQ97FAUKUKi3fLn8ycIgQy91qjaXHEwTcyHXo/s1600/btt2.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like this comes down to about three options:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Critical reading: Almost anywhere a person ends up working, they'll need to know how to read and understand it. And even if it's not understanding Jane Austen or Shakespeare, it still teaches you to think as you read.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) How life was: For the most part, Literature of England (I'm assuming this is a class) would probably teach older Lit (Austen, Shakespeare, Bronte), which would help show how life used to be. It may not be beneficial to the work itself, but I would argue that it's still good to know what it was like.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) It won't: Maybe neither of the other two are correct and Literature of England won't be useful one bit. Other than teaching you that sometimes we have to do stuff that is seemingly useless and we hate. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's just my opinion? What do you think?</span></div><br />
<div style="color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; text-transform: none;"><br />
</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-5370362363688770812011-02-03T14:16:00.001-05:002011-03-26T15:36:25.381-04:00Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (QR)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8345169e469e2012876b4490d970c-250wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8345169e469e2012876b4490d970c-250wi" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Scarlett Fever<br />
(Suite Scarlett #2)<br />
Author: Maureen Johnson<br />
Publisher: Point (Feb. 1, 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">(Spoilers in summary below, if you've not read <a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/suite-scarlett-by-maureen-johnson.html">SS#1</a>. Highlight with caution.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #741b47; font-size: x-small;">Faced with her family's financial woes, Scarlett has taken on the job of assistant/indentured servant to a newly minted theatrical agent, professional eccentric Mrs. Amy Amberson. Scarlett ends up at the beck and the call of a Broadway star (her own age!), dealing with territorial doormen, and walking a small dog with insecurity issues -- all while starting her sophomore year at one of New York's most rigorous high schools.* </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #4c1130; color: #741b47; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I picked up Scarlett Fever, I was expecting a book I would like just as much as Suite Scarlett, and Maureen Johnson did not disappoint. To be honest, I could just direct you toward my review of <a href="http://innocentlydreaming.blogspot.com/2011/01/suite-scarlett-by-maureen-johnson.html">Suite Scarlett</a>, and you'd understand what I loved about Scarlett Fever as well. Full of craziness, Scarlett made me want (once again) to jump into the Martin family and hang out with the gang. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Iffy Broadway shows, oddly nice siblings, and surprising plot twists? Definitely a book you should check out. Then again, who would expect less of a book dedicated to ABBA?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*summary is a partial from inside jacket</span></div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-31102227946204084312011-02-02T21:34:00.000-05:002011-02-02T21:34:38.766-05:00"Waiting On" Wednesday (#2)"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftrAsqZtDUqI-t59ylT9rBcT3smw9u6PRpfx0XeP6pAEazBUV5jKqO1WyODdvE9k29dKljfzopfHUw8ThPL7yCuRJYetGOP2DiXfDsSVLSp3jieNOcZ0rBejfLL0ppW4_AC5u7GkAseo/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftrAsqZtDUqI-t59ylT9rBcT3smw9u6PRpfx0XeP6pAEazBUV5jKqO1WyODdvE9k29dKljfzopfHUw8ThPL7yCuRJYetGOP2DiXfDsSVLSp3jieNOcZ0rBejfLL0ppW4_AC5u7GkAseo/s200/New+WoW.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week's WoW is...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Little-Blue-Envelope/dp/0061976792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296700219&sr=8-1">The Last Little Blue Envelope</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Little Blue Envelope #2)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">by Maureen Johnson </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">April 26, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">13 Little Blue Envelopes was the first Maureen Johnson book I read and also when I fell in love with her. So now I can't wait to find out all about that thirteenth envelope!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434138607059333119.post-2490345788184838442011-02-01T14:40:00.005-05:002011-03-12T15:56:07.047-05:00Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (QR)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76tyZZr76wy7lIwLXBrXrujvxjeQhDiM_sps9Q1GtN5CxEgfPw2uX08mME4Nr40Ga2M3x3428Tpsq0oRQfTi9aQhwGWyvKZ4GKdKvXeUJ-QEDumgBeFZCZD0sn7kw4i0Fx2PObJ5Q_lEz/s1600/Dash+and+Lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76tyZZr76wy7lIwLXBrXrujvxjeQhDiM_sps9Q1GtN5CxEgfPw2uX08mME4Nr40Ga2M3x3428Tpsq0oRQfTi9aQhwGWyvKZ4GKdKvXeUJ-QEDumgBeFZCZD0sn7kw4i0Fx2PObJ5Q_lEz/s200/Dash+and+Lily.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares<br />
Authors: Rachel Cohn and <br />
David Levithan<br />
Publisher: Knopf Books for <br />
Young Readers (Oct. 26, 2010)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Imagine this:<br />
You're in your favorite bookstore, scanning the shelves. You get to the section where a favorite author's books reside, and there, nestled in comfortably between the incredibly familiar spines, sits a red notebook.<br />
<i>What do you do?</i><br />
The choice, I think, is obvious:<br />
You take down the red notebook and open it.<br />
And then you do whatever it tells you to do.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't have much to say about this, other than that it was adorable and very clever. I'm not really sure why I enjoyed this so much; it's hard to pinpoint one thing. Maybe it was the whole idea of the notebook. Maybe it's that I <i>love</i> scavenger hunts, and that's what this reminded me of. Maybe it was the awesome cover. Or maybe it was the idea of winter in the city. No matter what it was, I definitely suggest it. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*excerpt from book (pg. 1)</span>goodnightmoonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01546191029645042981noreply@blogger.com2