In Which I Do Random Again

I seem to have lost the blogging mojo these past few days. Hopefully it's only temporary. In the meantime, here's some random stuff:

John Green talks about Markus Zusak:
(and a bunch of other authors and books and such)

    

Josh Groban talks about his new album:
(Feb. 5th people!)



We do a mouse experiment at our house and end up keeping all six mice:
(The screamo music mice ended up doing better in the maze than the classical music mice, which blew the hypothesis to pieces. )

All six.

One mouse in one half of the maze.

We make Pinterest things this week.. and I can't even remember if I official joined the PinItDoIt challenge this go around! Both were successes:

Source: overthebigmoon.com via Suey on Pinterest

Source: sweetnsoursassiness.blogspot.com via Suey on Pinterest

I'm reading The Hobbit and I CANNOT wait for this movie!

I finished A Tale of Two Cities and I want to watch some sort of movie of it now too. I remember this one with the dude that played the bad prince in Princess Bride:

Of course, when I watched it back in the 80s (or maybe it was late 70s? Oh, IMDB says 1980 exactly!) it was pre Princess Bride (just barely though) and I loved him in it. But now, I'm not sure I can see him as such an awesome Sydney Carton. So... I don't know what movie version of this I should watch. Suggestions? (I'll probably have to go with whatever the library has since I think I already checked Netflix and they have NOTHING!) But still, it would probably be kind of fun to watch this version again and see what I think, because oh boy.... back then? Yeah, SMITTEN!

Speaking of movies, I joined a movie reviewing sharing site thingy (in Jenni Elyse's words it's like a combo of Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest, just for movies.) Want to come play there too? Because that would be fun! Check it out: Seen Th.at . I haven't had much time to do stuff there yet, but I got a start!

Tomorrow it's my turn on the Virtual Advent blogging calendar! I will tell you it's going to be a music one. Will you come back and check it out? Even if it's a Saturday? I know you all don't get out much to blogs on Saturday, but do come back and visit tomorrow, okay? BUT FIRST, before you do that, you've got to head over to the Orem Library and talk to ALL THE AUTHORS! I'll see you there!

Okay, enough rambling for one post. Time to face the day! Over and out!

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Book: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Genre: YA
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Fun
From: the library

My friend Jenny has been raving (well raving for her anyway!) about these books for awhile now and when she said she wanted to know which guy in this triangle I'd like, I had to find out immediately  So somehow in the midst of all my other reading, this book managed to slip in! Love it when that happens.

It's a cute and semi-fluffy book about a this girl who spends her summers at a beach house, and has all her life. They spend those summers with her mom's best friend, and the friend's two sons. So Belly (yes, her nickname for Isabella) has been crushing on those boys pretty much all her life. This particular summer things seem different. Of course one thing is that the boys notice her in a bit different way, but there's more. Something else is just not quite right.

Like I said, there's a lot of fun summer romance-y fluff, but underneath there's some pretty deep issues too. So you get a little bit of both. Which is awesome.

I enjoyed it! What a fun quick read! As for which brother I leaned toward? I'd say the dark brooding one of course! But, I do feel like we didn't get to know either one of them very well. I think we just scratched the surface, which is why it's a good thing there's two more books!

Bottom line: I really enjoyed it!

Other Reviews:

I especially loved the flash backs to some of her previous summer experiences. It was a sweet story and a quick read. From One Librarian's Book Reviews

It was a good reminder of how selfish we all really are; thinking the world revolves around us, and how the reality check can be a huge slap in the face to make us see what really matters. From Alternate Readality

Final verdict: nice and breezy, summer romance, not going to hit my top ten list. From Books. Lists. Life.

It isn’t just about a teenage girl living with two boys for the summer: it is a study of family dynamics and what happens when tragedy strikes. From The Allure of Books

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for Christmas

Most of the time I forget to keep an official wishlist going, but at this time of year, it seems a useful thing to do, yes? So I've recently made a bit of a list and here's the top ten, as requested this week from those over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Top Ten Books I Would Love for Christmas

1. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman... because I think this has been the most raved about book this year by all you bloggers, that I haven't read yet.

2. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima... because I need this, the last book of this awesome series!

3. Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead... because this looks like an awesome Robin Hood book that I would so love to check out.

4. Poison Study by Marie V. Synder.... because I feel like I've been missing something by not having read this one yet.

5. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund... because I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars and now I want to read more by the same author.

6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis.... because it's another one I've heard raves about and feel the need to get to soon.

7. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence... because look at that cover! I want to read it/own it for that alone!

8. Old Man's War by John Salzi... because I started it and had to take it back to the library but from what I hear, it should be a keeper and not a library book anyway.

9. Touch by Jus Accardo.... because this one just looks cool.

10. Rebel Heart by Moira Young..... because the first book was awesome and now I want the second!

Awesome reasons for wanting books, don't you think? Anyway, I guess we'll see if Santa reads my blog or not.....

What books do YOU want this year for Christmas?

Book Review: Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Couloumbis

Book: Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Couloumbis
Genre: YA Contemporary (sort of)
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Review 
From: NetGalley (to be published December 11, 2012)

This one caught my eye quite awhile back when I was browsing the books at NetGalley. Finally, we are getting close to its release date and I can tell you a little about it!

The thing I love most about this book is that it is set in the 70s. And also that it's from a guy's point of view. I don't know why but that is always refreshing for some reason.

So this kid is about 15 or so in the late 70s which puts him just a little tiny bit older than I was at the time. It was a great time back then and I loved revisiting it in this book!

He's having a hard time because his parents are getting divorced. Because of that, he has to move and start going to a new school. He notices and pretty much falls in love right off the bat with the girl next door. Of course, he doesn't talk to her at all.

But one day, he gets his hands on her phone number (because miracle of miracles...she has her VERY OWN PHONE!!) So he decides to call her one night, and in the midst of being all nervous and awkward  he ends up turning it into a prank phone call. (Remember those, back in the time before caller ID? )

The great thing though, is that he gets up the guts to call back, and she teases him and they talk. And this happens night after night after night. Of course, she has no idea who he is and he's not about to tell her. In fact, he begins to create a new identity for himself.

Then, they start talking by day too, and of course, she still has no idea that it's him. And then things begin to get pretty complicated and we as readers begin to wonder how he's going to solve this craziness!

I thought it was a very fun story, very nostalgic and cute and simple. My only complaint is that it did wrap up a bit too easily. But still, I think that's the kind of story this is, not overly complicated, you know?

Bottom line: I totally enjoyed every minute of it!

Other Reviews:

In a world full of books about revenge, car accidents, and post-apocalyptic challenges, it feels so right (and so refreshing!) to settle down with a genuine book about real people dealing with every day problems, bumbling around to find their own happiness. From Rather Be Reading

....and that's all the blogger reviews I could find at the moment!

Currently: Let's Decorate!

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y

(as written on Sunday afternoon)

Listening: to a mix of Christmas CDs

Eating: dinner of meatloaf and baked potato, one of my favorite dinners, simple as it is. Later we're having cinnamon rolls for our tree decorating festivities. (Recipe here in this very long ago post if you are interested.)

Loving: the new color of my hair! Wow, it had been over a year since I colored it last and it needed it! 

Reading: Started and finished The Summer I Turned Pretty this weekend. Now I have to finish A Tale of Two Cities... so so close! 

Feeling: Anxious... see below

Watching: We watched Rock of Ages this weekend. I enjoyed the music, but the story was dumb and the acting crude and awful.  I was disappointed.

Wanting:  to get the tree up and take some family pictures this evening. I'm anxious about it all.

Thinking: that curling up in bed for a nap sounds really good. 

Exercising: I walked on the treadmill every day this week! Well, every week day. I haven't been that consistent for a long time. Shall we see if I can go another week? Watching Parenthood while walking is fun. Easier than trying to read something, which was my former MO. Anyway, I don't know that I "feel" any better, but maybe if I try another week that will come? 

Author Extravaganza!

We did this last year at the library just before Christmas, and it was so fun, we're doing it again. Next week, nine authors will be coming to hang out, do a Q and A panel, and sign books. Those of you in the area come on out, get some books signed for Christmas gifts and have fun meeting some of our awesome local authors!

The authors who will be there are:

• Robison Wells (Variant and Feedback)
• Jessica Day George (The Princess of the Midnight Ball and sequels, and the Dragon Slipper series)
• Ally Condie (The Matched series)
• Lisa Mangum (The Hourglass Door series and new book After Hello)
• Brandon Mull (The Fablehaven series and new Candy Shop War sequel)
• Dean Hughes (LDS fiction)
• Chris Crowe (historical nonfiction and more)
• Nathan Hale and Rick Walton (lots of pictures books including the new one they did together, Frankenstein)

Place: Orem Library
Date: Saturday, December 8
Time: 11:00 am for the panel, noon to 2 p.m. for the book signings

Hopefully I'll see some of my book blogging buddies there! 

November 2012 Reading Recap

Oh boy, I'm not sure it's worth even doing a recap this month. Sad sad reading month, and I have no idea why! Was it THAT busy? It had its moments but I didn't think it was this bad. Wow. And there's not even a big hard book to blame it on either. What is going on with me?

Anyway, here's what  I did mange:

Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Couloumbis: A cute retro love story set in the 70s from a guy's point of view. (Review of this to come next week.)

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima: The second book of this awesome fantasy series where our heroes are going to a wizard/magic/soldier school.

 Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman: The story of a girl who marries a Canadian policeman and goes off into the wild north and has adventures.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth: The second book of the series which has Tris and Four trying to figure out how to defeat those leaders trying to take over.

Favorite of the month: The Exiled Queen for sure.

Plans for December:

• finish A Tale of Two Cities. Almost done! Really enjoying this one... it's crazy how much easier it is to understand as an adult than it was as a 14 year old!
• finish The Hobbit before movie day!
• re-read Unwind for book club
• read Unwholly for book club too maybe.
• Check out The Summer I Turned Pretty from the library and read it so I can discuss with Jenny
• Finish The Devoted, a  review book.
• Maybe read Dragonfly in Amber, which I have on my Kindle from the library.. but it's HUGE!
• Read Reached, which I should have read already by now.
• and that's probably way more than I can handle, sadly.

Hopefully you all did better! Here's to next month!