tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48409102703647256672024-03-14T09:01:17.985-07:00A world in the pagesCassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-32038372681257511082009-01-19T19:11:00.000-08:002009-01-19T20:29:58.193-08:00"Wide Awake" by David Levithan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCh1fHsY-ip_9s46U1G4bL-Ro5_ZFkYVfsvhG7nPSB7mvV1-iyQ1AKCz7_oqiBW-n3YBx3HsyCtw2yWvFgJVnK7Bgzj4cusCErBeaLLVYAMP1DPf5kCCYrRi4Mdg7ZZwV7zE6QL_UBvQC/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 93px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCh1fHsY-ip_9s46U1G4bL-Ro5_ZFkYVfsvhG7nPSB7mvV1-iyQ1AKCz7_oqiBW-n3YBx3HsyCtw2yWvFgJVnK7Bgzj4cusCErBeaLLVYAMP1DPf5kCCYrRi4Mdg7ZZwV7zE6QL_UBvQC/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208889380451714" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See? I told you I'd make a post! This is an awesome (though admittedly quite short) book. Here we go...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It starts with a short chapter, not even half a page. Not even a respectable paragraph, but still – wonderful in its all its brevity. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">" 'I can't believe there's going to be a gay Jewish president.' As my mother said this, she looked at my father, who was still staring at the screen. They were shocked, barely comprehending. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Me? I sat there and beamed."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Duncan is sixteen in the near future, after the Greater Depression and the War to End All Wars. And now, after all the fear and anger of the past, comes something wonderful. The Jesus Revolution, the Prada Riots, the rise of the green states. A president – Abraham Stein – who is going to bring everyone together in "the Great Community". Duncan, as a gay Jewish boy, is ecstatic. So is his boyfriend, Jimmy, and Janna and Mandy, their friends and self-proclaimed "Jesus Freaks", named after a song that the popular band Holy Ghostwriter had written. Things are finally going right!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But not everyone is happy. Mr. Davis, for one: the history teacher at their high school. Jesse Marin, a boy at school with a nasty following.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And then... the unthinkable happens. On the way to a party the day after the announcement of Stein's victory, the governor of Kansas decides that his state's votes need to be recounted. That Stein didn't </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">really</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> win by over a thousand votes. And that this election is definitely <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> over.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">" 'Come to Kansas.' " </span>This is Stein's response. Come to Kansas. Let's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">make</span> this state see the truth.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">So they do – Jimmy, Duncan, Janna and Mandy, Keisha and Mira, Virgil and Sara, and more, plus the hitchhikers they pick up on the road. Kansas is going to be <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">full</span> this weekend...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A fantastic work, full of confusion, teenage angst, and love, plus a little politics and hope for the future. David Levithan is an artist!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">– sometimes here, sometimes not, but definitely excited for tomorrow (!),</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-46894546213631462432009-01-16T18:53:00.001-08:002009-01-16T18:56:12.177-08:00Coming soon to blogs near you...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hey everyone! Or, everyone that's left, that is...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sorry I've been so inconsistant. There </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> a new post coming up soon, probably Saturday or Sunday, in honor of the inauguration. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wide Awake,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by David Levithan. He's also the person who wrote </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> along with Rachel... somebody. You know, the book that says fuck every other word?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">ANYHOW. New post over the weekend!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">–procrastinatingly yours (and not sure if that's a word)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-81621162489400707112008-11-26T11:48:00.000-08:002008-11-26T12:40:28.765-08:00"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U4xATG9Q1fS8rXh5oPVi-MnYZeE7zh9NlWvGijC9JHsaZCakJYiPSb3W6tn6f4fbP5_hkrTiI73hfK4Tj32pN23i-fgD5BMxSAS9rrrYlByq-uqdEjWD3N_3an9iIq2PqEryQFt3WytN/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 89px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U4xATG9Q1fS8rXh5oPVi-MnYZeE7zh9NlWvGijC9JHsaZCakJYiPSb3W6tn6f4fbP5_hkrTiI73hfK4Tj32pN23i-fgD5BMxSAS9rrrYlByq-uqdEjWD3N_3an9iIq2PqEryQFt3WytN/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273055753044927474" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well! Long time no see, eh? Anyhow, I read this book a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">really</span> long time ago and adored it, and now that the movie's out... well, why not?</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Lily Owens has bees in her bedroom. Every night she hears them buzzing behind the walls, like a low murmur of comfort just beyond her sight. She lives with her cruel father, T. Ray, and Rosaleen, her black nanny and stand-in mother. Her real mother died when she was four in an accident with a gun. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">It's 1964 and the president has just signed the Civil Rights Act. So on Lily's fourteenth birthday, Rosaleen goes to town to register to vote and takes Lily with her. But when the town's three most racist men attack Rosaleen for trying to register, things start to take on a life of their own. Lily packs a bag, breaks Rosaleen out of jail and sets off to Tiburon, SC: a town scrawled in her mother's handwriting on the back of a strange picture. When the two get there, the picture guides them to a flamingo-pink house where the calendar sisters live: May, June and August Boatwright. August is a beekeeper, and through a few lies and sweet smiles, Lily and Rosaleen are allowed to stay.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The house is like a safe haven, where Lily can relax and not be afraid. But secrets are meant to be told. May accidentally tells Lily that her mother had stayed there before she died. After a tragic death in the family, Lily confides to August: she had killed her mother.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Throughout the book, the Black Madonna is an ever-present force of comfort. This book isn't very religious; rather, it's a comforting presence that helps Lily come to terms with the truth and forgive her mother. A fabulous novel! Nine of ten ocean waves.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">– licking honey off of her fingers, Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-76595070209515486312008-11-04T18:07:00.001-08:002008-11-09T13:32:25.408-08:00Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-33566242369935930082008-10-25T18:51:00.000-07:002008-10-25T19:11:02.172-07:00Anniversary!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Whoa! It's been exactly five months since my first post! They grow up so fast. *sniffles and dabs at tears daintily* </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Before I get kicked off the computer for the evening, I propose a toast: to Liesl, for forcing me to make this blog. To the library two blocks away, and the one at my school, and all the countless bookstores I've been to, for supplying me with my material. And of course, to you guys. If I hadn't seen the comments and known people were reading, I'd've quit months ago. Thanks. : )</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">– Cassandra</span></div></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-78799861446122728512008-10-25T18:29:00.000-07:002008-10-25T18:48:34.394-07:00"Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" by Gabrielle Zevin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcwn3fTwy0_rI6K1O_YAvFaPZFRUP2-DVHADJF3SiCUk1jCvWLn0lDdOGS8L5hG2Rk1Ui6T8LkyY7LA-31JYXcq0JQbv0v1b_u9Og2MXka6eelK5Bp7rbgmVuXUq_FHvL5Dno_4i2s2Nx/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 87px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcwn3fTwy0_rI6K1O_YAvFaPZFRUP2-DVHADJF3SiCUk1jCvWLn0lDdOGS8L5hG2Rk1Ui6T8LkyY7LA-31JYXcq0JQbv0v1b_u9Og2MXka6eelK5Bp7rbgmVuXUq_FHvL5Dno_4i2s2Nx/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261269084922897282" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Wow. Long time no post, eh? Anywho...</span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">It all starts in late August of her junior year. They flip a coin to choose who goes back to get the yearbook camera, and Naomi chooses heads. The next thing she knows, she's lying in an ambulance with a boy who says she fell down the stairs. But she doesn't remember doing that. In the hospital, she slowly comes to realize that she can't remember <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> from age twelve and onward – four years lost. She can't remember why she likes her hot jock boyfriend, Ace. She can't remember why her best friend, Will, calls her Chief. She can't remember her mother's affair, her father's fiancée, or even how to drive.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">But in forgetting, Naomi becomes herself. In a small way, this is a story about rebelling against yourself, or who people thought you were. It's a love story; how she dumps Ace, falls in and out of love with the moody James, the boy from the ambulance, and how, near the end of the book, remembers a kiss from someone unexpected. It's a story of friends, how she re-befriends quirky Will, finds new friends in a school play, and finally befriends her half-sister, Chloe and forgives her mother.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">An excellent book – different from Zevin's other book, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Elsewhere</span> (though you should totally read that one, too) it's deeper and darker in a shy way. The characters are flawed and touching, confused and thoughtful. I love how the whole book is interspersed with gifts from Will – CDs that he burns and gives to Naomi to try and help her remember her old self. A definite 8 out of 10 waves!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">– Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-29928651459260562212008-09-21T20:32:00.001-07:002008-09-21T20:46:40.579-07:00"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe-CmONJntbf1501fWzUCUd05kvcs_97Bhi5ltnztbosuuwxcXCmdaJS3B7BkQkvcXB63mAW2cShGkstl0ICjoHighLMOBcP-FldKPgFhuATnPYIxgRUVPiLLUqY5rVLq-LMc9a5x7Cz3/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe-CmONJntbf1501fWzUCUd05kvcs_97Bhi5ltnztbosuuwxcXCmdaJS3B7BkQkvcXB63mAW2cShGkstl0ICjoHighLMOBcP-FldKPgFhuATnPYIxgRUVPiLLUqY5rVLq-LMc9a5x7Cz3/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248683610524051634" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Far in the future, we have finally settled the argument between the pro-life and the pro-choice, after a war that could've been the end of our country. The solution: Unwinding.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a process that our government came up with at the last minute. There are no more abortions. You must have the child, and either Stork it (placing it on a random stranger's doorstep, after which the child is legally theirs) or raise it until the child is thirteen, and then you have a choice until they're eighteen: keep the kid, or send it to an unwinding camp, where the boy or girl is unwound – surgically taken apart piece by piece, the body parts saved for spares. Someone breaks an arm? No big deal – just get another. Have cancer? Eh, whatever. You can replace that part of you with someone else's. Everyone's happy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Right?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Not the teens who are being sacrificed.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Unwind</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> follows three teens: Connor, 16, whose parents have finally decided to have him unwound because he's too much trouble. Risa, a ward of state, is being shipped off because she's too expensive. And Lev, who is a tithe: since birth, he's known this was to be his fate. His parents have given ten percent of everything they own to charity, and that includes their son.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Connor runs. Risa is on the bus when it crashes, and joins him, a total stranger, in her escape. And Lev is "abducted" by the two desperate teens who are sure they are saving him. But life on the run isn't easy. Not when there's juvie cops and starvation and spies tossed into the mix...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Definitely a great book – a bit creepy, but what can you expect from a plot like that? The characters are pretty believable. Connor has anger issues, Risa just hides all her emotion, and Lev is definitely in denial. But they develop, and the ending wraps up the story well. Eight of of ten waves!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">– Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-6934418504673078392008-09-03T18:25:00.000-07:002008-09-06T12:20:05.067-07:00"WItch Child" by Celia Rees<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-30GH9VQBjHtrGdgSKl4XoeDnZxaM60msTsSBchcNDvsffpln0UkmR_IkRQa4eNVE5VDvBvNjeZycJVPlez62tfOqbH0pSf2iwvJcW1dZdJ7vi4m96REetubYJF3wwCkIUE1CKb8FNe8/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-30GH9VQBjHtrGdgSKl4XoeDnZxaM60msTsSBchcNDvsffpln0UkmR_IkRQa4eNVE5VDvBvNjeZycJVPlez62tfOqbH0pSf2iwvJcW1dZdJ7vi4m96REetubYJF3wwCkIUE1CKb8FNe8/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241971549745109010" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sorry for the long-time-no-update – school, homework, yadda yadda yadda. Anywho.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It starts with drama and heartache, in the form of 16-year-old Mary's grandmother. A kind healer-woman, she has been condemned as a witch. Her neighbors, who she's helped many times, now turn against her. After torture and starvation, she is hanged – and now that the "witch" is dead, attention may turn to her granddaughter.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A rich woman takes Mary away from the site of the murder and tells her she is going to America, acting as a young orphaned Protestant. In a small trunk of essentials, Mary finds a journal and a note – the woman is her mother. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The journey overseas is long and dangerous, though Mary meets and befriends Martha, Rachel and a ship's boy whose future she sees in the water. It seems that the peril of England is gone when the pilgrims reach the New World. But it is not so; an old woman warns her that superstitions are not banished, but multiplied by the dark forests, full of natives and unexplored dangers and wild animals.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And though Mary befriends a few of her neighbors, the rest are not so kind. So when the preacher's son takes an interest in Mary and Rachel falls in love, some are not satisfied. There are two that come to Mary for witching: Hannah and Sarah. But when Mary refuses their requests and denies her witchcraft, the girls take matters into their own hands.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">An excellent read! Celia Rees is way up there on my favorite author list, up in the top ten. She weaves a tale of dark and light, full of hope and evil, good and loneliness. It ends in a huge cliff-hanger, but luckily there's a second one:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> Sorceress</span>. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Eight out of ten waves!</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-69533976255429446482008-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:002008-08-25T16:49:24.910-07:00"Weregirls: Birth of the Pack" by Petru Popescu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_14pgmqdZ3o8hG44P57ZVbqf_6DcCIDr2AnUyaFmLDhawFQIs9Wg9FEt8SKwqLubBbRjOjdCxpO201j7wc8s1vCB8mc7vfOou7Qek1-GA0ABwBduXHO__iPIU3Z3HFO1sgwR_b24YTNl/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_14pgmqdZ3o8hG44P57ZVbqf_6DcCIDr2AnUyaFmLDhawFQIs9Wg9FEt8SKwqLubBbRjOjdCxpO201j7wc8s1vCB8mc7vfOou7Qek1-GA0ABwBduXHO__iPIU3Z3HFO1sgwR_b24YTNl/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238600133933015954" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Lily and her friends have finally succeeded in making an all-girls soccer club at their school, and are on a roll. The Weregirls (that's their team name) practice on the run-down field with beat-up goals and play other teams, winning constantly. Lily, Nikki, Arielle and Grazia are ecstatic... until someone else comes into the play (pardon the pun). Andra Hewlit appears to be your-average pretty rich blonde girl, but underneath she's really much worse than that. She wants control of Lily's soccer team (insert fainting and screams of terror)!!! To Lily's friends, Andra seems innocent enough – and even better, if she gets to be the captain of the team, they'll all get new uniforms and shoes, and even be upgraded from just a club to a school team! Yay!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Nikki, Arielle and Grazia are all for it, but Lily isn't so sure. There's something weird up with Andra – she seems almost obsessed with the soccer team, and is convinced that Lily has "magical powers" of some sort. Lily refuses Andra, obviously. So Andra gathers together her own team, even stealing girls from the Weregirls to make an elite force. Her intention is obvious, and after a few pages, Andra challenges Lily and her team to a match; if Lily wins, she keeps the team. If Andra wins, she takes over. Of course, the Weregirls win. But Andra kicks Lily viciously in the leg, so Lily has to go home and care for her leg. At home, she finds a strange mirror, and when she looks in it, she sees a cute puppy dancing around, and she hears the spirit of her dead father telling her that she is a weregirl, meant to fight against the evil Breed that threatens the world. As it turns out, all of Lily's friends are wolves, too! And there's this super hot guy who is obviously interested in Lily, even though her dad warns her that they can't be together because she's a wolf. Sigh. Of course Lily disobeys dear old dad and pursues the hottie anyway. Anywho, it turns out Andra is in league with the Breed, la-de-la-la. Etc, etc.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">This book is literally the worst book I've ever read. The plot is utterly predictable, the characters unoriginal, and the writing boring. The author tries to save the book with a forbidden romance and a big fight scene at the end, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">ugh.</span> And in the epilogue, she tries to get a little sympathy for Andra, but eh. All I saw was that Lily and Andra both refuse to obey authority, the Breed are waking up (boo hiss) and there is no hope for the next book.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Erm... one out of ten waves for trying. Otherwise – nah, there's nothing.</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-31753143243078181832008-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:002008-08-24T13:27:25.157-07:00I have edited this post so you can't read it! Muahaha! Anyway, it's not anything you'd be interested in. I was wrong, anyways<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Assistance, s'il-vous plait!</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">You can tell when I start speaking French that I'm either a) frazzled, b) excited or {in this case} c) eeek!!!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Has anyone here ever had appendicitis? Anyone? I'm looking for some advice... what happens, how long the surgery takes to remove that damned little appendix, etc. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Pro: This isn't for me, fortunately.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Con: This is for my little sister. Hm, lower right abdominal pain, not eating, other things I'm not going to talk about – all points to appendicitis. Right now my parents are driving her down to the hospital to get checked out and figure out if this is </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">really</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> appendicitis or just some overreaction... my grandma (who, coincidentally is a nurse) thinks it's gonna blow soon if we don't get it out. I'm stuck with sitting at home with some guests (but you guys are awesome to be stuck at home with, Liesl and Carla) writing this post in hopes for some real-time info. I'm too nervous to go google it and surf through a hundred billion answers.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">HELP!</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:webdings;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"> Pretty please? *hopeful smile*</span></span></span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-21911731372672369242008-08-18T14:50:00.000-07:002008-08-18T16:04:55.378-07:00"Enter Three Witches" by Caroline B. Cooney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarMssvNIUUVR-JK1owgHNknQYB9KlosfrsZJBc9Sd_wVC1e6sou_e2j1j3aYBTvjhIt2LGKRVwbTMaXIXIIQjXKLABNU9Lsp4s_PqClap5qOA9o-6gB_gGDySSMelhtDYx4UIBw7OmivH/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarMssvNIUUVR-JK1owgHNknQYB9KlosfrsZJBc9Sd_wVC1e6sou_e2j1j3aYBTvjhIt2LGKRVwbTMaXIXIIQjXKLABNU9Lsp4s_PqClap5qOA9o-6gB_gGDySSMelhtDYx4UIBw7OmivH/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235978940583293250" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The book starts in a kitchen, with the cook, Swin, telling of her alleged visit the Weird Ones on the moor last night. Mary of Shiel, a young ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth, is shocked, so when Swin escapes again to the moor, she follows.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the meantime, told from the points of view of Fleance and Seyton, one the coddled son of Banquo, the other Macbeth's squire, a battle rages outside of the castle. Fleance is ordered to stay away from the fighting, with Seyton to watch over him. The shame is overwhelming – doesn't his father think he's good enough? But when Seyton kills and Fleance takes the credit, the young lord is satisfied.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mary, however, is not. She's currently terrified out of her wits. After following Swin across the moor for a ways, she quickly got lost and ran into the Weird Ones. She demands to know what they've done with Swin – but when the three witches tell her to run, she gladly does. On the way, she sees the triumphant commanders of the army, Banquo and Macbeth, on the heath. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">What are they doing here?</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span>she wonders, and listens in.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">All hail the Thane of Cawdor... All hail Macbeth, who shall be king hereafter!"</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">And so begins a bloodbath that leads to the rule of King and Queen Macbeth, the murder of wives and children, and moving forests come to battle the blood-crowned king...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In this clever retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, told from five different points of view, our young heroine goes from cowardly little heiress, to cowardly little penniless girl, to brave (in some circumstances) little heiress again. The style is quite unique and sucks you into the dark story of madness, hatred, and unexpected heroics against unexpected villains. I give this book 4-5 waves (as in, ocean waves).</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-25233650786812843312008-08-17T13:33:00.000-07:002008-08-17T13:39:38.495-07:00Exciting new thing!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I was strolling along throughout the various blogs in my bookmarks, I happened to spot four wonderful words:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Book Blogger Appreciation Week!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Honestly, I have no idea what this (fabulous) idea contains, but it sounds good to me! So, head on over to </span><a href="http://whatvanessareads.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">whatvanessareads.wordpress.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and figure out what she's talking about!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Also, a word of advice: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">never</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> make quesadillas while checking your blog. You </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">will</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> burn it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gnawing unhappily on blackened tortillas and cheese,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cassandra</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-60464491314839105602008-08-13T16:19:00.000-07:002008-08-16T22:11:43.771-07:00"Angels on Sunset Boulevard" by Melissa de la Cruz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdooPKAzD5bRPZ3Azgx7dKSOCRXGkSxmfUtTybREB02SuzcQBF8ihHWzef05co0Xmont3VyzK41MRaOQyAZllM1Z-7UNJ3d5UQGg55Wgk-WMCEfcNKSrOmaAn0D1kFPFHQ4haC5mVbc2cA/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdooPKAzD5bRPZ3Azgx7dKSOCRXGkSxmfUtTybREB02SuzcQBF8ihHWzef05co0Xmont3VyzK41MRaOQyAZllM1Z-7UNJ3d5UQGg55Wgk-WMCEfcNKSrOmaAn0D1kFPFHQ4haC5mVbc2cA/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234146368272471858" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There's a new star in the sky, and his name is Johnny Silver. Rising from the depths of a poor life in the outskirts of LA, his music is entrancing, heart-touching and crowd-enticing. The headlines scream his name. He's started a new era of music.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But his girlfriend, Taj, has had enough. She's tired of seeing him with other girls, tired of life in the spotlight. So on the night of his biggest concert, she leaves him...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But she's watching as he ascends the stage, listening as the crowd roars his name loud enough to shake the sky down.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And she sees when, as he strikes the first chord, a blinding light flashes. And when her eyes clear, he's gone.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But Nick has his own problems, including that his hot and popular girlfriend, Maxine, has broken up with him and the disappearance of his sister, Fish. He shrugs these things aside – he can deal with a breakup, and Fish has vanished before, but she always comes back. Only when he meets Taj does he start to see the rising number of missing kids with suspicion.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the middle of this mess is TAP. It's a website, where one can chat, laugh, and post up a "wish list" of anything you desire... but on TAP, people get you the things you ask for. And what about the mysterious back room at all of the TAP parties, hosted by the missing Johnny Silver's manager, Sutton?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Questions, questions, questions – all revolving around The Angels Practice (TAP) and the strange, intoxicating drink served in the back room.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My review is a resounding </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">eh.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> This book falls somewhere between </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Twilight </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Weregirls: the Birth of the Pack</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the former being a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh my god I've found the next </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Harry Potter!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and the latter being </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Good god run screaming!!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Angels on Sunset Boulevard </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is a far cry from the enticing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Blue Bloods</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, but you can read it if you want. Again: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">eh.</span></span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-36601553475605722752008-08-10T21:53:00.001-07:002008-08-10T22:09:41.732-07:00One Looong Playlist (AKA, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist")<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD0hgCvILSNIzQD_IBsjJn75w0yo872unGyaoQ8mvwzHLFOgKJuE794hBqTtpwiZdiZH0IXqJkTPpsQ9ZWOfPII5HTMV8JrwIxHkiCMDgAk-mZbX4caQWeQWHkoAs2Yb2RgGkLTTP9eH8/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD0hgCvILSNIzQD_IBsjJn75w0yo872unGyaoQ8mvwzHLFOgKJuE794hBqTtpwiZdiZH0IXqJkTPpsQ9ZWOfPII5HTMV8JrwIxHkiCMDgAk-mZbX4caQWeQWHkoAs2Yb2RgGkLTTP9eH8/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233119196066934786" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Would you mind being my girlfriend for five minutes?</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Would you ask that question? No, of course not. But what if you'd just seen your wonderful ex-girlfriend with someone new after a nasty breakup, and were desperate to avoid talking to her? Nick would.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Would you do it? Would you spontaneously make out with a total stranger (who may or may not be gay) who just asked you this relatively insane question? Norah would.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And so begins a wild and unpredictable night for Nick and Norah – two total strangers going on a strange semblance of a date, Norah because Nick's friends paid her to; Nick... well, he's not exactly sure. Maybe because she stole his jacket.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This rough and elegant novel spans just one night, but (despite the overuse of the word </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">fuck</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">) delves deeper into the characters' minds than any book I've ever read as it darts back and forth between the voices of the two main characters.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To sum it up, I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">loved</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> this book!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Note to self: come up with rating system...</span></span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-48718355073029856142008-08-09T19:56:00.001-07:002008-08-09T20:10:49.894-07:00I decline, thanks very much<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1hIS2yjRQxOq1RKOVeqaDLVoy7V_tMU1Ke0OiDrGAzs0ZlMyKvlu5CZKVG4lkqK2f8W06Y_S-X0O3qt7UbQs475PUTIlGIwBqgQ5u8sgZcl8knKwbS-5e4-ta3Nn7iKYaG2mZjPduaCM/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1hIS2yjRQxOq1RKOVeqaDLVoy7V_tMU1Ke0OiDrGAzs0ZlMyKvlu5CZKVG4lkqK2f8W06Y_S-X0O3qt7UbQs475PUTIlGIwBqgQ5u8sgZcl8knKwbS-5e4-ta3Nn7iKYaG2mZjPduaCM/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232718057533849634" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">vehemently </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(don't you love that word?) refuse to review </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Breaking Dawn.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Maybe because I'm too chicken to put up my own opinion on the last of this internationally acclaimed author's series?</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yeah, that's probably it. I am chicken. Hear me squawk. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Buck-buck-bucAWK! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So. Yeah. Um, that's it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Okayokayokay, I do have one tiny little comment: (spoiler alert!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Why, I ask you, Stephanie, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">why</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> did she have to get pregnant, for god's sake?! WHY? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And, honestly, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Renesmee?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Yes, she is an adorable little girl (despite the fact that she'll be physically mature by the age of seven. That's a bit creepy.) but honestly: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Renesmee?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I know you could do better than that. Also, to have Jacob imprint on her was a bit over-the-top. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Will it ever stop? you ask. Be patient. I'm venting.) why didn't you make the Volturi go bye-bye? I do NOT like those creepy old guys. I literally had a nightmare about Aro. You could've killed him off, but </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">nooo.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Okay, I'm done. No more comments. I'll have a book review for the rest of y'all in a few days. I've read eleven books in the past week, so bear with me here. Just sorting out my head...</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-6567783576947032242008-08-01T20:55:00.000-07:002008-08-01T21:03:56.805-07:00OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Oh my goodness gracious/ Oh me oh my/ I see a pie/ Fall from the sky/ And in its tin/ Held out to me / Sat </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Breaking Dawn</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">/ for all to see!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Breaking Dawn </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">comes out tonight at midnight!!!! Right now I'm just venting my hysterical-ness to cyberspace so I don't explode in anticipation that in three hours (THREE!) the fourth (FOURTH!) book to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Twilight</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">will... </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">not</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> be in my hands?</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What is this?</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> you ask.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What do you mean, a crazed </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Twilight </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">fan like you won't have </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Breaking Dawn</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in your hands as soon as you can get your grubby mitts on it?</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Well. I was so foolish as to pre-order it on Amazon, and now it's not coming for like two (TWO!) whole days! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> – groans the agonized typist – I'm going to be away from the modern mail system for a week (SEVEN!).</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oh, the unfairness of it all!</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Ends self-pity mode)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have a lovely evening!</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-8551895133822742262008-07-31T17:51:00.000-07:002008-07-31T20:11:48.972-07:00"Big Fat Manifesto" by Susan Vaught<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMHhA5xMBSWeF_ni3g11WM1PpWlA60w8p9_d7m119R3vflXzM6BgcKpmWBmifS1bJa8Q7R6Q5yREZl6WzdsOtIMEx7YI7xPhB2V5isi1m4Ju_vO_AhARBP0ojgGRFmnf04ls8MstaXrpy/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMHhA5xMBSWeF_ni3g11WM1PpWlA60w8p9_d7m119R3vflXzM6BgcKpmWBmifS1bJa8Q7R6Q5yREZl6WzdsOtIMEx7YI7xPhB2V5isi1m4Ju_vO_AhARBP0ojgGRFmnf04ls8MstaXrpy/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229381672212971922" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">J</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">amie Carcaterra isn't obese. She's not chubby, chunky or "hormonally challenged", either (whatever that means), as she will loudly correct you in her new column "Fat Girl Manifesto" in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Wire</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, her school newspaper. Jamie is, as she insists, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">fat,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and she's quite happy that way, thank you very much. She has two best friends, Nono and Freddie, and a great boyfriend, Burke, to boot. She's Evillene in the school play </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Wiz</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Everything's fine and dandy in Jamie Land. And she will gladly tell you this while also bashing down some myths and assumptions that "normal" people make about her and her fellows in the aforementioned column.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But, as it turns out, not everything is cheerful in Burke Land. He's tired of being fat, tired of not fitting into toilet stalls and airplane seats and having seven </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">X</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">'s on his clothing tags. He's desperate, and he's getting bariatric surgery. The surgery that staples off part of your stomach. The surgery that some people don't come out of.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the middle of all this, "Fat Girl Manifesto" is attracting the media, Burke – while he doesn't die – changes, and Jamie starts to realize that she doesn't know who she is anymore.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Big Fat Manifesto</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is a great book. Vaught handles her delicate subject with amazingly deft skills, and out of the darkness has come a work of art. If I could figure out how to paste pictures into my posts, I'd put one of that little movie guy jumping out of his seat.</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-36377526096839164672008-07-29T12:51:00.000-07:002008-07-29T22:23:29.800-07:00"Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">The time: A few years in the future. The place: San Francisco. What's happening: Terrorists.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Meet Marcus, your average high school hacker. His hobbies include hacking, ARGing with his friends Darryl, Vanessa and Jolu, and inventing ways to annoy his high school... until one day, when he skips school to go play computer games with his friends and the Bay Bridge blows up. Suddenly the Bay Area is in total chaos. Hundreds are dead, thousands injured or missing, and millions mourn. And Marcus and his friends? Well, they're missing, too....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Now the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) comes into the picture, as Marcus & co. are grabbed on the street, tied up and tossed into a truck to be carted to a secret prison. The four are separated, and questioned every day. Finally, after day after day of mistreatment, bare cells and cruel overseers, Marcus, Van and Jolu are released. Darryl is gone, and when the weary threesome troop home, the bay has changed. DHS officers patrol every corner. The BART system is a disaster. Cars are pulled over at random. It seems the DHS's new motto is "Everyone is the Enemy, so Treat All as the Enemy".</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Marcus refuses to tolerate this new order. He starts up a new, untraceable system: Xnet. He wreaks havoc with the DHS's electronics, turning the innocent into the enemy and screwing with their files.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">But they're going to catch up with him somehow...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Little Brother</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> is an amazing book – there's no dull parts, no faulty characters, and a totally believable plot. Doctorow even manages to add a little romance into the mix! MUST READ! As Scott Westerfeld so aptly puts it, "A rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion."<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Note: not suggested for younger kids (e.g., for 12 and up, not to restrict by age [I'm reading high school stuff myself] but there are several... <span style="font-style: italic;">suggestive </span>scenes.) : )</span><br /></span> </span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-86474792926881238632008-07-21T17:56:00.000-07:002008-07-21T18:16:01.060-07:00"Watership Down"... second only to Twilight in my book<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Down, down, to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Watership Down.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> When Fiver warns Hazel of an unnamed danger coming to their warren, Hazel knows that it's not just his overly-jumpy nature that his younger brother is voicing. So when the leader of their warren refuses to act, Hazel takes matters into his own hands – or rather, paws. They're rabbits, in case you didn't know. But species makes no difference in this... I can't find a word, so I'll leave a list at the end of this post. Back to the book:</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hazel and a rag-tag group of rabbits set off to the place that Fiver tells them of, a new home on Watership Down.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The group encounters many dangers – some, such as the elil (predators), and some, less obvious. And when at last they find Watership Down, Hazel realizes: they have no does. No females, no kits, no warren. So they gather together, and plan a raid on the most dangerous warren they have ever seen...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is book has shocked me out of my obsession with newer books and introduced me to classics. For that, I will be forever grateful. AND it's an... a... I give up trying to describe it. See list of adjectives below.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Presenting the list of adjectives one might use to describe </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Watership Down</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">... in alphabetic order!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">amazing – astonishing – astounding – awe-inspiring – beyond belief – breathtaking – brilliant – dazzling – extraordinary – humbling (especially to us aspiring writers) – incredible – luminous – magnificent – marvelous – spectacular – wonderful.</span></span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-59233522044603725622008-07-20T19:27:00.000-07:002008-07-20T19:33:15.055-07:00A few poems<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a poem by my friend – I think it's great, but I'm not sure I understand all of it... though in poetry, isn't that the point?</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Wind blows;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Melancholy wind,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Where do you go?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Who do you see,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Why do you flow?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Girl cries;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Empty girl,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Where do you sleep?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Who do you love,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Why do you keep?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Wind asks;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Curious wind,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I sleep in my darkness,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I love no true thing,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I keep as the sky falls, the breeze laughs, the sun weeps.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Girl answers;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">Loneliest girl,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I go across world-breaks,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I see your life end,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;">I flow as the clouds sigh, your broken heart mends.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Hmm... sad, yet sweet. Bittersweet, I guess, or melancholy. I love those words – such a nice ring to them.</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-70898978346586019482008-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:002008-07-16T15:23:28.468-07:00Yet another vampire book... but this time, spelled with a "y"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Marked</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a strange book not in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">way</span> it's written, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">how.</span> Drumroll, please: written by a mother-daughter. P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast. Strange, no? I would never write a book with my mom. No offense to her, but she doesn't know my characters. Of course, I can see how that would be useful, but... nuh-uh.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">To the summary: The book starts with: "Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse, I saw the dead guy standing by my locker." A few pages later, Zoey is a vampyre... sort of. She is a fledgling, marked with an outline of the crescent-moon sign of the goddess Nyx, and must go to vampyre boarding school to learn (duh) and to undergo the Change from human to full-on blood-sucking night-worshipping vampyre. The perks: she gets to be gorgeous (it comes with the Change), away from her evil parents, and have super cool teachers. The downside: she might not survive the Change.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">But that's not enough, is it? Because hours after the aforementioned "dead guy" turns her into a fledgling vampyre, as Zoey runs to see her grandmother, she falls, and in a dream meets Nyx, who tells her she is destined for great things, etc, and does something wonky to her Mark: normally, as a fledgling, her Mark would be simply an outline for the next few years. After chatting with the goddess, it's fully filled in. But that's not the end of the strange happenings. Zoey is, as said above, destined for great things...<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A pretty good book; a bit explicit with the descriptions... I'd suggest it for older kids. Besides that, the character is a bit annoying at times, but likable in most ways. Unfortunately <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">pour moi,</span> I can't seem to get my hands on the second one...</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-74436186975184331302008-07-15T17:43:00.000-07:002008-07-15T17:55:27.122-07:00Ancient Troy Rules!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So. Someone has alerted me (or rather, reminded [I'm talking about you, Erin]) that I have not told you one of my most coveted secrets... actually, it's not so much a secret anymore as a delicate subject. Not delicate, really, though – I just get embarrassed when someone brings it up...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm writing a book. Well, I've</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">already </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">written</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> two – I'm working on the third. It's a trilogy. My name isn't really Cassandra, as I believe I have mentioned; that's my main character's name. No, I am not delusional, I do not believe I am my main character (she's a goddess of chaos and enjoys scorching people to death. I... don't) but it's an awesome name with a lot of history. You know Cassandra, one of the many princesses of Troy? The one that saw visions of the future but no one believed her? That one. She was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">awesome</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I love her.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Anywho... yeah. There. You know. I've posted it on the web. Yay.</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-25043275550165846422008-07-14T10:54:00.000-07:002008-07-15T17:17:58.949-07:00My obsession, as you can probably tell...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm sure all of you have seen my last post, which ultimately gives away my obsession with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Twilight, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">etc. Also </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Host</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, or... erm... anything to do with Stephenie Meyer. Unfortunately, I'm not going to even </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">be</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> here when </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Breaking Dawn</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> comes out – I'm going to be at a camp-type thingy. Oh, the tragedy! The moment I've been waiting for for six months, delayed because of a trip! Grrr.... (grinds teeth in frustration). How like the universe to thrust this upon me...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Anywho, I'll be posting some more book reviews tomorrow/later today. But, hey, it's summer! I'm not going to spend all my time cooped up at the computer. Amazingly, it's not too cold here. Woo!</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-13157095505839217392008-07-13T13:36:00.001-07:002008-07-13T13:36:48.832-07:00Breaking Dawn!!<!-- SpringWidgets | Breaking Dawn (#42314) | Blogger | Generated on 07/13/2008 --><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowNetworking="all" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" height="268" width="190" id="springwidgets_42314" align="middle" data="http://downloads.thespringbox.com/web/wrapper.php?file=42314.sbw" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://downloads.thespringbox.com/web/wrapper.php?file=42314.sbw" /><param name="flashvars" value="param_eventTitle=Salida de Breaking Dawn¶m_eventDate=08-02-2008¶m_eventTime=00:00¶m_counterStyle=modern¶m_linkUrl=http://springwidgets.com/widgetize/71¶m_eventSkin=US Flag¶m_eventCustomSkin=http://downloads.thespringbox.com/hosted_content/images/c87e5ea7d08d05f9cf987b4c56dd903b.jpg¶m_counterX=15¶m_counterY=40" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="bgColor" value="0x000000" /></object><div style="font:11px/12px arial;width:190px;"><a href="http://www.springwidgets.com/widgets/view/42314/?param_eventTitle=Salida de Breaking Dawn¶m_eventDate=08-02-2008¶m_eventTime=00:00¶m_counterStyle=modern¶m_linkUrl=http://springwidgets.com/widgetize/71¶m_eventSkin=US Flag¶m_eventCustomSkin=http://downloads.thespringbox.com/hosted_content/images/c87e5ea7d08d05f9cf987b4c56dd903b.jpg¶m_counterX=15¶m_counterY=40&width=190&height=250" target="_blank">Get this widget!</a></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4840910270364725667.post-20013992346862296752008-07-12T16:06:00.000-07:002008-07-12T16:12:19.874-07:00I return. Yay.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">I would call it Paradise, but even Eden would get boring after a while. I would call it Heaven, but no one is dead. I would call it home, but home is a place where you are already defined. So I'll have to call it Farview. </span>– Cassandra.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Well, I'm home from sleepaway camp. Ah, the cool breeze from the bay caresses my sun-burnt skin. However, I am already camp-sick. Civilization seems so... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">enclosed </span>after two weeks in the open hills and riding horses, etc...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">More book reviews to follow, though for now I'll satisfy myself with surfing the net.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I wonder how many wildfires are going in poor, burnt-up California now? It's so smokey...</span></div>Cassandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12684068941227146572noreply@blogger.com0