The Best 10 Books I read in 2010.

I have only read an abysmal 29 books this year. Rather than listing them all as I normally do, I thought I would only list 10 books that I read for the first time this year that I actually enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who loves a good read:

1. The Likeness by Tana French 466 pages 4/29/10
2. Farhrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 179 pages 9/24/10
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 390 pages 8/29/10
4. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 560 pages 11/29/10
5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 496 pages 9/6/10
6. Thirteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher 288 pages 3/12/10
7. My Life in France by Julia Child 317 pages 1/23/10
8. Love the One Your With by Emily Giffin 368 pages 2/9/10
9. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer 192 pages 6/6/10
10. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr 400 pages 6/2/10
    

A non-spoiler brief summary of each by number.

1. A slow starting chiller that is well worth the first 40 pages to get to a suspenseful, oddly pleasant, thrill ride with whitty well rounded characters. By far the best read of the year.

2. A sci-fi look at what society will inevitably come to in the futur due to short attention spans and lack of thought that is oddly prophetic being 50 years or so ahead of it's time. Definitely a must read for everyone at least once in life.

3. A spectacular ending to the Hunger Games Trilogy that was worth the hype and reading the first two to get through. I had no idea where the last book would go, but wow. Definitely a satisfying tie-up overall.

4. A bit too long, as so many novels are, honestly a note to all authors: you do not have to be over 300 pages to have well-developed characters and good story, some editing needed aside it was still a cannot put down read with some twists and great character development.

5. Angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, Victorian England, slightly steampunk, what's not to love about this prequel to The Mortal Instruments series?

6. A bittersweet tale that has a good message overall, but read the back cover because you will want the inevitable ending to be different, but there is something gutwrenchingly beautiful about it.

7. Julie Child is a wonderfully entertaining cook, if you have not seen an episode of her cooking show, you are missing out. Travel the world with Julia as she and her husband move about the world and enjoy the great tales of their escapades abroad.

8. I have never read a book that is more perfect to be adapted into a sappy romantic comedy that could bring the bucks for a studio that can write, stay true to the novel, and cast properly. Really good characters, especially considering the genre.

9. I have never known of an author who can take a minor background character and make them a central part of a a spin-off novella and actually make you care about someone who you could have honestly forgotten about, but Meyer did it. Critics be gone, I am still a fan of her work.

10. Marr continues to delve into her fairy world created in Wicked Lovely. Overall a satisfying read. Think fairy tale meets teen drama (cast with 29 year olds) trying ever so hard to have a love triangle like Twilight, yet falling short somehow. Not the best book series out there, but probably the best one with fairies. Still, it has a great cover.

My Books of 2009.

1. Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind
836 pages ****

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
374 pages ****

3. 4:50 to Paddington by Agatha Christie
217 pages ***

4. The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield
406 pages ***

5. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
832 pages ***

6. Black by Ted Dekker
408 pages ***

7. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
560 pages ****

8. North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell
480 pages ****

9. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
304 pages ***

10.The Last of the Olympians by Rick Riordan
400 pages ****

11. gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
304 pages **

12. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
352 pages ****

13. A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth
240 pages ****

14. The Shack by William P. Young
256 pages ****

15. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
652 pages ****

16. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
320 pages ***

17. The Rest Falls Away: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
368 pages ***

18. Persuasion by Jane Austen
288 pages ****

9. Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
309 pages ****

20. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
352 pages ****

21. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
435 pages ****

22. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
734 pages ****

23. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
870 pages ****

24. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
759 pages ****

25. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
157 pages **

26. The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
208 pages ****

27. The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
202 pages ****

28. The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis
334 pages ****

29. Rises The Night: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
334 pages ***

30. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
563 pages ****

31. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
629 pages ****

32. Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon
279 pages ***

33. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
208 pages *

34. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
756 pages ****

35. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 512 pages
512 pages ****

36. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
464 pages ****

37. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
352 pages ***

38. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
391 pages ****

39. The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
304 pages ****

40. ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
384 pages ****

41. Breakfast At Tiffany's by Trumon Capote
145 pages ****

42. The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan
544 pages ****

43. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
225 pages ****

17941 / 15000 pages. 120% done!

43 / 50 books. 86% done!

Glee: Rachel & Finn

Kings

I edited this video for this show. I hope that it gives you at least a vague idea about the show. SPOILER potential here.

New Show

KINGS
Please watch it. It is another show that is layered, with well-written characters and good story. Translation the masses are most likely to not watch it, and it will end up being canceled. SHEEP.

More info

What I am reading in 2008?

1.Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen335 pages
2.The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey 376 pages
3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen  249 pages (big though)
4. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova  656 pages
5. My Search for the Golden Key by Craig Massey 138 pages
6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (5th Time) 498 pages
7. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 375 pages (in 1 day)
8. The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum 158 pages
9. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 304 pages
10. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan 312 pages
11. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 560 pages
12. The Host by Stephenie Meyer 624 pages
13. The Battle of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan 368 pages
14. Pretty Woman by Fern Michaels 336 pages
15. Garret's Beacon: The Light at Camp Norwood by Jan Buhr 135 pages
16. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson 309 pages
17. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer 768 pages
18. Watchmen by Alan Moore 416 pages
19. The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman 224 pages
20. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray 432 pages
21. Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 288 pages
22. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray 592 pages
23. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 512 pages
24. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare 464 pages
25. Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko 464 pages
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie 272 pages
27. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie 288 pages
28. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman 352 pages
29. The Mysterious Affairs at Styles by Agatha Christie 224 pages
30. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 448 pages

11477 / 15000 pages. 77% done!

30 / 50 books. 60% done!

Watch This.

4th of July- Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle

This 4th of July I made a new type of trifle. Here is the recipe (with pics)

My Top 10 Favorite Songs Ever

I picked these songs because I never get tired of listening to them. They are NOT the highest play count songs because in a phase I may play a song 50 times, but can't stand it anymore, but these are all in the higher numbers. I almost never skip them when my iPod is on shuffle, and I really like the lyrics. I also did not want to repeat any artist, and subsequently there are more songs by Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and the Fray that would make the list otherwise. Listed in number play count order along with my favorite lyrics from each song, for 2 it is the full song.

1. In My Pocket by Mandy Moore-121

Among the many muted faces
You try to find me in the spaces
You're drawn to my song

This lyric always makes me think of the Greek Myth about the Sirens.

2. Babylon by David Gray-112

Sunday all the lights of London
Shining , Sky is fading red to blue
I'm kicking through the Autumn leaves
And wondering where it is you might be going to
Turning back for home
You know I'm feeling so alone
I can't believe
Climbing on the stair
I turn around to see you smiling there
In front of me

3. Breathe Me by Sia-84

Ouch I have lost myself again
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,
Yeah I think that I might break
Lost myself again and I feel unsafe

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
and needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

4. Sway by The Prishers-70

I talk to you as to a friend
I hope that's what you've come to be
It feels as though we've made amends
Like we found a way eventually

It was you who picked the pieces up
When I was a broken soul
And then glued me back together
Returned to me what others stole


5. How To Save A Life by The Fray-67

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you

6. Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis-49

Closed off from love
I didn't need the pain
Once or twice was enough
And it was all in vain
Time starts to pass
Before you know it you're frozen

But something happened
For the very first time with you
My heart melts into the ground
Found something true
And everyone's looking round
Thinking I'm going crazy


7. You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol-40

You could be happy and I won't know
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go
And all the things that I wished I had not said
Are played in loops 'till it's madness in my head
Is it too late to remind you how we were
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur

Most of what I remember makes me sure
I should have stopped you from walking out the door
You could be happy, I hope you are
You made me happier than I'd been by far

Somehow everything I own smells of you
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true
Do the things that you always wanted to

Without me there to hold you back, don't think, just do
More than anything I want to see you, girl
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world

8. Not Gonna Get Us by Tatu-40

We're gonna run, nothing can stop us
Even the night that falls all around us
Soon there will be laughter and voices
Beyond the clouds over the mountains
We'll run away on roads that are empty
Lights from the airfield shining upon you

9. When You Were Young by The Killers-39

You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now ... here he comes!

He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young


10. A Message by Coldplay-21

My song is love
Love to the loveless shown
And it goes up
You don't have to be alone
Your heavy heart
Is made of stone
And it's so hard to see you clearly
You don't have to be on your own
You don't have to be on your own

And I'm not gonna take it back
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that
You're the target that I'm aiming at
Got to get that message home

My song is love
My song is love, unknown
But I'm on fire for you, clearly
You don't have to be alone
You don't have to be on your own

And I'm not gonna take it back
And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that
You're the target that I'm aiming at
And I'm nothing on my own
Got to get that message home

And I'm not gonna stand and wait
Not gonna leave it until it's much too late
On a platform I'm gonna stand and say
That I'm nothing on my own
And I love you, please come home

My song is love, is love unknown
And I've got to get that message home

Melinda Doolittle

So today was suppose to be a normal nothing day with studying meets Wednesday night church, but one phone call led to a mini/mini road trip to a Livonia Kroger to meet Melinda Doolittle from last years American Idol! It was fun. We stood in line down the frozen ice cream/ bread aisle. It was cool. We got free samples of the new American Idol ice cream, i recommend the Mint Karaoke Cookie.
We only had to wait maybe 15 minutes to meet her. She gave us an autographed picture with a coupon to boot! Afterwards, Jamie and I went to Heritage Perk for some Frozen Hot Chocolates! Good stuff. Overall, it way more fun than studying!

Here is a link to photos from Grandpa's 86th Birthday and more!
Photos

Mom's B-day!

For Mom's Birthday I decorated the living room, as all festivities require. Dad made French Toast for Mom.



We went out to eat at Outback which was great fun and very filling. We come home, and Mom gets on the computer, while unbeknown to her we put her presents on the coffee table.

She figured she was not getting presents this year. She was really surprised. Dad got her a gardening cart thing that holds all her tools and triples as a cup-holder and seat. Tim & Katie got her a Sunflower Flag for the yard and set of Nautical stamps. I got her a precious moments statue and fuzzy yellow socks.

Then we had cake in monstrous portion sizes, my bad. Overall, I think it was a fun day!

This made me laugh.

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Social Nerd   You're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a hippie, but some of you may be tree-huggers. You're the type of people who are interested in bettering the world. You're possible the least nerdy of them all; unless you participate in other activies that paled your nerdiness compared to your involvement in social activities. Whatever the case, we could still use more of you around. ^_^
Literature Nerd
Drama Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Movie MeMe

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Fill in the film title once it's guessed.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.


1. You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

2. If I want to speak I will open my mouth and speak. Everyone is forever plaguing me to speak further. Why? What good is it to tell you you are in my every thought from the time I wake? What good can come from my saying that I sometimes cannot think clearly or do my work properly? What gain can rise of my telling you the only time I feel fear as others do is when I think of you in harm?

3. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?

4. Please do not use that word. Were I not entirely aware of my duty to my family and to my country, I would not have come back tonight... or indeed ever again!

5. I woke up this morning, you know... and the sun was shining, and it was nice, and all that type of stuff. And the first thing, I saw you, and, uh, I said, "Boy, this is gonna be one terrific day, so you better live it up, because tomorrow you'll be nothing. You see? And I almost was.

6. Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value.

7. Of course you can! Everything in this room is eatable, even *I'm* eatable! But that is called "cannibalism," my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.

8. I don't want to possess you! I wish to marry you because I love you!

9. You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.

10. Can't you see? Every step I have taken, since I was that child on the bridge, has been to bring myself closer to you.

11. You were just a little girl in a flannel night gown. And you were shoveling snow from the walk in front of our house. And I was the snow, I was the snow. And everywhere it landed and everywhere it covered. You scoop me up with a big red shovel. You scoop me up.

12. Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

13. Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see.

14. Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.

15. My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes. That's a sentence I read once and I say it over to comfort myself in these times that try the soul.

Voting in 2008, Really?

Okay, so I found this interesting survey thing about the presidential candidates. You choose which response best reflects your opinion on an issue, and then how much this issue matters to you. When you get the results, you might be shocked at who is near the top of yours. Here is mine:

69% John McCain
63% Hillary Clinton
61% Rudy Giuliani
60% Barack Obama
59% Mitt Romney
58% Mike Huckabee
58% John Edwards
56% Joe Biden
54% Chris Dodd
52% Tom Tancredo
48% Fred Thompson
47% Dennis Kucinich
46% Bill Richardson
46% Mike Gravel
45% Ron Paul

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Water For Elephants

So I got this book Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen I have been interesting in reading it since September, but never bought it. I just got it for Christmas! I read part of the Prologue on Christmas day, but since I got an iPod reading fell back to the wayside. I finished the Prologue the day after Christmas. It was one of the Prologues that makes you want to read more, and more just to get to the point where that moment happens. Let me give you a basic premise for the book. It is about a man in his 90s who is in an assisted living facility and having a difficult time. The circus is coming to town which reminds him of his early 20s when he worked for the circus during the depression. This sparks many memories of his days leading up to and beyond joining up in the circus, falling in love, making friends, making enemies, and generally learning the ropes of how to survive life. The bulk of the book is spent in the depression era of circus life, which is not really something that ever interested me. That is until this book. I cannot even describe how hard life must have been. The horrors back then are only balanced by momentary instances of joy. This is a great book that ended up being a fairly quick read for me. I ended loosing quite a bit of sleep just because I could not put it down. There were a few instances of moments in the book that I could have done without, but they did give you a sense of the corruption and immorality of the times. I would have to say that there were some very beautifully heroic characters in this novel, not all human I might add, but there were also despicably evil characters as well. There is just something beautiful about this novel. It is one of those books that when you finish it you feel incredibly satisfied with this glimpse into these lives. I would recommend this book, but it is not for young readers due violence, subject matter, and probably a lack of their interest.

The Holiday Season

Alas, as the holiday season comes to a close, I have decided to upload my photos from events of the season that have occurred in order to retrospectively enjoy them all over again. Note: Our camera battery would not work on Christmas eve for the family party so there are no photos from that night.

Halloween/Thanksgiving 2007

Christmas 2007

Christmas Party 2007

New Years 2007-2008

The Amanda Derek Wedding Reception

Here are the reception pics!

The Amanda Derek Wedding

Wow, I have not been on here since September apparently. Recently been busy I guess. My best friend's wedding was last weekend. It was the wedding of the century. Too much fun! Here is a link to the photos from the actual wedding. Reception to come next!

The Amanda Derek Wedding!

Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Lasagne

So I found an awesome fall recipe for Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne online at the beginning of the week, and decided I wanted to give it a go. It is definitely more complicated than things I normally make, but I was excited. It turned out amazing! It not only looked great and tasted amazing, but it was also so filling! It took me forever to put it all together, but it was definitely worth it!. This really put me in the mood for Fall!

Yes, I even grated the cheese not to mention that the sauce is made from scratch, something I rarely do.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I just finished the book on August 31, 2007, and I was blown away. I had heard about TTTW a while ago and in passing had seen it on the shelf, and after a summer of reading a bunch of new books this summer and older books, I decided to try this one.

I was overwhelmingly pleased with this book. As I started it, right away I new it would take some thinking with the whole chapter division the way it is, and the time lines. I had never really thought about chapter division that much until this summer because I have seen very interesting techniques. I think TTTW has the most original I have seen. I really enjoyed the dates on the chapters and character ages as well. I found myself anticipating what was next, wondering where this book would take me, and after certain events, will we return to see the other perspective.

In general, I think this novel could not be crafted more beautifully. I think this is the best depiction of devotion and love that I have read in a while.

I really liked how deep Clare and Henry were, as characters. I liked who they were. I liked how they looked at the world in general, i.e. music, books, and art. I found the supporting characters great as well. Nell and Kimy won me over in every chapter they were in. I really felt Sharon's frustration at Christmas. At times I felt bad for Charisse, but I thought she had a cool, rebellious, anarchist personality. I think Gomez surprised me the most. I was not sure what to make of him at the beginning. I was not even sure how much we would learn about him or if I would like him. It turned out he was very easy to relate to.

Clare and Henry are great. I do not even know how to put it into words, but I will try. I found myself feeling their pain and struggles, their joy and celebration, and their angst and frustration. I got really attached to them, which is odd for me. While I was reading, I was trying to figure out things. What choices they would make. Where Henry would end up next. How things would work out in the end. I was often wrong. I actually think I was only right on one account.

I have to mention my breath was literally taken from me at least twice in the book. Two words to describe those scenes. Hospital & New Years.

I do not think I have even covered all my thoughts on this wonderful book, but I will leave you with this.

I view TTTW as a puzzle, and once all the pieces are fit together in the end, I saw a beautiful portrait of two people. One who wants to stay, and one who cannot leave.

New Vid!

The Host is an upcoming novel by Stephenie Meyer. I have been interested in this since I saw the synopsis on her website over a year ago. Since I am excited about it I made a fan trailer to promote it.

Here is the official Synopsis:

The basic premise: The Host takes place after a bodysnatchers-style invasion of the earth. We (the humans) lost. Our narrator is Wanderer, one of the invading "souls," who struggles to navigate all the bewildering challenges that come with living inside a human body. She was forewarned about these challenges—the overwhelming emotions, the stunning physical responses, the glut of senses, the too vivid dreams and memories... However, there was one challenge Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body, human survivor Melanie Stryder, refuses to fade away into oblivion the way she should. Melanie lingers as an angry presence in Wanderer's head, holding on to her human secrets and filling Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, another human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for the man she's never met. Outside forces combine to make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, and, working together, they set off to search for the man they both love. It's possibly the first love triangle that only involves two bodies.

Cast:

Melanie Stryder/Wanderer: Eliza Dushku
Jared: Matthew Bomer

Clips:
Doctor Who
Tru Calling

Music:

PartyBen-Insane Hand
Jem-They
Ben Jelen-Come On
Hilary Duff-Stranger(Vada Mix)
Leona Naess-Love is Strange
Halah-Mazzy Star

Stephenie Meyer, BBC, Fox, & Russell T. Davies Own All

My Ideal Self

Something I have always wondered was if I like the ideal me, does that make the real me less appealing?

Of course I love myself, we all do, but do we love who we really are or what we imagine ourselves to be?

I have always thought of myself as an idealist, but should I be more realistic in my pursuits?

I pose these questions not looking for an answer from an outside source, but rather in pursuit of the answer on my own. I know who I want to be, and I refuse to let my dreams go. Without dreams we are nothing more than animals.

I like this quote, which I think sums up my whole point.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

Henry David Thoreau
US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)

My Summer Reading

This summer has been a great summer for me, reading-wise at least. I have re-read books to prepare for sequels, read a few random books I happened to have picked up, and read a few new books upon release.

Re-read:
In order to prepare for the final Harry Potter. I re-read Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling. Once you know the ending of a book on the re-read it really does open your eyes to the subtle hints at a possible outcome. In preparation for Eclipse, I re-read New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. I truly love her books no one has such a detailed understanding of her characters actions as she does.To get ready for Seeing Redd, I re-read The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. His twisting of the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland is more creative than I could imagine. He took a simple story of a girl lost in a dreamland and turned it into an epic tale of fighting for all that is good.

Random Books:

I happened to have picked up two books at semi random this summer. The first book is Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. This book is definitely not something that I thought I would like, but once I opened it I could not put it down, The characters are so perfectly described I felt like I knew them. The basic premise is that it is about 3 women and their husbands who are each expecting their first child, and 1 women and her husband dealing with their recent loss of their baby. This synopsis makes it sound like it would either be a boring book or a sad book, but neither is an accurate description. It is really fun with wonderful moments weaved throughout. The book is written from the perspective of each individual women, and each chapter is from a different perspective than the last. I was truly entertained throughout reading the whole book. The second book I picked up at random is Empire Falls by Richard Russo. I had seen the HBO two episode series on it, and found it compelling. I finally got around to reading the book this summer. Character development is a strong suit for this book. Most people I know would not like this book because it is definitely real. It is a depiction of life in a small town in Maine. It shows how the decisions we make ever day effect those around us, especially our families. The main character of Miles Roby is someone you cheer for throughout. It is a difficult book to describe. It is not my favorite book of all time, and it felt a little long, but overall it was a good read.

New Released Books:

I was looking forward to this summer because I knew of three books being released that I was planning on reading. The first book being Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. The final installment in the epic Harry Potter story. A simple review of this would say, I loved every minute of reading it. It was crafted beautifully. Everything fell into place and made sense. A truly great story. I could go on and on about this book, but I hate when people put spoilers up. I just have to say that a lot of known questions were answered, and numerous surprising twists occurred, I have never read a book so fast I began it at about 12:30 a.m. on a Saturday Morning and I finished it on Monday morning at 1:48 a.m.. I know that seems like a long time, but I did sleep, and I had a lot church stuff on that Sunday, plus we went to my grand-parents that afternoon. Anyways if you want to know if Harry dies in the book, READ IT. You have no idea how many non-Harry Potter fans want to know. I refuse to divulge out of respect for the author I have come to respect. By ruining the ending of a book you are taking away a great experience from a person. The next book I was anticipating this summer was Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, the third book in her Twilight series. I thought that Deathly Hallows was the fasted I read a book, but Eclipse took the cake. I bought it at 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and finished it on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m.. To be fair Eclipse if only 629 pages while DH is 759. Anyways, Eclipse was a page turner. The drama/angst was amazingly strong during this book between normal girl Bella Swan, her soul mate, vampire Edward Cullen, and her best friend, werewolf Jacob Black. It is also hard to explain that this book series is unlike any vampire/werewolf book in the world. Meyer has created her own mythology for both. It is astounding. The romantic element is amazing strong, smart, and moral. I also love the underlying struggle for the vampire whose every movement around his love has to be controlled beyond comprehension. His desire to kill her is only prevented by his love for her. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen in the next book. The third book I was anticipating was Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor. I was thrilled that I found it on a shelf over 2 weeks before its release date, which is tomorrow. I really like what Beddor has done to continue his wonderland. The relationship between Alyss Heart and Dodge Anders is an actual relationship in this sequel as opposed to the original. There were a few twists in this book, but most I had figured to be true. I was pleased with this book. The characters had more depth in this one. The motivation no matter how flawed had backing to them. It is a little difficult to read compared to the other great books I love in that its descriptions of battles take a moment longer to picture because they are so visually detailed. Action, adventure, romance, fantasy, familial struggles and governmental decisions are believably depicted in this book.

Whoever said sequels were not good, could only be referring to movies not books.

I am currently continuing to read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. As with any excellent classic book, taking my time to digest what is written is required. I truly love this book. I saw the British film version starring Billie Piper, and I found it to be a great story. I plan to read all her books. She is really becoming one of my all-time favorite authors. I recently saw the movie about her, Becoming Jane starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy. It was an excellent movie about her love story. Without ruining anything, I will say that it was moving, empowering, and tragically beautiful.

Summer Shows

We have officially entered the television wasteland of Summer, but thankfully a few glimmers of hope for TV entertainment over the Summer have appeared. Of coarse if you need a laugh there is always Last Comic Standing on NBC, but last night I found a great new show, and today I found a marathon of an awesome show entering it's third season.


The Closer(Characters: Fritz Howard, Will Pope, Brenda Johnson, Corey Reynolds)

I do not know about you, but for me advertisements for shows tend to be filled with junk over hyping the buzz, and what not. This is what I thought about TNT's The Closer. They made it sound like it was this amazingly great, well acted, edge of your seat type of entertainment. So I thought. I happened to catch a marathon today at 11 a.m. that lasted through the day until the Season 3 premiere at 9 p.m. I watched almost the whole thing, with a few errands in between, but I was so shocked because everything I had heard from the commercials for the show were accurate. I seriously found my new favorite show for the Summer. Kyra Sedgwick is sheer brilliance as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson who runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city's toughest, most sensitive cases. Her polite attitude, overwhelming southern charm, and her quirky humor makes it a show you cannot turn away from. I have now seen what everyone has been talking about. Be sure to check it out, Season 1 and 2 are available on DVD and Season 3 airs Monday Nights @ 9p.m..

Army Wives(Characters:Pamela, Roxy, Trevor, Claudia, Michael, Denise, Roland, and Joan)

I know what you are thinking. Another Lifetime show about women, same old, same old, but I was pleasantly surprised. A woman marries a solider and enters a different world of being an Army wife. She becomes a part of a this interesting group made up of 3 other Army wives and an Army husband. There is something about it that I cannot put into words that draws you in. The characters are really great and different. As I mentioned there is Roxy who is new to the hold world who relies on the others to fill her in on how to be. She is a mother of two, and she married her husband Private First Class Trevor LeBlanc four days after meeting him. Next there is Claudia who is the wife of a high ranking officer, Col. Michael Holden, and she is the strong leader for all the other wives. She is the one you turn to in a time of need. Then there is Denise whose husband, Major Frank Sherwood, is stationed in Iraq. She grew up as a Army kid, and she has a deep respect for all the things it holds dear. When her son takes on a violent streak, she learns self-defense to reclaim her home. Pamela is an ex-cop wife a Delta Force Officer, Chase Moran. She is the tough girl who can handle herself, and a gun. Finances seem to be her only vice. Roland is the lone Army husband amongst all these women. His wife Joan has returned from Afghanistan and exhibits signs of distress, especially noticed by her husband because he is a psychiatrist. Their marriage is strained by her struggle to adjust back to this life, and his struggle to find what his role is. What saves this show is the great group of well-defined characters, and the interesting happenings on the base. As well as how they come together to deal with each other problems as a new "Family" unified by their common situations. Sunday Night @ 10 p.m..

American Idol

The Black Donnellys

In case you have not noticed, the best show EVER, The Black Donnellys has been cancelled by NBC, keeping all said opinions about network at a G rating. Great news! You can watch the WHOLE season, all 13 episodes, of The Black Donnellys for FREE on NBC.com right now.