Waiting On Wednesday (4)

Title: The Story Sisters

Author: Alice Hoffman

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Release Date: June 2

Summary: (B&N)

This luminous tale filled with honesty and love charts the lives of sisters who find their curse and their salvation on the street where they live. One fateful summer they create their own magical world to escape a tragic encounter that has forever changed their lives. The healing power of imagination and love, the interwoven worlds of fiction and fact, the difference between liars and truth tellers, are at the core of this dangerous fairy-tale world where one mistake can follow you forever. A charismatic man who cannot tell the truth, a neighbor who is not who he appears to be, a clumsy boy in Paris who falls in love and stays there, a detective who finds his heart's desire, a demon who will not let go, all live within the confines of the sisters' world. Elv, Claire, and Meg are the Story Sisters, and each has a fate she must meet alone. One on a country road, one in the streets of Paris, and one in the corridors of her own imagination. At once a coming-of-age tale, a family saga, and a love story of erotic longing, The Story Sisters sifts through the miraculous and the mundane as the girls become women and their choices haunt them, change them, and finally redeem them.What does a mother do when one of her children goes astray? How does she save one daughter without sacrificing the others? How deep can love go, and how far can it take you? These are the questions this complex novel asks. This is the spellbinding story Alice Hoffman has to tell.

Reaction: I haven't read any books by this author, but I like fantasy. The summary sounds really interesting and it is about coming-of-age. I take that to mean that as a YA book lover I might enjoy it.

(: <-- Your expression!

Ladron Que Roba A Ladron

Movie
Rated: PG-13 (It has strong language and sexual content)
Info: (2007) The director for this movie is Joe Menendez and the cast is amazing. I saw it on T.V. a few days ago. I really enjoyed this movie.

Summary: The title translated to english is "Thief Who Robs A Thief". So we have two brothers. They are both con-artists. One took a treasure and the other is trying to steal it back so he gets together a few well chosen accomplices and they go on a cool journey to reach their goal. It's pretty tight. There are some parts where there are racial comparisons, so it can be a little insulting for either party.

Savior

Artist: Rise Against

Album: Appeal to Reason

Um, most of the videos are made by fans and they come from some videogame. I think. Oh well. I still love this song. My sister is the one into music like Rise Against and this song is pretty close to what I usually listen to. It is AMAZING, atleast to me. If you haven't heard it before then listen to it now. :)


This is with clips from something called Advent Children (no idea).



And this one is just lyrics.

Wow...wasn't that deep? :(

Anyways,

(: Don't forget to smile :)

Howl's Moving Castle

This is a movie.

Summary: Sophie is a girl who runs her late father's shop. Her mother is hardly ever around. The people are at war and it becomes dangerous to go outside by yourself, but one day, Sophie goes on an errand and bumps into Howl who is a wizard. He usually goes after pretty girls like he went after the Witch of the Waste. He left her when he saw her true and ugly self and she has been hunting him down. When she sees that he escorts Sophie, she puts a curse on Sophie making her an old lady. Sophie is the girl who can restore the dying Howl if she can liberate herself and her new partner, Howl's bond, Calcifer (who is a fire).

Fav Character: Calcifer-Uh he's a cute, funny talking fire. Of course I love him! No, he really is cool and I love the voice they chose for him. I thought it was totally him, but I haven't watched the original version which was a hit in Japan.

Review: Excellent! I beg you to watch it or atleast watch the video clip! Please? The story line comes from an older book I think and the plot was actually amazing. This is an unforgettable movie and you should watch it too! His little breakdown later on is extremely hilarious! xD
I loved ALL of the characters, even the witch. The backgrounds and animation were beautifully orchestrated and it amazed me to see how the characters interacted with each other. Some of those special relationships were Sophie with the witch and also Sophie with the errand dog.
Rating: 5/5

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Title: Into The Beautiful North

Author: Luis Alberto Urrea

Release Date: May 19

Publisher: Hachette Group

Summary: (publisher website) Nineteen-year-old Nayeli works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her father, who journeyed to the US to find work. Recently, it has dawned on her that he isn't the only man who has left town. In fact, there are almost no men in the village--they've all gone north. While watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north herself and recruit seven men--her own "Siete Magníficos"--to repopulate her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it over. ... more


Response: I like stories on immigration, and this story especially has captured my attention. I was born here in the States, but my family is from Mexico, so my childhood is filled with their stories and legends from my roots. I am looking forward to this book. So excited!

The Dust of 100 Dogs

Author: A.S. King (320 pgs)

Publisher: Flux

Favorite Character: Emer Morrisey-Her character is more wild and independent. She has the memories of war and life of crime to tell and they definately don't lack interest. I also like her name!

Summary: (back cover)

In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with the dust of 100 dogs, dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body-with her memories intact.

Now she's a contemporary

American teenager and all she needs

is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

Review: The Plot: I loved it. The story was an amazing one to read about because there was a high contrasting factor. The chapters alternated between Emer's past life and present-day Saffron's actions. Emer was reborn as a human with the name of Saffron Adams. I like both names. Emer's piracy is fun and exciting, but then Saffron seems to be a different person as in she's more quite and uncertain even though they are the same person. I really enjoyed the detail of all the treasure and embroidery and I was really drawn in on the description of Cromwell's army taking over her small village. That actually happened in Ireland! :(

Even though it was a good read, there were interruptions in between every couple chapters. These were a feature called Dog Facts. They were stories from one of Emer's lives as a dog and they taught a lesson for dog owners. I thought that they were well written and really witty, but I really don't think that they were helpful to the actual story. It was already a itsy challenge to balance alternating chapters, but this added feature made it more difficult to balance or remember who or what you just read about. One of the reasons was that Saffron's current-day thought process was quite different than Emer's fourteenth century one. It felt like they were two completely seperate characters.

The book has excitement, romance, jewels and Pirates of course! I really enjoyed. The way the story unfolded made sense. The past compared the present and the love complex. I love books on that type of era and especially through a girl's point of view even if this one is kind of cruel.

Rating: 4/5

Book I'm currently reading!

Yey! I borrowed Evermore from the library about a week ago. I was looking forward to it for awhile, but then my interest waned 'til today and I'm more than halfway through it. You need to read it! It's been awesome so far and Ever is an amazing character!

Author: Alysoon Noel

Summary on the back: After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school-but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head-wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is-or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

Go get it now! please? And then you can tell me what you thought!

Fan

Artist: Epik High

Country: South Korea

Info: I'm currently obsessing over this song! I actually found the vid with english subtitles so that rocks! It is pretty catchy and fun to jump around with. Anyway, this band has three members being Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz. This song was released in 2007 and it gained a lot of attention in Korea. Yey!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (it repeats the chorus too much.

Lyrics: (http://www.lyricstime.com/epik-high-fan-lyrics.html) (i hope they are right!)

Oh! (Gajilsuga opsodo) Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geujo heotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Meoriso sumosorodo
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Oh baby don't you know nae ireumdo moreujyo
Oneuldo bamsaedorok mam jurigo geudae barabogo ittjyo
Oh so beautiful sune jwin dangshineui doksajin
Sesangeui hanhosonge pamudhin nae michin sarangeui soksakim

Deudgo ittjido angettjyo nan jugodo andwigetjyo
Geurogetjyo daeum sesangedo naega nugunjido moreugo salgettjyo
Nomunado geudael gajigo shipo nan dorikil suga opjyo
Oneulbamdo ibeul matchugo shipo begaereul ggwak butjabgettjyo

Oneuli oorieui chot mannami matneungogettjyo
Georom mundabeun onjena dangshinman haneun gogettyo
Naneun geudae dwit museube oneuldo mareul golgettjyo
Hangsang gateungondedo ddolrime insareul gonnejyo

Ee sesangi modu gwireul magado geudaemaneun nae mareul deurojwo
Marojineun geudae dwit moseube gudoganeun nareul deurojwo
Moriso jo moriso jomi dwioga odieso
Geudael bol su isseulgga (malhaejwo)

Oh! (Gajilsuga opsodo) Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geudo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geujo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Oneuleun wae utji ango isseulga geudae
Museun irinji byoril aniosseum jogettneunde
Sireumi gadeukhan geudae olgul nan bol suga opneunde
Charari naega apeunge nagesso geurol opneunde

Nomunado antaggawo oneul harumaneun nal bangawo
Jalissottjyo murobondamyon daedab hal su ittneun nal anijwo
Dahjido manjilsudo aneulsudo opneun geudaeyo
Oneulbamdo nan geudae mannaro gayo nae ggumsogeso

Ggumsogesorado moduga malrigo nae sarang biutdorado
Michyottdago moduga malhago on sesang jiwudorado
Dangshineun naeggende bojalgot opneun sisondeulege bbaetgyo wae
No, nan joldae mothae naman baraboge haejulge

Modeungol da julge immachul ddae sesangeul da gajyoda julge
Joldae nal ddonagajimothage bulee ggojyoborim gaseume gadulge
You are My star, I'm your no.1 fan
baby please take my hand

Oh! (Gajilsuga opsodo) Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geudo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geujo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Oh! (Gajilsuga opsodo) Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geudo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago
(Naega nugunjineun molado)

Nae morisoge sorado
(Manjilsuga opsodo) Geujo hotdwin ggumirado
(Malhalsuga opsodo) Moriso sumosorado
(You know I do) Nol saranghandago

Michin sarange bbajin boys and girls say oh! oh! oh!
Babogateun sarange bbajin boys and girls say oh! oh! oh!
Hotdwin sarange bbajin boys and girls say oh! oh! oh!
Nagateun sarange bbajin boys and girls say oh! oh! oh!
Naega nugunjineun molado

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You

(Sorry for not posting in a while and for missing the WOW post. I'll admit to procrastinating and then getting swamped with APUSH hw particularly. Sorry?)



Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: HYPERION


Favorite Character: Cameron Morgan (Cammie)- She is the mellow one of her three friends. She is thoughtful and nice, but she also thinks things through instead of acting rashly plus she’s the coolest spy-in-training at Gallagher Academy!


Summary: Cammie is a spy-in-training at Gallagher’s Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Because of the importance of the girls who attend it, they have to keep a low profile in the city the school’s in. Everyone lives in the academy and only goes out for very special occasions. The town thinks that only rich spoiled snobs go there and they harbor a great resentment toward any Gallagher girl. It is important that no one finds out the truth of the school. On Cammie’s first “mission”, she accidentally bumps into a boy. A rare sight for Cammie. She falls for him hard and he seems to return her feelings but how can Cammie have a relationship when she is constantly being watched and worse yet, when she is a student of the school Josh seems to hate?!


Review: The reason I got this book was that I saw a lot of blog posts on the last book in the series. When I was younger, I went through the I’m-going-to-be-a-spy-when-I-grow-up phase and even afterwards I still wanted to go into law enforcement. The story had a wonderful plot and the description of the academy really conveyed a sense of National Security and top secret awesomeness. The details were really what stick any story together and here they enhanced it to an unbelievably real point. In the beginning, I was a bit mislead on one of the characters, Lisa, who turned out to be completely different. That was a bit confusing, but different characters from Bex, the beater-upper, to Lisa, the shy one, or Josh’s niceness really tied into Cammie’s intermediate character who could see things from all of their points of view. I felt like I was right behind Cammie when she was tailing her paranoid teacher or when she waited in the town center for an “accidental” encounter with Josh. The ending to this book felt liked the door was closed. There was no really defined cliff-hanger and I think that has made me a little less enthusiastic about reading the next two books in the Gallagher Academy Series. Ally Carter’s writing is amazing so I do want to find out what else happens at such an amazing school. The story is more geared towards girls since the strength of women is mentioned frequently as well as the importance of honesty in any healthy relationship.


Rating: 4/5


You Might Also Like: (none because I haven't read any other books on realistic spies)


Other Books In The Series:

Book 2: Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy

Book 3: Don’t Judge A Girl By Her Cover

MZone Commercials

Artist/Information: Uh, I think it's China Mobile. It looks like they're commercials for a cellphone and they are pretty boring except for...they [china mobile] are amazing because they hired some pretty famous Chinese idols for this. I recognize some of them! Wa HOO!! S.H.E. and Jay Chou and Pan Wil Bo! I think I saw Jiro in one of them, but I highly doubt it. I think the second one is a bit more interesting 'cause it has music, but this one is kinda funny?

Sucks To Be Me

Author: Kimberly Pauley

Publisher: MIRRORSTONE

Favorite Character: Nathan- He was nice for a guy of the "in group". Nathan was easy-going and comfortable to read about.

Summary: (inside flap)

Why it sucks to be ME...

1. My parents are freaks. Sure, every teenager says that. But I know for a fact mine are bloodsucking vampire freaks.

2. As if high school wasn't bad enough, now I have to go to vampire classes with a bunch of weirdos who actually want to drink blood.

3. Then there's my complete inability to talk in complete sentences around cute boys. (i.e Nathan. He probably thinks I've got a speech impediment or something.)

4. And I can't tell my best friend Serena about any of this.

5. But the absolute worst thing is that the whole world is abut to find out what happened when my parents forced me to decide whether I want to be a vampire! Please don't read this book. It's just embarassing.

Review: Okay. So we have Mina Hamilton who isn't a vampire even though her parents are. Then there is (it's not a spoiler right?) a little love triangle, or square, brewing while Mina is making the decision of "turning" or not as she worries about Prom. The introduction wasn't that great to me. I felt that Mina's voice was weak and that she was arguing with herself through a lot of it over small things. The developing of Mina and the other characters was actually pretty awesome. I could totally feel that Lorelei was just an aquaintance while George was a close friend. The relationship between Serena and Mina was a little off to me, but it still seemed like a strong friendship.

The way that the story unfolded was well-paced, but some things were a little random towards the end. It left me with a cliffhanger since her original problem with turning was never solved. I would have liked to know what happened to Serena or what exactly motivated Mina to do what she did. Her relationship with her parents was too shallow for me to get a good hold on her childhood or the reasons behind her actions. In the end, I was still glad I read this book because I didn't think that another vampire story could be original, but this book wasn't all about vampirism being evil, but instead the perks of life in general. It was original in other words.

Rating: 3/5

You Might Also Like:
1. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (my review)
2. Airhead by Meg Cabot ( more highschoolish and vamp free)

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Title: Shanghai Girls

Author: Lisa See

Publisher: Random House

Release Day: May 26, 2009

Summary: It is set in the mid to late 1900's where two high class sisters from Shanghai are married off to Chinese men living in California during the Gold rush. The older is educated with a college degree and her name is Pearl while May is the younger, but more favored child. The story is about their adjustments and new life as immigrants in the United States.

Response: I really like cultural stories about immigrants trying to keep their traditions alive while surviving in a foreign country. I am also partial to Asian stories right now because we learned stuff about it in school just a couple of weeks ago.


Title: Being Nikki

Author: Meg Cabot

Publisher: POINT

Release Date: May 05, 2009

Summary: The sequel to Airhead--> (b & n) Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts.

Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel.

But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts.

How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. Johns - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side...

Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all...especially one model in particular.

But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki.

Response: I just finished Airhead which was fantastic! I didn't think I would be looking forward to a sequel, but Airhead just didn't cover it all. Being Nikki looks like a great book to have NOW! I guess I'll have to wait 'til May!

Tu No Eres Para Mi

Artist: Fanny Lu

Information: This is a fairly new hit which has recently made the top in the Billboard Latin List. It is in Spanish and I couldn't find an English subbed version. If you want the lyrics translation then just e-mail me. I do want to BEG you NOT to watch the video because it honestly sucked! But I DO want you to LisTeN to the song because it is pretty good. It's got good rythm and quite a bit catchy. Fanny Lu has an amazing voice which I think is shown off here.

Rating: 5/5

Gulliver's Travels

Author: Jonathan Swift (it's short)

Publisher: Idk?

Favorite Character: Lord Minodi- Even though I only got a glimpse of him from the story, I like what he stands for as a person going against the current.

Summary: Lemuel Gulliver writes an account of his life traveling to four different islands. Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa and the Houyhnhnms are the awe-inspiring lands with interesting inhabitants. He learns a lesson on tolerance and improving hypocritical behavior as he opens his eyes to the bold lies in humankind.

Review: Okay, I know that the summary was a little boring, but I can't find the actual one and maybe it's 'cause I'm being a little biased. I think this book has been reprinted by different people a bunch of times. It was the one I had to read for English class and I gave a speech on it on Wednesday.

I had since January to read it, but I didn't finish it until Tuesday. Why? It was boring. I believe it was published in the late 18th century so that might be a big reason for its lack of interest. The author was VERY descriptive when it came to mapping out the area for the reader, but I didn't want to know how many miles west Gulliver went before the wind pushed him five miles north. There was a huge lack of action. The worst part was that there was absolutely NO DIALOGUE! I know that the narrator is writing his story, but he could have included quotes or something.

The book was in first person which allowed Gulliver to be a well developed character. The settings also helped since you saw Gulliver at home, in the presence of royalty and different races or species. I do think, though, that all the minor characters were extremely superficial. I didn't get to know any of them because Gulliver only pointed them out as objects to enhance the places he visited instead of people with their own thoughts or actions.

What made the story bearable was the random sarcasm making me smile or even laugh! Even if I didn't know any of the other characters, I had a pretty good understanding of Gulliver. The details were vivid enough that I could picture each land and it's culture was explained in order for me to understand their actions.

Mr. Swift had an amazing imagination and he probably drew from the stories he heard from sailors. The author made sure to explain the look and feel of the people Gulliver encountered even though he could have gone more in depth. He made sure to tell us about the cultures of each island and made comparisons to England which was Gulliver's homeland. Most of that, though, was explained like an essay instead of woven into the story. He didn't write this story with the only purpose to entertain. He wrote it because he wanted to teach mankind an important lesson. I suppose that it is important to keep these kinds of books around beacause they do speak the truth. Anyway, I think you should just go read the picture-book version unless your teacher tells you to read this.

Rating: 2/5

You Might Also Like:

1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (it's actually not so bad)

2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Waiting On Wednesday (1)

Since I have tons of books I'm looking forward to, I decided that I'd like to participate in this meme hosted over here!

Title: Shrinking Violet

Author: Danielle Joseph

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Day: May 05, 2009!

Summary: (B & N) High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out -- doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T -- and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize -- Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare....

Response: It sounds completely amazing! I love reading and I love music plus I can relate to the shyness factor. I also had a speech today in English over a book, Gulliver's Travels, which I didn't even like. It was even worse because I had to go FIRST!!! Anyway, now that I've gone off, I think this book could make it into my favorite-books-ever pile. Did I mention I love purple? The cover ROCKS!

Title: Sunset Boulevard: The A-List: Hollywood Royalty #2 (I found it on the Story Siren's Books to Pine For post!)

Author: Zoey Dean

Release Day: August 01, 2009

Summary: (from here) After a rocky first week in L.A., Jojo Milford is quickly getting used to her status as Hollywood Royalty. She and stepsister Myla have a tenuous truce, at least at home-but with Jojo becoming more and more popular at Beverly Hills High, how long can the ceasefire last? And is Myla's long-term relationship with BHH's resident rocker Ash Gilmour really over? Meanwhile, uber-starlet Amelie Adams is just like any other teenage girl: totally in love. Too bad her crush barely knows she exists. And too bad for Jake Porter-Goldsmith, Amelie's math tutor, who's hopelessly in love with Amelie.

Response: I haven't actually read the first one or any books by this author, but the cover makes me super curious (yes, I'm a lil shallow). There are a lot of books about this type of thing like Priveleged and Adored or GoldenGirl.

What do ya think?