12 August, 2011

Oh. My. Gods. : A Book Review

"'A fairy tale,' he says, 'is a story we wish were true.'"



I loved this book! It was quirky and girly and a nice break from witches/werewolves/etc. While I adore my normal genre of books, I enjoy the girlier side as well. It did bother me a bit that I had a history in the study of greek mythology, thus some "surprises" were obvious to me but the characters hadn't figured it out yet.  Aside from that, I really really enjoyed it.

Phoebe is just a normal girl. Track team girl, but normal. She lives alone with her mother in California and has her whole life planned out. That is, until her mother goes to a family reunion to visit Phoebe's late father's family and brings home an engagement! Once school is out Phoebe is pulled from all she knows and taken to a pricate island in Greece. On the island is the academy that her new step-father runs, but the students are... special. They are all the desendants of greek gods. Her only hope to continue on the path to the life she had planned is to gain scholarship to her dream college, but that is only possible if she runs excellently on the track team. She has to be better than everyone else, better than demi-gods. And you thought your high school was hell.

I've said it before, and I say it again, I love this book! It was clever and sweet and not too serious. It's a wonderful read if you like greek mythology, super humans, etc. I, personally, cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel, Goddess Bootcamp.


Balefire : A Book Review

"The thing about unrequited love is that it doesn't tend to go away."

"Darkness is in everyone... In me, in you, in [them] and everyone. And so is light. Darkness is a choice, a path. Every day we all have to make the choice, to choose good, choose light. We make the choice against darkness, against evil, every day, a thousand times a day, our whole lives."



This is a good, but long book by Cate Tiernan. Granted it is four books in one volume, it reads like one book. I really wish I had read them as four different books. I got kind of bogged down in the length simply because my attention span is horrible. I really did love the twins and the characters. I liked the plot and really loved that Tiernan changed points of view between first person (Thais) to first person (Clio) to third person. It did help keep my attention and thought it was neat to see all sides.

Clio is beautiful, popular, and powerful. Living in New Orleans with her grandmother, she's grown up knowing she was a witch and learning to use her magick. Que Thais. Thias's father dies unexpectedly while she is away on vacation. When she is returns she's swept into the courts and is put in the custody of a woman she's never heard of, as were her father's orders. Axelle is abnormal and whisks Thais off to New Orleans, away from all she's ever known. There she gets enrolled in school and the first day, she finds herself staring into her own face on another girl. From there, Thais is rushed into a world where she has a twin sister, powerful magickal abilities, and a group of witches who need her. The girls have to learn quickly who to help, who can be trusted, and most importantly how to help eachother.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I really think anyone who likes stories of witches will enjoy this. It's really nice if you like New Orleans or know some about it. I especially adore seeing Thais's view on summer and live in the deep south after coming from northern states. Like I said, I think most people who love witches will love Cate Tiernan's take on them.

Long time no see

Just a quick update here. I've been busy trying to get ready for school! I move in Thursday! I'm sorry if it takes a bit to get into the swing of school and blogging. <3

But expect two new book reviews soon, as in like today!

20 July, 2011

Inspiration : Audrey Hepburn

Welcome to the first of my inspirations. My Inspiration posts can be anything from fashion to music to reading/writing to life in general and may be about anything from people to place to items to trends to seasons. First, an inspiration of fashion and life in general. The one person in the world, living or dead, that I would do anything to have lunch with, Audrey Hepburn!


I feel that I, and everyone, can learn so much from Audrey Hepburn. She was beautiful, fashionable, successfule, and extremely caring. She was not only an accomplished actress and style icon but also a humantitarian and all around lovely person.
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. "
Her fashion and style are timeless and elegant. She wore beautifully simply outfits, never drawing away from her natural beauty. She was truely glamourous. She used clean, defined lines and knew how to use spimple and bold accessories in moderation. There truly has never been such a beautiful woman, before or since.
"I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing."


For how she inspires me for life in general, I cannot descirbe it. I can only give you the quotes I find most inpiring.

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
"I don't want to be alone, I want to be left alone."
"I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it. "
"If I'm honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all. "
"It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it.'"
"Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing."
"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."
"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair."
"There is more to sex appeal than just measurements. I don't need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain."
And one I agree with more than anything and vow to live my life with this in mind:
"Paris is always a good idea."

Here's a few pictures of me "channeling" Audrey's glam:


18 July, 2011

To be a Lady.

Today on Tumblr I found, and browsed, an amazing blog! Etiquetteforalady.tumblr.com. I absolutely love the "rules" they have. They are actually less "rules" and more advice. Many of which I adore! Here are a few of my favorites!












For more amazing "rules", check 'em out on Tumblr. Also check out their partner blog etiquetteforagentleman.tumblr.com.

12 July, 2011

I want love to be... undeniable... unquestionable...impractical...

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I want a single rose, just because.
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I want passionate fights and making up.
I want 2am I-had-to-see-yous.

I want a romantic day, once in a while.
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I want silly gumball gifts, because it made you think of me.
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I want you to think of me.
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I want surprises, without even a hint that they're coming.
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I want to be picked up for reservations.
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I want sunrise picnics.

Twilight walks.
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Rainy kisses.
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I want Gurdon in the rain.
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I want ghost hunts because you know I enjoy them.
I want a home cooked dinner by candle light.
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I want flowers, just because I'm sad.
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I want a movie night.
I want date night.
I want adorable attempts to cook, or craft, or braid, but because you like to see me smile.
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I want a hand picked flower because it's "as pretty as I am".
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I want ridiculous, sappy, romantic comedy love.

But that's only dreaming right?


(Click photos for credit--> 4th picture from a subaru commercial)

11 July, 2011

Desole.

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I haven't really had much to say...

My best friend was down visiting me this last weekend.



We actually ended up watching Gilmore Girls, drinking coffee, and not sleeping.
Just anyone was wondering, 4 cups of coffee is enough to cause severe kidney infection in someone with kidney problems.

Yep. I'm sick. It's really not fun, but I do get to spend the days watching tv, netflix, reading, and re-writing my book!

Speaking of Netflix, I've been watching an excellent anime! "This Ugly Yet Beautiful World". It's pretty odd, but I love it!

I'm off to go finish watching them. Look for normal posting when I'm well again. (being sick really takes the will to blog away).

01 July, 2011

Secret Society : A Book Review

I actually read this back around the time of The Two Princesses of Bamarre, but, liek the other, it got lost in my jump drive. But here it is! Better late than never, no?

“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.”
       qtd. by Tom Dolby
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
       qtd. by Tom Dolby


This is one of those books you cannot put down! It may take a few pages but the reader learns to love (or hate) the four main characters: Pheobe, Lauren, Nick, and Patch. This is an excellent debut novel and I expect to see amazing things from him. I’m eagerly awaiting to get my hands on the sequel.
Pheobe just moved to town with her mom. She doesn’t quite fit in at Chadwick, but she’s determined to make her New York life exactly what she dreamed it to be. Lauren is a girl thrust into the life a socialite by her mother. Definite Fashionista , Lauren is positive and loves a good time, or she used to. Nick is a little rich boy who is always in the spotlight because of his family. But the spotlight comes with responsibilities, ones he may not be quite ready for. Patch is nothing like the others. He’s an aspiring film maker, but not blessed with wealth. He’d do anything for his chance to shine. These four seem to have nothing in common but their school, but they have one thing in common: The Society.
I really adored this book. Especially towards the end I refused to put it down! I grew to love and hate various characters and some of then turned out to be nothing I expected. I suggest this book to everyone! Especially if you like conspiracy, rebellion, secret society type books.


The Two Princesses of Bamarre : A Book Review

I actually read this before Princess Academy, but the review got lost in the world of my flash drive. So here it is!


 
“Tarry with me, my love, at my side.”
-Gail Carson Levine
I haven’t enough words to put the praise I have for Gail Carson Levine into. Until now, I had only read her most well-known novel, Ella Enchanted, and it was my favorite. Recently I was lucky enough to find two of her other books at a used bookstore. I got decent copies of Fairest and The Two Princesses of Bamarre. The later I read first and absolutely loved it!
Princess Adelina is a shy, timid little princess. Princess Meryl, Adelina’s sister, is more of an adventure loving, courageous, strong willed princess. Princess Meryl always planned to find the cure to the Gray Death and to protect her sister. When the tables are turned and Meryl gets the Gray Death, it’s up to Adelina to leave the warmth and safety of her castle home in hopes to save her sister. Can a shy little princess become a hero? Or with Bamarre lose both the princesses?
I absolutely loved the fairytale way Levine tells this story! Such a beautifully spun new tale for the ages. It’s so wonderful to read a standalone novel and it’s even better that it was amazing. While Ella’s story still remains my favorite, this book is certainly towards the top of my list of favorite full novel fairy tales.

23 June, 2011

Live for you.

They asked her why she was like that. Why she was different, why she insisted on being a "freak." In reply, she could only smile, fiddle with her fiery hair, and say, "I'm not really different. I'm just real. I'm just who I am. I don't dress for you, I don't smile for you, laugh for you, breathe for you. Everything I do is for me. So maybe I am different, because it seems you live for everyone else. Learn to live for you."

22 June, 2011

Free.


She finally felt free. She was scared out of her mind. Her whole life was actually in her own hands for once. Everything she wanted to happen, she had to make happen. No one to rely on. Fly or fall, it was all of her own doing. It was scary, but she was finally free.