Links of Interest

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Book Review: Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot



About the Book:

Suze is a mediator which means that she can see and communicate with the dead. Some may think of it as a gift, but to her it's more like a curse. She doesn't like the fact that these dead people aggravate her  until she solves the problems that are keeping them from going on to the other side. When she moves to sunny California to find a ghost living in her bedroom and he doesn't seem to want her to solve his problems, she's a little stumped. She even finds herself being a tad bit attracted to him, but she hates to admit that.

Just when she thinks that she'll have it easier in California, she arrives at her new school. A different, much more violent ghost of a recently deceased teenage girl occupies the school and she is blood thirsty. Suze can't allow such an evil spirit occupy the school so she must figure out a way to get the ghost to leave for good and hopefully not become one of the dead she's become used to seeing.


My Thoughts:

This book was an enjoyable read. I really like the fact that Suze is a female character that can take care of herself. She doesn't have to rely on someone else to rescue her, but she can get herself into more trouble than she bargained for and may need a little help along the way. She's a very confident young woman in what she can do as a mediator. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that she is attracted to the (living) boy that is liked by most girls and he really seemed to be an air head. Sometimes, it makes sense for a character to like that kind of a person, but I didn't think it suited Suze to fall for a guy like him. It's also interesting that Suze can communicate with spirits but she still isn't so sure that God exists. Suze is really the only character that I feel like I got to know very well in this book. Jesse, the ghost who lives in Suze's bedroom, is probably a close second. I love the fact that this is a series of books, so I hope the other characters in the book will become more dynamic and seem more like actual people as the series goes on. I would recommend this book to fans of Meg Cabot and anyone who has an interest in the paranormal and people who can speak with ghosts.

Overal, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

E-book version



Print Paperback version

Monday, December 16, 2013

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling



About the Book:

It's Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Dursleys have been so horrible to Harry that all he can think about is getting back to Hogwarts and to his best friends Ron and Hermione. Just as the time starts getting closer, he receives an ominous warning from a house elf named Dobby. Dobby tells Harry Potter that if he returns to school that something disastrous would happen.

Harry ignores Dobby's warnings and manages to get to Hogwarts only to find that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, is a complete snob; Ron Weasley's little sister Ginny has a crush on him, and he discoveres a spirit that haunts the girl's bathroom named Moaning Myrtle.

These are minor compared to the someone or something that starts terrorizing the school by petrifying some of the occupants of Hogwarts Castle. Could this someone be Malfoy, a boy who seems rather evil and a rival of Harry's; could it be Hagrid with his love of the most beastly beasts in the magical world, or could it be Harry Potter himself?


My Thoughts:

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter, but I have a confession... I haven't read all the books. So,  I decided to start reading them and seeing if they change my view from the movies. The movie based on this book follows along so well with the book with just a few minor details changed around a bit and they're not even noticeable really. I enjoyed reading about Gilderoy Lockhart even though I really wouldn't like to meet him in person. He's really full of himself and thinks he knows everything there is to know about magic.... the actor in the movie portrayed Lockhart really well. You get to know more about Ron and his family. Ron's family seems to be the kind of family I would like to know and be friends with, unlike Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin. I enjoyed every part of this book and I wouldn't mind reading this book over and over again. If you're like me and have just mainly watched the movies, then I highly suggest that you read the books as well.

Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

E-book version



Print Paperback version

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld




About the Book: 

Tally is about to turn 16, but surprisingly, she's not excited about getting a driver's license. She's excited to finally be turning pretty. In Tally's world, turning 16 means that you get an operation to become stunningly beautiful. You're no longer an ugly outcast. In this world, being pretty means that your only job is to party and have a great time. Until Tally meets another girl who shares the same birthday as her, she thought that everyone couldn't wait until they became pretty.

Shay doesn't think that she wants to become pretty and she tells Tally her plans of running away and when Shay does run away, Tally gets to see a different side of the pretty world and it isn't very good. That's when Tally is given a choice by the authorities: Find Shay and return her, or never turn pretty... ever.


My Thoughts:


Uglies is such an amazing read. I love any kind of dystopian type story and the world of uglies and pretties is so very interesting. It kind of reminds me about today's society and everyone wishing that they looked like a certain supermodel or actress/actor. The difference between now and in this dystopian future is that there's an even more sinister thing about being pretty. It's not as amazing as most might think. In my opinion, being a pretty seems to be rather boring with the endless parties, getting drunk, and your worst problem would be on trying to figure out what to wear to said parties. Sure, everyone wants to be told that they are beautiful and they want to be admired for it, but I'm sure most people would get tired of that kind of thing easily. Also, with what being pretty means in this world, I would rather pass and continue my life as an ugly. 

I felt like I really got to know these characters and despite the setting being in the far future, I felt like I could relate to them based on their premise of everyone wanting to be pretty and not wanting to be ugly. I believe that everyone wants to feel like they fit in with the 'it' crowd at some point in their lives and this is a great book at showing you that it's not always the best place to be. 


I really enjoyed reading this novel and I can't wait to see what happens in the next!

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase Uglies by Scott Westerfeld by clicking the links below.

E-book version



Print Paperback version

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Book Review: Innkeeper's Daughter by Marie Ferrarella

About the Book:

Wyatt Taylor is a screenwriter whose father has died. His father was writing a book on his best friend's family-owned inn, Ladera Inn by the Sea. The inn is about 100 years old and Wyatt promised to finish the book for his father and for Richard, the inn's owner, because they were like family.

The only person that would cause any problems for him would be Richard's daughter, Alexandra Roman or Alex for short. They've been adversaries since childhood. He doesn't expect her to be as caring as she is when he arrives to arrange his father's funeral at the inn.

Alex just wants Wyatt to get his book done and to be gone and out of her hair, but she does hold some sympathy for him since she knows what it's like to have a parent die. Her mother had died twelve years ago.

One surprising thing happened though, Wyatt and Alex shared a kiss and then everything changed.


My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's not a very long book with only 360 pages. It's a Harlequin novel from the Heartwarming series and it's a large print book. It's a wholesome, tender romance with a great story. I feel as if I really got to know Alex and Wyatt. They were really in-depth characters. The only thing that I take issue with is that the novel didn't seem like it had a complete ending. At least, it wasn't really all that satisfying to me. For a couple of people who had animosity built up since childhood, it would seem like it would have a much more profound ending than it actually did. That did not make the reading of the novel any less enjoyable, thankfully.

Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.


You can purchase Innkeeper's Daughter by clicking below:

E-book version




Print version


Thursday, August 15, 2013

Book Review: The One Year Devos for Teen Girls by Dannah Gresh and Susan Weibel












About the Book:

The One Year Devos for Teen Girls by Dannah Gresh and Susan Weibel is a book written especially for teen girls and what they face at this time in their lives in this modern age. Dannah and Suzy share biblical wisdom for all days of the year and even challenge the girls to do an Action Step at the end of each page to ensure growth with God. There's advice on tattoos, piercings, family issues, anger, sexuality, and more.


What I thought:

Even though I do not have a teen daughter, I'm barely out of my teens myself. I'm a 20-year-old woman who found great clarity and very sound advice from this book. Most of the stuff in this book, I really wish I had heard before I started high school! The advice in this book is great for any girl from their teens and beyond. I found myself becoming closer to God and understanding why and how he wants us to obey Him. As a young woman myself, I was slowly, but surely growing away from God, but I decided to sign up to receive this book to review and I felt myself being acquainted back with God and realizing what I was missing! I would definitely recommend this book for any girl who is a teenager, any parent who has a teenage girl in their lives, or if you're a young woman who just needs to get closer to God.

Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars!





Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge for an honest review by Tyndale Blog Network. 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Book Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

What It's About:

This is a collection of interviews. Max Brooks interviews people who were in the middle of the war and gets their story on what happened in that part of the world during the outbreak of zombies roaming the Earth.


What I thought:

I found this book to be quite intriguing. Some of the interviews were scary, sad, and just... crazy. I enjoyed reading it and I have to say that I'm a big scaredy cat and I was terrified that zombies were going to start jumping through my windows. I can't help but to be a huge zombie fan though. This book didn't exactly have all the terrifying things you'd expect in a zombie book and it doesn't follow along any main characters or anything, but I don't think you'd be disappointed. The interviews are in chronological order, in that they all start out by stating what happened in the beginning and as the book continues, the interviews start to get deeper into what had all happened during the war with zombies. It had more of a documentary feel to it.

There are mentions of new technology in warfare to kill zombies and how they used dogs in the war against zombies by having them sniff out the infection in humans that hadn't reanimated yet. I would hope that if there ever was a zombie outbreak that the leaders of the countries around the world would have read this book to get a good look at how to control the situation before the world would be overrun with the undead!

I would recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of zombies and to anyone who likes documentaries.

Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

To purchase this book, click the image below.


Monday, July 22, 2013

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

What this book is about:

It's Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. The clever and beautiful wife, Amy goes missing on this same day. At first, everyone thinks someone broke in and kidnapped her, but then things take a nasty turn when the evidence starts to point toward Nick. Even though nick does seem to be a bit unemotional and detached from what's going on, does that automatically make him a killer? Everyone in town seems to think that he could have done this, but he swears that he's innocent.


Thoughts:

This was a very interesting read. At the beginning of the story, I didn't really much care for Nick or for Amy. They seemed like people who I definitely wouldn't get along with, but that didn't make me want to put this book down. I was sucked in from the beginning and then, boy there was the TWIST in the storyline and I was like an addict. I had to see what was going to happen next. How was this story going to end? I was up late at night reading just so I could get that much closer to seeing what would happen. I couldn't believe how crazy Amy was! She was a freaking psycho! I definitely couldn't see how anyone could stand her. But I guess, Nick and Amy were basically meant for each other. By the end of the book, I was almost literally exhausted from the crazy ride. I've never read anything quite like this book and I'd definitely want to read more from this author in the future. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested to know what the heck I'm babbling about and wants to see what all the fuss is over this crazy thriller of a book. 


Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. 


To purchase this book click on the link below.

















Friday, June 28, 2013

Book Review: Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart

This book is about a teenage girl named Janus Rose who is a hacker. She works at a shop that recycles and destroys computer hard drives. She has a secret though, she doesn't always destroy the hard drives that customers give her. She keeps them and creates social networking profiles for the hard drives by using the information she finds. The network she creates with these characters is called Shadownet As you can imagine, doing something like that can get a person in BIG trouble.

Things start to happen to the real people that these characters are based off of and Janus realizes the mistake she has made by creating Shadownet. Hopefully, she can make amends before something really terrible happens to someone.


I really enjoyed reading this book. Janus is a strong female character who is very tech savvy, which is a great respite from the usual female characters in many stories that I've read. I love that she's very intelligent and not exactly all boy crazy, but that's not to say that she doesn't have a interest in anyone though. There's a bit of suspense, some drama, and a little dash of teenage romance in the mix of this story.

I loved getting to know Janus and the other characters in this book. Janus really had a lot of depth and I could believe that she was an actual human being rather than some stereotype of a person. I'm sure there will be more in store for the rest of the characters along with Janus as this is a series.

I would recommend this book to any fans of computers, spy stories, and anyone who enjoys reading a story about a strong female character. This book is basically for anyone who enjoys a good story.

Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars!

To purchase this book for FREE on Amazon Kindle, click below:




To Purchase a paperback copy :




P.S. The next book in the series is called Script Kiddie and will be published in August of this year! 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Book Review: Pretending He's Mine by Lauren Blakely

Pretending He's Mine by Lauren Blakely is about an actor named Reeve who's trying to make it big. He's not having much luck with that and  his day job has cut him off. His luck turns around when he meets Sutton Brenner, a casting director who's in need of a pretend fiance. In order for Sutton to get a job for the hit new movie called Escorted Lives, she's made the producer's wife believe that she's engaged. The producer's wife doesn't want her philandering husband working so closely with a sexy, single lady such as Sutton. Sutton and Reeve partner up in the hopes of them both landing a job with the film. As the two play make-believe, there seems to be more than just acting involved in their love affair.


This is a sweet and steamy romance that's second in Lauren Blakely's Caught Up In Us series. You don't have to read the first one to enjoy this one by any means. There were some moments where I wanted to shake the both of them and tell them that they should get together RIGHT NOW, but of course, what kind of romance novel is without some sort of conflict, right? I enjoyed reading this book, but I kind of wished there was more romantic type moments. Sex is great and all that, I get it, but I like some actual romance in a romance novel. There were some really cute moments, I just wish there was a lot more of those moments.

The characters were truly believable. I could relate to them and I could really believe in them. I could picture how they would act and what they looked like, perfectly. Reeve could have had a little more depth to him though. I liked him anyway because the author made him seem like a very nice guy. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and a good romantic story.


Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.



To purchase this book for free on Amazon, click the link below!


Also, you can purchase the first book in the series:


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Book Review: Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know

Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know by Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson


Eleven courageous canines tell all! This book is about 11 canines who tell exactly what they think of their humans. They tell it like it is! If you've ever wondered what your dog may be thinking, I'm sure this book will give you some clue. This book is hilarious, heartwarming, and sometimes can bring a little tear to your eye. I loved reading what these precious pups had to say about the humans who take care of them and why they do the crazy things they do.

Each dog has their own stylish background on which their letter-like messages are written. You'll always know which dog is saying what because there will even be a picture of them and their signature. The dogs consist of a Yellow Lab named Axelrod, a Border Collie named Bandana, a Boxer named Dimples, a Chihuahua named Tinkerbell, a Bulldog named Orson, a Cocker Spaniel named Sophie, a German Shepherd named Sarge, a Miniature Schnauzer named Charlie, a Mixed breed named Moonbeam, a Long-haired Dachshund named Gabby, and a Bloodhound named Rufus T.

You're sure to enjoy getting to know these dogs and maybe learning something about your own pooches in the meantime. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs.


Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars!



Thanks for reading,


Crys


To Purchase:


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Movie Review: Julie and Julia

This probably should have been up a long while ago, but you know how life can be, I'm sure. Since I took my time to read the book, I figured that it was only fair to watch the movie and review it as well.


This movie stars Amy Adams and Meryl Streep as Julie and Julia, respectively. I'm a fan of both actresses and I adore their movies. I will admit that when I first heard Meryl Streep speak in the movie, it threw me for a loop. I definitely wasn't expecting Julia to speak that way, I guess. I had to do a little more research on the real Julia Child to realize that she did a very good job at portraying Julia.

I enjoyed having a more indepth look at Julia Child herself and getting to know her and understanding how Julie and Julia were comparable. I have to say I like reading a whole lot, but I believe that the movie was better than the book. This is one case where the movie had more information than the book. Julie was almost exactly how I imagined her in the book with her bouts of rage and a fight with her husband. While watching Eric's reactions on film, I felt that he was much more assertive than in the book.


I'm usually a big advocate for reading books before watching movies, but I think in this case, either would suffice and you'd get a different perspective in both mediums. The book is more centered on Julie whereas, the movie is more  centered on Julia.


Overall, I give this movie a rating of 5 out of 5 stars! 


Thank you for reading,

Crys


To purchase this movie, follow the link below:
Julie & Julia : DVD
Julie & Julia : [Blu-ray]

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Book Review: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I found this book on the shelf of my local Dollar Tree a couple of weeks ago. The first few times I saw it, I passed it up and went on with my day; but I figured since I'm seeing it so much, I might as well buy it! It was a great deal too, because if you know anything about Dollar Tree you know that everything is one dollar.

Okay, anyway, down to business.

What is this book about?

A woman nearing thirty who works as a secretary at a government agency in New York decides that she needs to do something more with her life. She wants to find herself, if you will. She decides to do that using her cooking idol Julia Child's cookbook titled: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She gives herself a year to complete all the recipes within the book and all sorts of craziness happens.


What Did I Like and/or Dislike? 

Okay, so I guess it's really no surprise to anyone who has read this book that I think Julie is rather whiny and self-centered. I don't necessarily dislike that about the book really. I think that's just her and how humans really are, basically whether we want to admit it or not. At least she's being honest and didn't write about how she was such a saint and all that. Since this is a memoir, it tells about Julie's life surrounding this challenge as well. I found her life experiences to be quite funny and I loved her writing style. The other people around her, I found really quite interesting. Isabel and her crazy antics and the crazy things she'd say and comment on Julie's blog. Eric who is indeed a saint for putting up with Julie and her frequent gripes (I know I would not have been able to stay as calm as he did throughout this challenge of hers). I loved to dislike Nate, her boss. He really seemed like a complete stinker of a man.

The things I disliked were the fact that I really didn't get to understand why Julie liked Julia so much. She didn't really go into too much detail about it, but maybe it was implied. I also would have liked to learn more about Julia as well during all this. The excerpts of letters that were included in the book helped out a little, but I still wasn't all that understanding of Julia.


Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it and I even watched the movie as soon as I was finished reading! I have to say, this book has kind of inspired me to make a project of my own and see where it takes me. Anyway, I recommend reading this book if you like memoirs and cooking.


You can purchase this book from Amazon by following the link below!


Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Book Reviews!

Okay, I have decided that I am going to have this blog as a book reviewing blog! I love reading, but I need to work on giving feedback on what I've read and sharing the really awesome books that I'm reading. I'm usually much too lazy to bother to write reviews about ANYTHING really, so this will definitely be a good thing for me to start doing. I'm breaking the habit, I guess you could say. My second only book review on this blog will probably be about the book I'm currently reading called Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.

So, be on the lookout for that in the near future!

Also, I've been getting extremely behind on my 2013 reading challenge on Goodreads. My goal is to read 50 books and I'm 15 books behind schedule. Yikes! I really should get a move on, haha!


I wish you all the best!

Crys 

Monday, April 22, 2013

A Sad Day =(

For a lot of people who are fans of My Chemical Romance,  they have already been informed for a month now about the break up of this most wonderful, awesome, and just great band. Apparently, I haven't been acting like a really good fan, like I should have been because I just found that out TODAY. Like, W.T.F?! SERIOUSLY?! UGHHHHHHH!!!!!

When I found out, I wanted to cry. I was in disbelief and given the date they posted this on their website blog, I thought it might have been an April fool's joke.... even though their announcement was on March 22. So, I googled that shit and nope. It was not a joke. It was for real. Now my dream of being able to see them live is OVER! I don't even really remember what brought me to look at their website today, but I guess the Universe was all..... "She seriously still has no idea that her most favorite band ever has broken up. It's been a month now. We should make her informed." Like... I don't even know... I guess at the time I wouldn't have been able to handle it? But anyway.... I cannot believe it. I guess it's understandable since many of the band members are married and have children and what not... but damn.

At least I can still have the chance to buy their last album whenever I can manage to scrounge up enough money.....


For now, I'll just get some ice cream and listen to all their songs... and grieve about my lost dream.... Dammit.

Happy Day to You,

 Crys