tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2068480394592981742024-02-20T07:31:02.674-08:00Emma Reader's BlogEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-86599615534181133202013-07-03T17:26:00.000-07:002013-07-03T17:26:34.942-07:00Footenotes: One Final Post...MaybeYou might have noticed that the quality of my blog posts here has gone down dramatically. I sure have. So I realized today that I can't put it off anymore.<div>
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I am now closing one door and opening another. </div>
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Today will be the day where I stop using this blog.</div>
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Today is also the day that I am opening my other blog, <a href="http://www.thegiantpencil.blogspot.com/">The Giant Pencil</a>!</div>
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It's kind of bittersweet, but overall, I'm glad I made another blog. This blog was sort of a test run, and it IS a mess. But now I have a new start, now that I know what I'm doing. </div>
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But I won't stop blogging on here forever. I might occasionally post first drafts of my reviews. But they will also appear in a better format in my new blog, so you might as well look there. </div>
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So, bye, I guess!</div>
Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-32899590787493229012013-07-02T23:49:00.002-07:002013-07-02T23:49:29.283-07:00Book Blog: Trickster's ChoiceI was really excited to read another series by Tamora Pierce! The Alanna series had been decent, and her Beka Cooper trilogy much more enjoyable, so I was curious of how this one would turn out.<br />
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The cover is kind of weird. The covers for the Alanna series weren't the greatest, and there is minimal improvement for this one. It's dark and dreary, and the title isn't big enough. And I don't like how she seems to be watching my every move. Freaky.<br />
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SPOILER ALERT!!!<br />
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Now, let me be frank; the story bored me. It lacked he drama and suspense that I love to read. I think the best part had to be the ending after the duke died, but that wasn't even the big finale I was expecting.<br />
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Pierce's writing style in the book has definitely improved since Alanna: The First Adventure. It still takes place in the Tortall world, but with Aly as the main character. My favorite character has to be Nawat. I mean, how can you not like a crow-human?<br />
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SPOILERS END!!!<br />
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So it was decent. Not something I'd read again, but not something I'd burn at the stake.Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-51142437876755942692013-06-28T23:37:00.000-07:002013-06-28T23:37:57.481-07:00Book Blog: White Fang by Jack LondonSo, let me give it to you straight; I'm not a big fan of classics. At all. And Jack London? I've defiantly heard of him. I even tried reading one of his books, Call of the Wild.<br />
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Key word: tried.<br />
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In short, I wasn't very enthusiastic in reading this book. And what's up with addiction to wolves? A lot of people like them, but I would prefer the soft, furry puppies that I know and love. The cover, on the other hand, was something to be enthusiastic about. It's very artistic y'know?<br />
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The first thing I see when I open the book is an introduction from K.A. Applegate (well, actually, the first thing I saw was the title page, then a list of Scholastic classics, another title page, and the verso), who I know as the author of Eve and Adam. I found that it was one of the most enlightening introductions I have ever read (which is great, but not that big of an achievement considering the fact that it was one of the few introductions I actually read).<br />
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So then finally I get to the actual book. And even though it took me a whole week to read it, I actually enjoyed it. A lot.<br />
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SPOILERS AHEAD<br />
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So it starts out with these two dudes who have a bunch of sleigh dogs. But there's this pack of hungry wolves and a reddish color dog kept bringing the dogs to the pack and eating them. So one of the guys dies and the other guys almost dies, blah blah blah. Then you get to hear more about the reddish dog and how there are three dogs hitting on her. One of them is, like, really young, the other has one eye, and the last one is just some youngish one.<br />
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This part was really epic. One-eye and youngish one team up and kill the really young one, and then One-eye kills Youngish! And then She-wolf has the hots for One-eye and have pups together. And, of course, one of those pups is our very own White Fang!<br />
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It really surprised me that White was introduced so late into the book. But, hey, fine with me! It's kinda cool to see how everyone is connected. So, One-eye ends up dying and so do White Fang's siblings. And White Fang goes exploring and finds man, who are described as gods. His mom finds him and it is revealed that her name is Kiche. I found the way humans were described very...revealing. I never really thought about how the relationship between man and dog might feel different to the animal than to us.<br />
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Gray Beaver acts like a weirdo and gets drunk, eventually selling White Fang to stupid Beauty. And then Beauty is EXTRA mean, making White Fang fight. I was wondering when he was actually going to become a pit dog...it didn't seem like he was going to for the longest time (I read the back cover, y'know?). But he does and then FINALLY he is saved by a new owner!<br />
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I love, love, LOVE the ending! When he was learning to love and to be loved, I almost cried. It was so adorable!!!!<br />
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"White Fang had ceased eating, lost heart, and allowed every dog of the team to thrash him. In the cabin he lay on the floor near the stove, without interest in food, in Matt, nor in life...And then, one night, Matt...was startled by a low whine from White Fang...A moment later, Matt heard a footstep. The door opened, and Weedon Scott stepped in. The two men shook hands. Then Scott looked around the room.</blockquote>
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'Where's the wolf?' he asked.</blockquote>
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Then he discovered him, standing where he had been lying, near to the stove. He had not rushed forward after the manner of other dogs. He stood, watching and waiting.</blockquote>
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'Holy smoke!' Matt exclaimed. 'Look at 'm was his tail!...He never looked at me that way all the time you was gone.'...What of his joy, the great love in him, ever surging and struggling to express itself succeeded in finding a new mode of expression. He suddenly thrust his head forward and nudged his way in between the master's arm and body. And here, confined, hidden from view all except his ears, no longer growling, he continued to nudge and snuggle" -White Fang, 203.</blockquote>
I thought that the above quote was one of the cutest things! I loved that. So much. Another thing I really loved is that the dog doesn't die at the end. Jeez, what a relief.<br />
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SPOILERS END<br />
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So, you kind of have to read the book yourself to understand why it's such a good book. The first few chapters might be hard to read, but once you get to the part that focuses more on the dogs (I think it's about Chapter 4), it gets really good! And the chapters are really short, so it won't take that long to get to that point.<br />
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Just read it.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 5 stars<br />
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Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-81519133184731083412013-06-28T21:30:00.001-07:002013-06-28T21:30:53.340-07:00Footnotes: An UpdateI feel like a footnote was overdue, so here I am!<div>
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This blog has officially reached 1,000 views! I'm so happy! I never thought I'd make it this far. But...then I realized that I'm going to be opening my new blog soon and I kinda got a little sad. </div>
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So, speaking of my other blog, it's almost complete! If you guys have tried to find it, you can't. Not yet, anyway. I have it set so that only the author can see it (I'd be so ashamed if anyone saw my blog incomplete!). But I have already transferred over my book blogs and starting on the footnotes (excluding ones like these; I don't want you guys to get confused).</div>
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So, yeah, I think that's it for now. I'll be posting my book blog on White Fang very, very shortly!</div>
Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-19360728141400480882013-06-21T23:42:00.000-07:002013-06-21T23:42:21.322-07:00Book Blog: Paper Towns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Honestly? This was my least favorite John Green book so far. But it's probably my own fault. I didn't do my research and realize that one of the genres was mystery.<br />
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See, the cover looked so innocent! There was a nice little map with a big ol' push pin! And the title, Paper Towns, sounded so cute! Note that I didn't know what a paper town was at the time.<br />
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SPOILERS BEGIN<br />
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The only time I had to read this week was at night. I thought it was going to be a pleasant nighttime read, so you can imagine my horror when Margo and Q found that dead guy. And when Margo told Q to close the window and Q said that it was as if Margo saw a ghost, I flipped out. So I thought it'd be a good idea to read the back cover which said a bunch of stuff about discovering the real Margo. This added to my panic because I thought FOR SURE that Margo was going to be some ghost seer or something. And I hate ghosts!<br />
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By now, you can tell that I probably the biggest wimp ever.<br />
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Luckily (or unluckily for me. To save myself from further terror, I refused to read this book only during the day when, incidentally, I didn't have very much time to read, thus the five days it took me to finish a three-hundred page book) that wasn't what the book was about at all, but it didn't help that Q kept suggesting that Margo killed herself! This probably wasn't a good book for me.<br />
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Is it just me or did Margo seem a lot like Alaska (from Looking for Alaska) and Q seem like Miles (also from LfA)? Margo and Alaska seemed daring while the dudes were both wimpy, "perfect", and sheltered.<br />
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What I DID like was the familiarity of Green's writing style. He never fails to makeme laugh SOMEWHERE in his book My favorite part was when the people on the rode trip realized that Radar had to wear a Confederate shirt!<br />
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All that aside, this wasn't his finest work. But in his defense, Green wrote this in 2009. He improved a lot since then.<br />
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3 starsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-39008636821249755442013-06-15T18:31:00.000-07:002013-06-16T18:31:36.946-07:00Book Blog: Eve and Adam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright, I have to admit it; the cover is freakin' amazing. I mean, look at how awesome and science fiction-y that apple look! This is what grabbed my attention. That and the fact that Grant cow rote it. Not that I think he's a fantastic writer or anything. In fact, it took me a while to get used to his writing style in the first book I read of his, Gone. As far as the other author, I didn't recognize it. Apparently, she's married to Grant. Go figure. But, whatever, it'll probably be a pretty good book, right?<br />
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Wrong. The plot was a mess. The authors focused on all the wrong details. There wasn't enough development. And who the heck is this Solo guy, anyway? Hello, it's called EVE and ADAM, not Eve and SOLO! I just don't get why he's our leading guy. It should have been Adam. Jeez.<br />
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Speaking of leading character, I hated the POV switching between the two (Eve and Solo. And Adam, at the end. But that would make three protagonists, so let's not count him). If you've read my Legend review, you know that I REALLY hate poor executed POV switches, especially in first person. But if you've also read my Under the Never Sky review (and yes, if you've noticed, I AM promoting my other reviews. Is it that obvious?), you know that I DO like POV switches in third person. Now, that does not mean that I will like ALL third person POV switches; I'm saying that, so far, it's better to write in third person if you're going to. But, then again, if you suck at writing in third person, then write in first. Or second. I don't know; don't listen to me. I have no idea what I'm saying.<br />
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Onto my next point: the romance was cheesy. Not sure if that's the right word to use or not. But a good novel with romance in it (note the difference from a romance novel) makes you feel the chemistry between the character. I felt nothing. And what's with the whole "Adams the perfect guy" thing? The way he was described did not fit the image of MY perfect guy. I doubt that every single little person in this book would disagree with me.<br />
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I really, really hope there isn't a sequel. And hopefully I've learned my lesson; don't judge a book by its cover.<br />
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I'm adding an extra star because of the cover. Not that that's fair to the other books over reviews, but whatever. Life isn't fair.<br />
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2 starsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-23117567269025766142013-06-13T17:59:00.000-07:002013-06-16T18:00:23.325-07:00Book Blog: Wintergirls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, gosh. This book was surprisingly depressing. It shouldn't have been though, surprising. I knew what this book was before I began reading.<br />
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The cover looks mysterious and...ice-like, I guess. Seems like an appropriate cover according the the title.<br />
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The big thing that I really didn't like about this book was how the protagonist came about her solution to her problems. Not everyone is going to see ghosts of her best friend who died (which was another thing that I didn't like. I wish the author supplied more details about the best friend before she died. Ad not in those out-of-order flashbacks either).<br />
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I'm having a really hard time writing a view about this book, though. The reason? Anorexia is a sensitive topic to, well, most people. The extent of my knowledge about it is none of your concern. But I really didn't enjoy reading this book. Some of you reading might love this book, whether you can relate to it or not. I didn't. So don't tell me that I'm wrong or I can't understand something. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion.<br />
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3 starsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-25917225134844987192013-06-11T21:58:00.000-07:002013-06-16T12:16:06.674-07:00Book Blog: Looking for Alaska by John Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's weird; the book is similar to TFIOSm yet it is nothing like it. I mean, not to sound vague on purpose or anything. It seemed like a nice way to start off a review at the time, but no it just sounds confusing. Forget it.<br />
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I remember when I found this book at the bookstore. I looked at the cover and thought, "What the heck is THAT?!" It seemed like steam or something completely unrelated to looking for something (I didn't read the back cover). But I get it now. It's smoke! ...right? Smoke from a cigarette.<br />
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I had very, very high expectations for this book. I mean, it's JOHN GREEN, the author of TFIOS! Bt I guess I should have lowered my expectations since this book was written BEFORE his master piece.<br />
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I'll start with the bad stuff. The role-modeling factor was bad. There's smoking, drinking, bad language, reckless driving, etc. I personally did not like the fact that Green made it seem that all teenagers did this stuff (see list in pervious sentence). I wish he tossed in more rule FOLLOWERS instead of rule BREAKERS. Just for variety.<br />
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Another thing I didn't like was the plot line. It seemed to be all over the place. Half of the time, I couldn't even figure out the point of it all. I suppose it's about Pudge finding the Great Perhaps, but I don't know. Before seemed to be a lot of development and nonsense fluffy while After was the actually meat of the story. And yet the After was smaller than the Before. Weird.<br />
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Now to the positive stuff. The constant countingdown of days because it left the reader wondering what was going to happen. And I really like how the readers can relate with the characters. Sometimes. Like the quote below:<br />
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"I hated discussion classes. I hated talking, and I hated listening to everyone else stumble on their words and try to phrase things in the vaguest possible way so they wouldn't sound dumb, and I hated how it was all just a game of trying to figure out what the teacher wanted to hear and then saying it. I'm the teacher, so teach me." -Page 32-33</blockquote>
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Besides the obvious fact that Pudge is complaining (which I think annoys everyone because no one wants to hear someone complain all the time), I totally get that. I also wish that all classes would be lecture classes. And that's why I love Green so much.<br />
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But, despite all that, I have to knock off a star. It just wasn't amazing like TFIOS.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 starsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-59212669280186272952013-06-08T16:05:00.004-07:002013-06-08T16:05:44.897-07:00Book Blog: Tiger's Curse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S STARING INTO MY SOUL. The cover is freaky. Like, really freaky. Imagine waking up every morning, and then glancing over to your bedside table to see THAT. It might not seem that scary on your screen, but your probably haven't just woken up from a deep sleep not exactly knowing what going on.<br />
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Like usual, I'm writing this review based on my notes, so I'm sorry if its really choppy.<br />
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SPOILERS AHEAD<br />
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It's really, really obvious that the tiger is the prince. The prologue, the extremely tame tiger, and it's human like actions are all clear signs that its not a regular tiger. So when it was revealed that he was Ren the prince, it felt like a magic trick gone wrong.<br />
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Our protagonist, Kelsey, is not all that bright. I don't care what kind of instinct you have, you DO NOT touch a tiger without a professional handler around. And even then, it's not safe. She's an idiot! It also seems really unrealistic that she'll just up and go to Indai with a strange man that she hasn't know for very long and a tiger. And who in the right mind would send an eighteen year-old girl who has pretty much not training as a handler to India to help the tiger settle in?<br />
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The author concentrates on too many little details. Like how fantastic the plane is. Or how awesome Ren's house is. I don't really care! Why does Kelsey have all this free time, anyway?<br />
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So, I was looking at the praise for the book and I noticed that two talked about how it's like Twilight. This freaks me out. If there's someone out there linking this book to Twilight, then it must be really similar in some way. And, what do you know? It is! There's the stupid love triangle and a guy who's really old, but looks really young. And Bella's kind of an airhead, just like Kelsey!<br />
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Speaking of Kelsey, you know what really annoyed me? The fact that she ordered Ren to call her Kells. It's not cute if the other person didn't make it up!!! And the dialogue is really weird.<br />
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"'My favorite style, though, is the way you were wearing it earlier when you had it draped across both of your ram loosely. That way, I get the full effect of your exquisite hair tumbling down your back.'" (Pg 131).</blockquote>
Okay, seriously you guys? Exquisite hair tumbling down your back? I mean, who talks like that? ONLY FANTASY GUYS IN CHEESY ROMANCE BOOKS!<br />
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The action scenes are poorly written. I don't feel the suspense at all! You know they're going to survive, been there, done that.<br />
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I don't get the big deal about Kelsey leaving. Why is she leaving, anyway? It's not like she's doing anything important at home. Sure, she can say all that crap about Ren not being independent enough without her, but personally, I think he'd do fine. Who needs Kelsey, anyway?<br />
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Something else I noticed was that there wasn't really a bad guy. Sure you can probably find the opposing side, but it's not very obvious. This, in particular, bugged me. I love reading about the bad guys! They're usually brilliant masterminds (although I wouldn't set my expectations too high for one in this book) that are SO much smarter than the protagonist. Well, that is, until they're beaten at the end.<br />
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Of course, I could rant on. But I think of bored you enough. I DO NOT recommend this book!<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 1 StarEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-48093227289339966042013-06-06T09:49:00.000-07:002013-06-06T11:36:10.116-07:00Book Blog: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright, you guys. What happened to her legs? If you look really closely at the cover, you could see that they're cut off. Weird. Other than that, it's very eye catching. Loved the colors too.<br />
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Now let's quickly move on to the content.<br />
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There have to be a billion words that Rossi just threw at me without an explanation. Sure, maybe some of them were explained later on (some of them later than other's), but by that time, I didn't really care. Well, I did, but I'm trying to say that it was too late.<br />
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SPOILERS AHEAD<br />
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Also, I noticed a few mistakes/stuff I didn't like. The scene when Roar is introduced into the story was too fast paced. Some of the beginning scenes where Perry shows sights of liking Aria were really, really cheesy.At the Box, Aria said that she took the elevator up to the roof when Perry clearly stated earlier that the elevator only went down, which is why it didn't have any buttons. I thought at first that maybe there was more than one elevator, but they both called it THE elevator. And when did Aria learn to read?<br />
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Sorry I put that all in a giant, wordy clump. But now I want to get to the awesome stuff.<br />
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I frickin' burst out laughing when Perry smelled Aria wanted to touch him and stuff. And when they finally get together was absolutely cute, cute, cute!!! I'm almost cried, it was so awesome. And the ending, my gosh, I can totally see it all in a movie. AWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! Oh yeah, and the was this quote:<br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Perry tipped his chin at Roar. 'I need you.' Roar followed him without question. He explained what he wanted in the elevator."</span></span></blockquote>
I just thought it sounded funny.<br />
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<b>Rating: </b>4.5 starsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-38022711776306985372013-06-02T12:19:00.001-07:002013-06-02T12:19:45.388-07:00Book Blog: Legend by Marie Lu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh jeez. This is going to take a while.<br />
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The cover looks fantastic. Very clean, neat, and futuristic looking. This is why I bought the book; the cover's awesome. But I should have learned my lesson from Grave Mercy, the other time I read a book based on it's cover. I should have read the back.<br />
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My rant begins with the Trials. What are these things, anyway? Lu barely explains them in the beginning, and, although she provides a little more depth later, it's still not very clear what EXACTLY they are.<br />
<br />
And what's up with these names? Day and June? Lu must have been staring at the calendar when writing. Day and June are our two lovely protagonist. The whole book is written in first person, but switches POVs ever chapter. I don't know, some authors can pull it off. But not Lu. No way. Absolutely not. It seems to me that Lu is an amateur writer who can't tell a story without having TWO people telling the story instead of one. Do you get what I'm trying to say? It was an bad decision as an author to use two points of view.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The minutes drag on. I tuck my slingshot away and play a few rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors with Tess. (I don't know why, but she's crazy good at this game.)" -Page 9</blockquote>
How old are they, five? It's sounds like they play Rock, Paper, Scissors a lot. WHY ARE THEY WASTING PRECIOUS TIME DOING THAT WHEN THEY SHOULD BE CONCENTRATION ON THEIR SURVIVAL?!<br />
<br />
Metias, June's brother, has to be bipolar. One moment, he's got a stick up his butt and is all mad at June (because she misbehaved), but the moment someone agrees with him, he's all "Don't be so hard on her!" Can't look like the bad guy, huh, Metias?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was seven years old...I dipped a ball of crushed ice in to a can of gasoline, let the oil coat the ice in a thick layer, and lit it. Then I launched it with a slingshot through the window of our local police headquarters...They never found out who did it...I had committed my first perfect crime." -Page 22.</blockquote>
<br />
Wow. The security of the police headquarters must be really bad or something because I REALLY doubt that a seven year old can commit and so called "perfect" crime without get caught.<br />
<br />
Y'know, all this complaining about the rich/poor people really gets on my nerves. Sure, you might think that the poor are filthy and the rich are snotty, but don't you have anything better to think about?<br />
<br />
I found it surprising that no one knew the faintest detail of what Day looked like. He's committed so many crimes, you'd think they'd at least get a better guess at his skin color.<br />
<br />
I noticed all of these points mentioned about in the first eighty pages. Now onto the rest.<br />
<br />
I wish the characters would stop talking TO me. Just tell me your story and go away. Here's an example of when June asked me a question:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"How did he break into this bank in ten seconds, with four armed guards at the back entrance?" </blockquote>
I don't know, June. How DID he do that? Why don't YOU tell ME? It's your story, isn't it? So you should tell it! This is all really, really stupid. That's the thing; Lu tries to make her characters equally smart. Which, I guess, makes sense SINCE THEY'RE BOTH EQUALLY STUPID!!!<br />
<br />
Day is constantly meeting his brother (John) behind the house. I'm surprised that his mom doesn't question his actions. I mean, John mysterious gets some...stuff for Eden to help him recover and his mom doesn't push John to reveal where he got it from? Speaking of Eden, Day thinks that he's Eden's only chance of survival when he's not. Eden could recover on his own! Anythings possible.<br />
<br />
I found it incredibly unrealistic that June could just spend, what, three days in a poor sector and suddenly WHAM! Your an instant beggar. This is, of course, how June meets Day. And it makes me sick, sick, sick! They have that instant attraction thing, and Day trusts her almost immediately. I knew he was a fool, but I thought he would have a little common sense. And that kissing thing...it's just not right.<br />
<br />
So, yeah. If you couldn't tell, I didn't like this book. It might be good for, like, fourth graders, or something. But not me, no way.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 1 StarEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-60865963454239845132013-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:002013-05-31T18:44:38.704-07:00Book Blogs: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay. I'll try to make this quick.<br />
<br />
I'm a Star Wars fan, and yet I STRONG DISLIKED this book. First of all, the cover's disturbing. Second of all, the writing style was awful. The one good thing about it was the stuff about Maul. And the epilogue. That was pretty good too.<br />
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<b>Rating: </b>1 StarEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-20113915300503799542013-05-28T23:59:00.000-07:002013-05-28T23:59:06.760-07:00Footnotes: Unsatisfied With My Blog(s)Yes, the title pretty much says it all. I'm unsatisfied with this blog and Information Forest. It became something that I really wasn't hoping for. So, as a summ project for myself, I'm thinking of starting over. No, don't worry, this blog will still be here. But it will be archived. I'll begin the slow, tedious process of transferring each post over to the new blog and editing it appropriately. When this change happens, I'll let you know and post the link here. If I have the guts to make the big change.<br />
<br />
This will also mean that Information Forest will also be archived (once again). I was thinking about started the whole book description thing, but then I realized that it didn't make any sense. Readers don't want to look at TWO pages instead of one. It's one too many tabs. So I'll be working on that tool<br />
<br />
And I want a better blog name. I've been calling this one "Emma Reader's Blog" just because I couldn't think up a better name. I keep telling myself that I'm going to change it, but I never did. And now I'm afraid that if I change the name and the URL doesn't correspond, then readers might get confused. Which is why I want to start "fresh".<br />
<br />
So yes, I'm considering the concept of redoing my whole blog. But it's still a concept. I'll keep you guys posted.Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-73497309704630756022013-05-28T15:43:00.000-07:002013-05-28T15:43:01.703-07:00Footnotes: A Little Crazy?I just saw this and thought I'd share. I was looking at my Overview section on blogger for <a href="http://informationforest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Information Forest</a> and I realized that I had more site views on that blog than this one! I mean, seriously; is this blog that lame? Or is my other blog that helpful? I like to think of it as the latter.<br />
<br />
Yeah. That's pretty much I have to say. I'm reading Darth Plagueis at the moment (yes, it IS a Star Wars book!), but I don't know how long it will take me to read it. Not long hopefully.<br />
<br />
So, sorry for the very, very, VERY short blog post. Yeah. So. Bye.Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-31345286452230402302013-05-28T00:23:00.002-07:002013-05-28T15:38:26.638-07:00Book Blog: Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3BeB-VjyC8/UaRHSIzS1KI/AAAAAAAAAek/oyHDhf6r31A/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3BeB-VjyC8/UaRHSIzS1KI/AAAAAAAAAek/oyHDhf6r31A/s320/13+-+1" width="213" /></a></div>
Click <a href="http://informationforest.blogspot.com/2013/05/whispers-at-moonrise-by-cc-hunter.html" target="_blank">here</a> for details about this book!<br />
<br />
Oh. My. Frickin. Gosh.<br />
<br />
I forgot how good this series was. It was probably the best book I've read in a long time.<br />
<br />
As much as I would like to go straight to the content, I have to talk about the cover first. To tell you the truth, it's not my favorite. It has a bit of an erie feel to it; not a feeling I like very much. And the girl has a weird expression on her face.<br />
<br />
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!<br />
<br />
Okay, so I haven't read the first, what, three books in a while. When I started reading, all I could remember is that there was a girl who could see ghosts, a hot boy fairy (I'm sorry Derek!), and a hot werewolf. But after I read the first, I don't know, fifty pages, I was pleasantly surprised that I could remember a lot of the characters again. So I giver Hunter props on that.<br />
<br />
I also LOVED some of the sentences that could be mistaken as...something else. Here's some examples:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"That night, Kylie lay in her bed with her clothes on..." -Page 202</blockquote>
Okay, I know what she really means....but I can't help thinking "I sure hope she has clothes on!"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Holiday tried to touch everyone." -Page 291</blockquote>
...it was funnier in the book. Trust me.<br />
<br />
And the whole "she's a witch/vampire/fae/were" thing was pretty funny (at items) too. It gives you a little taste of what she would be like if she was a certain supernatural.<br />
<br />
Honestly, after all this time, I thought I wouldn't like this book very much. I mean, c'mon, they're talking about werewolves and vampires? After Twilight, both of those topics are pretty much ruined. But I seriously was pleasantly surprised. Even with all the cliché parts (like the super hot boys that both love our protagonist) didn't bother me like they should. Kind of crazy, right?<br />
<br />
And, just a little side note, I counted how many times Derek and Lucas made what I considered direct contact with Kylie. For Derek is was fifteen times and for Lucas it was...fifteen times! Ha! Fancy that; they both tied! But don't you think that's a little weird, considering the fact that Lucas and Kylie were an item throughout the book. I glad, however, that Hunter is giving Derek an equal shot in the love game (I am NOT saying love is just a game. It just seemed appropriate for this book). Just saying, y'know<br />
<br />
Oh, umm, there is one thing. The whole "Collin Warren" was trying to kill Holiday was pretty predictable. Especially since they kept trying to blame it on Blake and Hayden. And they make Collin all innocently shy (which was suppose to cover up his fearfulness of being caught) and even defend him. But, lets think this through. Hannah (who annoyed me. I mean, of course Holiday has a twin! Hunter made it impossible for the reader to guess who the ghost really was) flipped out when she saw the new teachers. So it has to be one of the three (four? I can't remember how many of them there were). And Hayden is scratched off the list because all the attention was pointed at him, and that would make the killer way too obvious. But Hunter doesn't really talk much about the other teachers throughout the book, until the very end. Hunter mentioned that Holiday was talking to Collin. Kylie detected fear of some sort. None of the other teachers were mentioned that much (for goodness sakes, I can't even remember the female teacher's name! So it was pretty obvious it was Collin.<br />
<br />
But, like I said earlier, this was the first book I loved in a long time. It's probably one of the few that truly put a smile on my face. C.c. Hunter truly has talent.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>5 StarsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-21826211705442347942013-05-27T17:20:00.002-07:002013-05-27T17:20:36.819-07:00Footnotes: What's Up With My Other BlogI've got a lot of free time, so I thought I'd look at my second blog.<br />
<br />
Yes, that's right. I have a second blog. Well, actually, it's my first blog. It's how I got on blogger. What I had got the idea from reading (pretty much the same way I made this one ^_^). I would read a book, wait anxiously for a sequel, and when it comes out, I had forgotten the first story completely. My idea was that I write a detailed description for each book and post it on a website so that I can view it instead of having to reread the whole book. And I thought it would be nice to have it online so other people could read it too.<br />
<br />
Up to now, I haven't been updated the blog. So it looked like this.<br />
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<a href="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/28f3e5a0-a635-4e10-8166-2f566edd5b22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/28f3e5a0-a635-4e10-8166-2f566edd5b22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
You can see that the last thing I posted was when I read (and completed) Switched by Amanda Hocking. Which was, like, even before I started this blog (I think). But what's really weird is that this blog is constantly being viewed! How do I know this? Because I decided to check up on it. I have decided that I was going to revive the blog so I can have book descriptions (no, not ones that I have written. That takes too much time) for the books that I review here! If you don't understand, that's okay. You'll get it later.<br />
<br />
Anyway. Here's the new and "improved" blog look!<br />
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<a href="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/27d74a07-a777-4bbf-9124-5bc7dff6ba65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/27d74a07-a777-4bbf-9124-5bc7dff6ba65.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's not the final product, but it's good enough for now. I'll be posting some book descriptions and posting the link to the respective book review. </div>
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Click <a href="http://informationforest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to view the site!</div>
<br />Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-37118622806434284642013-05-25T09:43:00.000-07:002013-05-25T09:43:13.197-07:00Book Blog: Glass by Ellen Hopkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So here's my problem.<br />
<br />
I don't understand two things; meth and poems. I don't understand how people can be addicted to something so awful or why someone would make a book of poems (I'm a poem hater. Sorry).<br />
<br />
See, I actually liked Crank. I felt sorry for how messed up Bree/Kristina was. But Glass was practically the same story with a different setting.<br />
<br />
I'm tired of hearing how messed up Kristina is. She obviously doesn't WANT to stop. It's hard to believe that she used to be a good student.<br />
<br />
I'm glad I finished the book.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>1 starEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-3078396200670512002013-05-22T20:35:00.000-07:002013-05-22T20:35:21.004-07:00Book Blog: A Solider's Heart by Gary Paulsen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IUFOf6qik44/UZ2M0R1-89I/AAAAAAAAAco/y5H9kg5cOro/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IUFOf6qik44/UZ2M0R1-89I/AAAAAAAAAco/y5H9kg5cOro/s320/13+-+1" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I didn't read this book in a very critical sense, just for fun.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It wasn't a fun book.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There were some pretty crazy details about what happens to the soliders when they're in battle (and even after that). It's pretty amazing. But I was so sad at the end!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">SPOILERS AHEAD</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
This review is really short for two reasons; it's based off a true story and I can't even remember half of it.<br />
<br />
I read while I was reading a whole bunch of other books, so I can't quiet remember what happened in the very beginning. But I do remember some of my favorite detailed scenes.<br />
<br />
One of them was when Charley (our protagonist) drank some water that was dyed red from the blood in the dead bodies. Another was when Paulsen said there was a pile of amputated limbs stacked in a pile. And when Charley had to stack the bodies of the dead to form a wind barrier.<br />
<br />
But, it's too short.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>4 Stars<br />
Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-77518095534360403952013-05-22T16:34:00.001-07:002013-05-22T16:34:29.268-07:00Book Blog: The Elite by Kiera Cass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>I HATE AMERICA!!!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Okay, maybe not the America your thinking of. I'm talking about America in the book pictured at left. Yes, that one.<br />
<br />
Speaking of that book...it's kind of ugly. The girl is alright, but the dress, well, there's something terribly, terribly wrong with it. Ew.<br />
<br />
I've got a lot to say about the content, so I'm sorry if it gets all out of order.<br />
<br />
SPOILERS<br />
<br />
For those of you who have read this book, do you remember the Halloween party that America and Maxon brilliantly thought up? Yeah, maybe it wasn't so brilliant. I mean, what are they thinking? "Oh, let's have a Halloween party and spend loads of money on nonsense while poor people starve!" The prince shouldn't be wasting money on that, especially if it's not a live tradition!<br />
<br />
And why was America wearing a butterfly costume? I thought she and her maids were fond of those bird costumes. Do you know what I think? I think America didn't want to wear the same thing as Celeste. C'mon, man up America!<br />
<br />
Speaking of America, did I mention how much I hate her? Some how, she comes up with all the "great ideas." They don't seem very great to me. And she's really funny, right?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"'It seems you've fully recovered from me nearly running you over,' he joked. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'It's a shame you didn't do any damage,' I shot back. 'If I was in a splint, I wouldn't have to dance at least,' He laughed.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'I'm glad you're as funny as everyone says you are...'" -The Elite, page 71</blockquote>
Yeah, that wasn't very funny.<br />
<br />
It also seems like America's ALWAYS PMSing or something. I mean, she tries to pick fights with other girls. Like, for example, she was talking to someone (I forgot who) about her friend's punishment, and the other girls were saying that the punishment was justified, blah, blah, blah. But then America has a stick up her butt and has to make sure everyone knows that she's a "big, tough, Five" and that no one else would choose to be canned over death because it would be "too painful". She's pressing her opinion on other people!!! Just because someone might not do well with the punishment canning, it doesn't mean that she can assume that it would be better that the person DIES.<br />
<br />
And what IS this big deal about being a five? It's not THAT big of a deal. Let's look at a number line:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLcp2CuXI_gA8fIya1d46j7NLgT9LRSIBIztxDabW-JbfDuMJQDZtwoxeF5Lk_CsUP3DGtkEcx4mtxRMSxfeaOMUUJ-5WS_EnNU3tep6SuEQC-Kd5Pzh64MenUwgz1HMdootSfQtFhyphenhyphenjb/w192-h95-no/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLcp2CuXI_gA8fIya1d46j7NLgT9LRSIBIztxDabW-JbfDuMJQDZtwoxeF5Lk_CsUP3DGtkEcx4mtxRMSxfeaOMUUJ-5WS_EnNU3tep6SuEQC-Kd5Pzh64MenUwgz1HMdootSfQtFhyphenhyphenjb/w192-h95-no/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Beautiful number line, right? Anyway, here we have a number line 1 through 8. Our <strike>crybaby</strike> lovely protagonist is a five, which is circled in red on our line. You'll notice (if any of you can count) that 5 is just after 4, which is your average joe. The average joe is probably going to be pretty well off, not to rich, not too poor. So a 5 is probably going to be a little poor, but not that bad off. So America goes marching around the castle, stomping her foot and saying how she is more worldly because she was a five and all that, well that's just a bunch of poo. If she was a 7/8 or even a 6, I <i>might</i> believe her. But not when she close to a 4, no way.</div>
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Okay, enough about stupid America. Let's talk realism. The magazine article doesn't read like a real magazine article AT ALL. And the fights between characters didn't have enough emotion in them. It's one of those "oh, here they go again" kind of fights. This includes ALL fights, from cat fights to the north/south raids. I think America should have gotten stuck outside more often instead of huddling in the safe room moping and kissing and stuff. Maybe she should have gotten stabbed too.</div>
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I sympathize with Celeste. I think there's actually more to her. Y'know, more background and stuff that no one actually sees.</div>
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Ugh. The ending! Why can't America go home like a normal person!!! Stupid book. And to think that I actually LIKED The Selection!</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>1 Star</div>
Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-6933409103769092132013-05-19T23:46:00.001-07:002013-05-19T23:46:11.899-07:00Book Blog: Crank by Ellen Hopkins <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At first I hated it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And then I loved it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No one told me it was a book of poems. Or at least something that looked like poems. But that's exactly what it was. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I hate poems. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I love poems.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bree/Kristina was so messed up. I hated her for doing that to herself. But in the end, I just felt sorry for her.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ellen Hopkins does something to you, inside. She makes you feel for her characters, makes you feel their despair, their happiness, their sickness. And in the least amount of words possible. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This book was the worst thing I ever read. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This book was the best thing I ever read. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Rating: </b>4 Stars</span><br />
Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-71034524560305490792013-05-19T16:52:00.001-07:002013-05-19T16:57:18.639-07:00Book Blog: Beka Cooper: Mastiff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.qbd.com.au/products/l/8986/9781862918986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.qbd.com.au/products/l/8986/9781862918986.jpg" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302921347l/2964700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302921347l/2964700.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<i>In honor of the last book of the Beka Cooper series, I will be posting two versions of the Mastiff cover.</i><br />
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OH MY GOSH IT'S OVER!!!!!!<br />
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I can't believe this. I can't. This whole week, I haven't been reading the book because I had "better things to do" and "had to finish Alanna 4" when I should really have been reading Mastiff in all it's glory.<br />
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The cover that I had (pictured at left), wasn't THAT fantastic. But I looked closer and realized that Achoo (I think) and Pounce were on it, so it made it all better.<br />
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I'm going to try to go through my rant quickly so that I can tell you why I'm giving it the ranting I am. The beginning was a bit slow because the words didn't really...flow.<br />
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...Okay, enough of that. Now to the good stuff.<br />
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BEWARE OF MAJOR SPOILERS!!!<br />
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Achoo's almost death freaked me out! I was all like "HOW CAN PIERCE DO THAT TO ME!!!!!" I started hyperventilating. I officially love Pounce/Faithful (I KNEW THEY HAD TO BE THE SAME CAT!!!!) I really want a purple eyed cat now.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/37966944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/37966944.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tunstall's betrayal had me in tears. I really wasn't expecting it at all until seconds before Beka found out. It reminded me a lot of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith when Anakin and Obi Wan were fighting.</div>
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<a href="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/dog_wars_beka_cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h423/Foobrooke100/dog_wars_beka_cooper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Please excuse my poor photo editing skills!!!)<br />
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And Farmer and Beka are adorable!!!! They had their little moments when they were traveling and when they were in the dungeon (but that whole I-have-magic-silk-up-my-butt thing was really gross). And I totally predicted that he would take Beka's last name, 'cause otherwise how would George have Cooper in his name?<br />
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The really awesome ending is what convinced me to give it the rating I did. This has to be one of my favorites EVER.<br />
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<b>Rating: 5 Stars</b><br />
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<br />Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-59514320231868967132013-05-18T22:08:00.001-07:002013-05-18T22:08:17.302-07:00Footnotes: Why People Hate SpringYeah, I know. I've posted three times today!<br />
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<a href="http://preview.images.memegenerator.net/Instance/Preview?imageID=290101&generatorTypeID=&panels=&text0=Oh.%20my%20Gosh!!!&text1=It's%20a%20MIRACLE&text2=&text3=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://preview.images.memegenerator.net/Instance/Preview?imageID=290101&generatorTypeID=&panels=&text0=Oh.%20my%20Gosh!!!&text1=It's%20a%20MIRACLE&text2=&text3=" width="273" /></a></div>
I was sitting around, doing whatever I felt like doing (which happened to be breathing, sitting, and staring at static on the TV) when I suddenly realized why people don't like spring!<br />
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<a href="http://preview.images.memegenerator.net/Instance/Preview?imageID=166088&generatorTypeID=&panels=&text0=People%20ARe&text1=Allergic%20to%20spring&text2=&text3=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://preview.images.memegenerator.net/Instance/Preview?imageID=166088&generatorTypeID=&panels=&text0=People%20ARe&text1=Allergic%20to%20spring&text2=&text3=" width="400" /></a></div>
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And to think, in that other post about spring, I couldn't figure out why people didn't like it!!! Don't worry people-who-are-allergic-to-spring! I understand all of your problems now.</div>
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...but spring is still my favorite season.</div>
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<a href="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/37952803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/37952803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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OMG IT'S A HARRY POTTER OWL!!!Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-14166795252220258432013-05-18T21:17:00.001-07:002013-05-18T21:17:20.634-07:00Book Blog: Alanna: Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348887752l/13837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348887752l/13837.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
OH MY GOSH IT'S THE FINAL BOOK OF THE SONG OF THE LIONESS SERIES!!!!!!!!<br />
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...to tell you the truth, I'm a little relieved that I finished it. These covers are just so...mediocre, it's killing me. But the title is better than the one before it, <i>The Woman Who Rides Like A Man.</i> Lioness Rampant sound a lot more, I don't know, mysterious? Action-y?<br />
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If you haven't read this book yet, scroll down to the bottom-ish, below the words "SPOILER END".<br />
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Caution: This review contains spoilers. You have been warned! O.O<br />
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The Alanna in the cover looks better, too. More woman-like. But, isn't that the outfit she wore when she presented (King?) Jonathan with the Jewel? If it is, where are her black <strike>earrings</strike> ear bobs?<br />
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The return of Duke Roger was very, very anti-climatic. Pierce could have done so much more with his rebirth, something that would make the reader gasp. But no. She just had Alanna have these "mysterious dreams" about what was happening while she was running around with Liam to find the Jewel (who's finding was also very anti-climatic).<br />
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And since we're talking about Liam, why does Alanna keep switching men? At first she's with John, then George, and, when she's still in love with George, she goes off and sleeps with Liam! And of course, George doesn't mind, which is lucky for Alanna. This goes to show how much better George is than Alanna. Or maybe he's just stupid because he can't get it in his head that he should break up with her and find some other girl who ONLY loves him.<br />
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Near the end, everyone seems so unconcerned about Roger. C'mon you guys! He was plotting to steal the throne from John before Alanna swooped in and saved the day! WHY IN YOUR STUPID LITTLE WORLD WOULD YOU NOT KILL HIM?!?! I wanted less reunion-with-old-squire/page-friends time and more kill-all-the-bad-guys-and-become-a-hero moments!<br />
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As far as littler things, Pierce makes it so obvious when a character is defeated verbally to the point where it sounds cheesy. Does that make any sense? Here's an example:<br />
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"Surprised by the attack from this unknown source, Alanna took a step back. She clenched her hands, her nails bitting into newly formed scars, as she controlled her temper. 'I'm told you replaced me in his affections--for a little while,' she replied sweetly. 'Why didn't he make you Prime Minister?' Josiane's beautiful face changed into an ugly mask. 'No one gets the better of me,' she hissed." </blockquote>
And I wish I could just read the story from Alanna's point of view, not Alex's, not George's, but ALANNA. It just goes to show that Pierce was an amateur when writing the books in the Song of the Lioness series.<br />
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But the ending (like, the epilogue and the bit before that with Roger and Alanna), was pretty awesome. I still think that George is too good for Alanna though.<br />
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SPOILERS END<br />
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The reason why I read this series was because I had read the first two Beka Cooper books and thought that I should read the Alanna series since it was where this whole Tortall thing started in the first place. The Beka Cooper series was very interesting (I will be writing a review on the last book, Mastiff, as soon as I finish it ^_^), which was one of the only reasons why I was able to continue reading the Song of the Lioness. To readers who have not read either series, read Beka Cooper first. Then read Song of the Lioness. Well, actually, read the first two Beka Cooper's first, then read the whole Song of Lioness series, and then read the last Beka Cooper because there's an epilogue from one of the characters in the Song of the Lioness in Mastiff. I don't know. Read them in whatever order you want to. But Beka Cooper is better!!!<br />
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<b>Rating: </b>Meh...2.5 StarsEmma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-56690652792442206202013-05-18T16:48:00.001-07:002013-06-08T17:46:38.291-07:00Footnotes: The Musical SawHey everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting anything I've been really busy. I should be able to post a book blog some time this week.<br />
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Since it's the weekend, I've had a bit of free time on my hands, so I was surfing the internet (and reading my book like a madwoman at the same time) and saw this really funny picture.<br />
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<a href="http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/PopularScience/3-1948/play_saw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/PopularScience/3-1948/play_saw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Isn't that just weird? I thought it was fake, like a lot of amazing/cool/funny pictures on the internet. But just to make sure, I did a little search on the internet and clicked on the very first link I saw (ha ha, saw! Get it? ...yeah, me neither.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FtMHz7cYzGY0teBKBKLS5JwhDQZmQzw7FWrOu3iteNOtHo6rCPNnkCjpUEsNZJgTgAIdfrDp7kHeHv7kYRkF4nFNw7nXph5HcHHKUww7IXUZMrQGvnJxervzii1f_sOClk2_YniiHg0Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-18+at+4.40.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FtMHz7cYzGY0teBKBKLS5JwhDQZmQzw7FWrOu3iteNOtHo6rCPNnkCjpUEsNZJgTgAIdfrDp7kHeHv7kYRkF4nFNw7nXph5HcHHKUww7IXUZMrQGvnJxervzii1f_sOClk2_YniiHg0Z/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-05-18+at+4.40.34+PM.png" width="336" /></a></div>
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So, apparently, you can actually play a saw. I mean, if wikiHow can tell you how to do it, it must be possible, right? Well, no. I STILL couldn't believe that a tool used to split things in half could make music other than an inconsistent warbling sound it makes when you wiggle it by the handle. But I scrolled down a little bit and found a video of someone actually PLAYING one with a bow.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2w21MkqZEe0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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NOW I believe that you can play a saw! I thought that was pretty amazing. i guess that goes to show that music can be made with anything, huh? Did anyone else know about this? I tend to live under a rock so it wouldn't surprise me if I was the last one to know.</div>
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<br />Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206848039459298174.post-69439364039236553702013-05-12T16:49:00.000-07:002013-05-13T16:49:41.018-07:00Booked Dates: Mother's DaySo, I always do a little research for Booked Dates, and this one is no exception. And, even though so many people don't like it, I used Wiki. It's actually pretty reliable for something as casual as a blog.<br />
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But does anyone ever wonder who puts the pictures on Wiki? You can search a celebrity and a billion photos of him or her looking awesome pop up, but one of the ugliest photos is used for his or her Wiki page. I guess it's to show their real side. But this is a little different.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DIvMagS0uoQ/UZF46HoWukI/AAAAAAAAAaI/VHg5hR8rtKA/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DIvMagS0uoQ/UZF46HoWukI/AAAAAAAAAaI/VHg5hR8rtKA/s640/13+-+1" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see, this is a picture of the Wiki Mother's Day page. Seems pretty legit, right? But what caught my eye was the little pink/purple/blue/green color on the right. The Mother's Day card. It's cute and obviously done by a kid (I hope), but there's nothing that stands out about it. What I want to know is why that particular card was chosen. Why, out of the millions of other cards, did someone pick this one?</div>
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...Anyway. Mother's Day is to celebrate mothers. And EVERYONE should be celebrating it. Trust me; everyone has a mother. </div>
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So, here's a shout out to all those mothers or mothers to be...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!</div>
<br />Emma Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06433403330362156121noreply@blogger.com0