tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27675825992184623142024-02-08T12:10:09.090+11:00On the BookshelfBook and Movie ReviewsTerrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-9363300921283165322013-08-14T16:42:00.010+10:002013-08-14T16:42:55.972+10:00Test 3Testing rss feeds. Please ignore. :)Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-42130828829872674542013-08-14T16:42:00.006+10:002013-08-14T16:42:38.336+10:00Test 2Testing rss feeds. Please ignore. :)Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-6757555263406541402013-08-14T16:42:00.003+10:002013-08-14T16:42:20.503+10:00Test 1Testing rss feeds. Please ignore. :)Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-26916936786290961702013-08-14T09:29:00.001+10:002013-08-14T09:29:19.615+10:00TestingPlease ignore. This is a test.Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-59122235663852793152011-06-23T21:25:00.000+10:002011-06-23T21:25:38.211+10:00POTTERMORE<div style="text-align: left;">It has been a very busy day for Ms Rowling. A video, a tweet, and a website update. And, of course, Pottermore.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i5DOKOt7ZF4?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i5DOKOt7ZF4?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-17484507989928254602011-06-05T15:12:00.002+10:002011-06-05T15:13:56.199+10:00The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF5gUPR8NsRxsAqNurId2bK8yHKfH75tNFUOlOvFWEpA7BQJntesP7efCmWN8WqVr8BAqxQEXMe22YgokrEKgBUmNdAMGE5DA63xKDz7KBphhtOjy1L4EH_kSWm3JaLxlV4a4HCzxfkw3/s1600/TheBetrayalOfNatalieHargrove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF5gUPR8NsRxsAqNurId2bK8yHKfH75tNFUOlOvFWEpA7BQJntesP7efCmWN8WqVr8BAqxQEXMe22YgokrEKgBUmNdAMGE5DA63xKDz7KBphhtOjy1L4EH_kSWm3JaLxlV4a4HCzxfkw3/s320/TheBetrayalOfNatalieHargrove.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><b>Title: </b>The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove<br />
<b>Author:</b> Lauren Kate<br />
<b> Publisher: </b>Razorbill<br />
<b> Release Date:</b> Novemeber 12th, 2009<br />
<b> Source:</b> Library<br />
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Somehow I felt that The Tragedy of Natalie Hargrove may have been a better title for this book. Natalie's story struck me more of a case of tragic circumstances than one of direct betrayal. Natalie would do anything to become Palmetto Princess but a prank gone wrong results in the death of her boyfriend's competition for the place of Palmetto Prince and everything threatens to unravel - her role as an accidental murderer and the past she tried so hard to cover up. Natalie is cruel and manipulative in her need to cover up her secret past of being from the "wrong side of the tracks" from not only her peers but from herself.<br />
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I love Shakespeare influenced works but I didn't feel that the influence was very well communicated here. Kate aimed for Macbeth but the connection was only strongly apparent in the "ghost" scene. Kate could have pushed it further and taken Natalie's unraveling to greater depths. That said, I felt that Kate was much more successful in maintaining a consistent tone in Betrayal than in Fallen, a book which I felt started with so much promises only to lose that atmosphere.<br />
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There are few likable characters in The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove but that is largely Lauren Kate's intent. Natalie is a Queen Bee and a social chameleon, becoming whoever she needs to be in the moment. Focused in her determination to climb to the social peek she can be cruel and manipulative but there is some sympathy to be felt for her as she comes to conflict with her past. Her peers are very shallow and I found it impossible to relate to their vapid twittering conversations.<br />
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I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. Give this one a go if you are a fan of Lauren Kate's other works or teen queen bee conflicts.<br />
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<b>Also Check Out:</b><br />
<a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/01/fallen-by-lauren-kate.html">Fallen by Lauren Kate</a>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-40765642664578544572011-05-30T07:22:00.022+10:002011-06-05T16:18:03.008+10:00Bookcase LoveI love these bookshelves from Brooke. Be sure to check out her book blog <a href="http://www.brookereviews.com/">Brooke Reviews</a> too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq83XfjOgz5Y5rs51R5-7whwmE6SIcK5YO4KQ98W0Yul7ityrnZbI0k2y5IZFUOb10rYrMGXF4DngLA_eliX6LkF2gi-CkuUyjL4oU4_HDTKCRtlVC0yKfN4ygToJNQZGjE8YXZ00pZNGN/s1600/BrookeBookcase01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq83XfjOgz5Y5rs51R5-7whwmE6SIcK5YO4KQ98W0Yul7ityrnZbI0k2y5IZFUOb10rYrMGXF4DngLA_eliX6LkF2gi-CkuUyjL4oU4_HDTKCRtlVC0yKfN4ygToJNQZGjE8YXZ00pZNGN/s320/BrookeBookcase01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote>A little about my shelves, well, these are my authors A-S, T-Z are on another shelf not pictured. I also have separate shelves for my books for school and YA books I've collected for my future classroom. These shelves contain MOSTLY Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and YA. I love these shelves because they are in the "sitting room", or as I like to call it, the library, right as you walk in the front door. It's the first thing I see everyday I come home, and it brings a smile to my face. However, books are starting to stack up again, so I really need to purchase a couple more Billy shelves from IKEA (my favs). I also need to get another light to go over the first shelf, but this room (and our whole house) is a work in progress. :) Eventually it'll be perfect, although it's pretty close now! lol</blockquote><br />
It looks like Brooke has such a gorgeous reading area to greet her when she gets home everyday. I also love the sleek black shelves and the lights shining down on them. You can tell these books are a well loved feature!<br />
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<div style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I want to see YOUR bookcase!</span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Send me a photo of your bookcase along with a paragraph or two about what you love about your bookcase, what's on there, and what it says about you! Every week (here's hoping that I get some responses) I'll feature a bookshelf and happily link back to your blog or website if you have one! Please send your submisssions to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="mailto:terraontheshelf@gmail.com" style="color: black; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">terraontheshelf@gmail.com</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">.</span></span>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-21111393398766034232011-05-23T17:09:00.003+10:002011-05-23T21:49:49.427+10:00Bookcase LoveThis week Donna of <a href="http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com/">My Life. One Story On Story At A Time</a> has brought us three delicious bookcases to love. 100 chocolate cookbooks delicious! Oh my goodness. Now <i>that</i> is a book collection I wouldn't mind browsing through.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IxFqamshAr63QLpbfqBSULFUlnlr02-qUHbRFrr5GifMqAQjr4cn_Ssa5H2xh1zFcQLlEgXy2izi4_Ymkj7dbxMoAuDORbOGY2JuwGzwF0A42eiOkZYpm6K_uMpy0SKRmvP78e9e9ZIR/s1600/DonaBookcase02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IxFqamshAr63QLpbfqBSULFUlnlr02-qUHbRFrr5GifMqAQjr4cn_Ssa5H2xh1zFcQLlEgXy2izi4_Ymkj7dbxMoAuDORbOGY2JuwGzwF0A42eiOkZYpm6K_uMpy0SKRmvP78e9e9ZIR/s320/DonaBookcase02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOMODrY-1ig_OojdwY5w_v_T8Adt7ZuBLM7wThujamojn90LgWQ2_L6kENzgwo1odnj27J-KvrozGndGT5GZkvttS8iufADPeXJdd8A2dcw_yAcKa39hfy2jJwMgesaFy86lAOzqBDIB6/s1600/DonaBookcase03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOMODrY-1ig_OojdwY5w_v_T8Adt7ZuBLM7wThujamojn90LgWQ2_L6kENzgwo1odnj27J-KvrozGndGT5GZkvttS8iufADPeXJdd8A2dcw_yAcKa39hfy2jJwMgesaFy86lAOzqBDIB6/s320/DonaBookcase03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>My bookshelves say that I am a diversified reader and will read anything I can put my hands on. They also would tell that you that I have a chocolate obsession (100 chocolate cookbooks alone.) They would tell you I love to decorate and even though I am the most organized person I know, I still love books on organizing. They would tell you I read spiritual, self-help, romance, vampire, financial and children's books! They would tell you that I love books and that I treasure each and every one of them.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSShCaBSF6agqfIqDbcp8yu3dfzvJ1P8gfV_9XJgbAi7CHMtyuIInKwahya-xxm4yT-RwDOiYyrMYJjxoEdegW3hEUR6ATBT_p-iThKggnLx7k5a7Ix5xxtILukOHUWZlqwTJNWj0Y7CL/s1600/DonaBookcase01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSShCaBSF6agqfIqDbcp8yu3dfzvJ1P8gfV_9XJgbAi7CHMtyuIInKwahya-xxm4yT-RwDOiYyrMYJjxoEdegW3hEUR6ATBT_p-iThKggnLx7k5a7Ix5xxtILukOHUWZlqwTJNWj0Y7CL/s200/DonaBookcase01.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I want to see YOUR bookcase!</span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Send me a photo of your bookcase along with a paragraph or two about what you love about your bookcase, what's on there, and what it says about you! Every week (here's hoping that I get some responses) I'll feature a bookshelf and happily link back to your blog or website if you have one! Please send your submisssions to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="mailto:terraontheshelf@gmail.com" style="color: black; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">terraontheshelf@gmail.com</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-23942394526657705922011-05-15T21:53:00.000+10:002011-05-24T15:58:16.320+10:00What's On the Bookshelf<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">If anyone else is suffering from what Blogger is calling "The Spinning Issue" (post editor not loading, just the little spinning loading symbol going forever) switching to the old editor appears to be working for me.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>Anyway, on with the good stuff!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">The Wise Man's Fea</span>r</i></span> by Patrick Rothfuss</div><div>I'm pretty sure that this one speaks for itself...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604683026791700290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXkIoF1iVM_BMpIj3WG8PtcXoejDQnsmu76Qgbvyv-hBe-PK5DUUANtqUBeXSiop6Yur6TST6MKoBBh2cizY9Wvdch61jVZw7CvJO_i4j6oQyB3kWi2RQt6nErtVksuEP_tfCxrmpNzt2/s200/DSC00081a.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A special delivery all the way from the USA!<br />
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</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604681856343582930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG5wU53tk235K4SfVdDe3lo8j3NHDaULD_FxQCZxgvgIbgtFj1HW4Bcn7Ci5iwLNHkNrNAULcaQ5CYt5JfJbNbnGViJZRx_ywNKF8z2FDr15QqZR52l6y5Qzp1rHd2fGNlSIpcqF33VGO/s200/DSC00083.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A peek of exciting things to come!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604683031747540482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHYo6HrRMtsl3X8auZhJO8j0DhuAD0bS7ZCUEbqTbVl5vn25zwijBJORG8v-JzTaHYKpu-VSoVcDKny6V983uZaePsU1AL69syWvUTbHcD2quOnvpLvXNPFqgRNnSNEz220hPpG801KiG/s200/DSC00082.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yay!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604681862719146818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzqwcBLVxtxgCEJKI9bQZuWv4IGczhALWXX2tD9zJa0cxu0qKv5zjZKqT6jAM08Frgfi96WP123lwibCuTYLKAkdscfdyuO0hp8gCwvxUcsYael9HY4OG890AoZUygARdH3mac80IgzuB/s200/DSC00084.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Squee!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604683038548498018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo473ina9IHKrTmb7ten2GvGIzUEFxxldYxt-1YlJ_RW1kpEuAfy1BjhyphenhyphenZ8XsiZtVNpsySBkXIECcJR3PtNjM3_prwKOJbq9lRHXJ7Ryk3TMwzMDNQJQrLmyqZWWTuUcqCzkWQh7DBejIk/s200/DSC00085.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">!!!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I got these copies signed (!!!) by his awesome beardiness himself, Patrick Rothfuss, through <a href="http://signedpage.com/">The Signed Page</a>, a service "devoted to bringing signed and personalized books to fans who are unable to meet their favorite touring writers." I would definitely recommend the service. The books arrived in excellent condition and within a week of being shipped out and Shawn kindly kept everyone up-to-date with the process of packaging and shipping the multitude of order via Facebook.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">*<span style="color: #ffcc00;">In My Mailbox</span> is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/" style="color: black; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">The Story Siren</a> Go <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/2007/12/in-my-mailbox.html" style="color: black; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">here</a> to find out more.</span></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-2640842845844852712011-05-15T19:21:00.002+10:002011-05-23T21:50:22.356+10:00The Princess Bride by William Goldman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbHpmifdjaQbOH-zBsKFfdQDuvGw1rpQPzfDQ7kA7WvBoUVMExlPkCDXZMhN4ZTI8-xEnzOqb5N0ir5WVtYbB5eQKAOtm_bk0g3UiNCWVn47X2k0SNraWfLNKtmbOH1Bc0AOSsRgE7VlH/s1600/ThePrincessBride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbHpmifdjaQbOH-zBsKFfdQDuvGw1rpQPzfDQ7kA7WvBoUVMExlPkCDXZMhN4ZTI8-xEnzOqb5N0ir5WVtYbB5eQKAOtm_bk0g3UiNCWVn47X2k0SNraWfLNKtmbOH1Bc0AOSsRgE7VlH/s320/ThePrincessBride.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Title:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Princess Bride</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Author: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">William Goldman</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Publisher: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Harcourt Brace Jovanovich</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Release Date:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">1973</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Source: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Bought</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">I may be one of the only people in the world who had grew up without seeing the film </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Princess Bride</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d;">. I finally saw it January this year - at the ripe old age of twenty-two - after being completely blown away by this book. My childhood was also void of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">Labyrinth</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d;"> which I finally saw and fell in love with in my late teens, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e; font-style: italic;">Dark Crystal</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d;"> which I am still yet to watch. I can only guess that my parents wanted to avoid a repeat of my obsession with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">The Neverending Story</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d;"> films which we constantly had rented out from the video shop when I was a child. The point is that I was able to pick up the book </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Princess Bride </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">with absolutely no idea what I was in for.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
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</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">So, what is it that readers are in for that make both book and film be recalled with such fondness by so many?</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">"Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles." </span><i style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The Princess Bride</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> promises all these things and delivers all of it and so much more. The beautiful Buttercup falls in love with the farm boy Westley. He sails away to earn a fortune upon which to build their future together only to fall prey to the Dread Pirate Roberts. A devastated Buttercup vows to never love again yet manages to find herself marrying the Prince Humperdinck. The princess-to-be is kidnapped and from there the adventure is only beginning.</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Goldman interlaces the tale of how he was introduced to "S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure" as a child, rediscovering it in later life, and the obstacles met in abridging the "good parts", publishing it, and getting the movie made. (I should mention that I read the 25th anniversary edition.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Only the entire autobiographical narrative is fiction too. Most importantly, there is no S. Morgenstern who wrote the original Florin classic. There is no original Florin classic. Goldman is the genuine author of </span></span><i style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The Princess Bride</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> and he uses this fictional autobiography to help underline the wit and parody of the core story and exploration of fantasy tropes but, perhaps most importantly, to help us to believe what we all want to be true - that at some ambiguous point in time in some hard-to-pin-point-on-a-map country the events of </span></span><i style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The Princess Bride</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"> really did occur.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">If, as I was, you are still living life without the joy of </span><i style="color: #45818e; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The Princess Bride </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">then go to your local book shop right now and get it. You will fall in love with these characters, laugh, cry, and undoubtedly begin introducing yourself with the line "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my father; prepare to die."</span></span></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-86696979207085003032011-05-09T22:09:00.005+10:002011-05-23T21:52:50.246+10:00Bookcase Love<div style="text-align: left;">This week we're loving the bookcases of Emma of <a href="http://bellebooksx.blogspot.com/">BelleBooks</a>. I so want the Shakespeare bookcase!</div><div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604688762408607314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L5V0OyrlTIF0D63Bjh18F0Bhv-mrsSZd7QMa4wi95to7JDNbJxJ0qvJtoOtRZgSUFaMahTmnH5S-fOyU1rYqySGA_218yldVI0WPbrqDc24KDAPVi8R_fRUWGaADm3iLa20X1_hmQ549/s320/EmmaBookcase01.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 240px;" /></div></div></blockquote><br />
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<blockquote><div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My bookcases are filled mostly with Young Adult Paranormal romance books, with the odd adult and chick lit books thrown in here and there!</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My first bookcase (the skinny white one) Is a recent purchase, it is from the Billy range at Ikea. I have recently re-jigged the shelves on it to make some more room for my books, which you can see by the gaps on the shelf. I haven't had the time to go back to Ikea yet to buy 2 extra shelves yet!</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604688771561547410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_nDxN_G6ns-2WFGDW3EHNweyL1sVp6OqXM7dQxQ_4kPsaVhtY8J9usL5GLeHGIi9CR4fP1ZjHHCUAW8HDRZDzXz3qfrtzYYmCplpsPldjrBZrLVuBa6Su8Au3lKM-XEfnXljvt7fwfOu/s320/EmmaBookcase02.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My second bookcase is also from the Billy range at Ikea, only this one is a special limited edition Shakespeare version which was designed for charity. It is covered in Shakespeare quotes ad I love it! I'm not sure how many of these bookcases were made worldwide, but I am sure it was not a very large number. It is a bit messy, as I tend to dump all my stuff out of my bags onto it. The first four shelves are full of books, below them is my shelf full on dvds and the shelf below that has Xbox games and my massive pile of university work.</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I know my bookcases are the neatest or tidiest in the world, but I like them! Looking at my bookcases I think they would tell you that I am an avid reader (I mean I have two bookcases in my bedroom and they are both pretty much full!), I read a mix of books depending on my mood and I enjoy those extra little touches, which you can see from my Shakespeare bookcase and all my little teddies and ornaments on it.</div></div></blockquote><div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></div></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I want to see YOUR bookcase!</span></b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Send me a photo of your bookcase along with a paragraph or two about what you love about your bookcase, what's on there, and what it says about you! Every week (here's hoping that I get some responses) I'll feature a bookshelf and happily link back to your blog or website if you have one! Please send your submisssions to <a href="mailto:terraontheshelf@gmail.com" style="color: black; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">terraontheshelf@gmail.com</a>.</span></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-71344409935723232822011-05-03T14:04:00.001+10:002011-05-03T14:06:37.964+10:00Teaser Tuesdays<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s1600-h/TeaserTuesdays.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397258895689845554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s320/TeaserTuesdays.jpg" style="cursor: move; display: block; height: 81px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 128px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #ffcc33;">Teaser Tuesdays</span> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</div><ul><li>Grab your current read</li>
<li>Open to a random page</li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</li>
<li>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</li>
<li>Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</li>
</ul><div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF5gUPR8NsRxsAqNurId2bK8yHKfH75tNFUOlOvFWEpA7BQJntesP7efCmWN8WqVr8BAqxQEXMe22YgokrEKgBUmNdAMGE5DA63xKDz7KBphhtOjy1L4EH_kSWm3JaLxlV4a4HCzxfkw3/s1600/TheBetrayalOfNatalieHargrove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF5gUPR8NsRxsAqNurId2bK8yHKfH75tNFUOlOvFWEpA7BQJntesP7efCmWN8WqVr8BAqxQEXMe22YgokrEKgBUmNdAMGE5DA63xKDz7KBphhtOjy1L4EH_kSWm3JaLxlV4a4HCzxfkw3/s200/TheBetrayalOfNatalieHargrove.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>"I know delusions of grandeur are not unusual in high school, but usually they're limited to quarterbacks with God complexes - not the faculty. But after our last principal was hauled away on house arrest, Palmetto was blessed with the kind of temporary fill-in whose big dreams of sitting on the Supreme Court was smashed after, oh, the fifth time he failed the South Carolina bar exam."</blockquote><br />
From page 101 of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargove by Lauren Kate.</div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-88843115357075856352011-05-01T22:18:00.059+10:002011-05-23T21:54:22.437+10:00Bookcase Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u_x30HZJ5LxcGfgLDvAcCMs4WPDoOqyI2h8kDPQOgdxDqXOHkt6uWwBMHTpobqIRP9HZBPE2X0HYZ7C4DNjW_hum43aLZA4FxnB-cFJ-WwkTfFqHMKDaTghsX3vHfxkXVSOJRqD-oy8_/s1600/DSC00107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_u_x30HZJ5LxcGfgLDvAcCMs4WPDoOqyI2h8kDPQOgdxDqXOHkt6uWwBMHTpobqIRP9HZBPE2X0HYZ7C4DNjW_hum43aLZA4FxnB-cFJ-WwkTfFqHMKDaTghsX3vHfxkXVSOJRqD-oy8_/s320/DSC00107.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I'm back. Hopefully for good this time. You'll notice that I am in the middle of updating the site so please forgive any broken links and odd images. Hopefully everything will be smoothed out shortly. <br />
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One exciting new development since my last post is that I bought new furniture for my bedroom.<br />
<a name='more'></a> This included a new bookcase! One thing you will notice is that the new bookcase is super skinny. At only 40cm across this <a href="http://www.fantasticfurniture.com.au/ViewProduct/p/storage/bookcases/max-large-narrow-bookcase">Fantastic Furniture bookcase</a> is half the width of my old one! Fortunately it is fairly deep, meaning that there is enough space to have double rows of books on most of the shelves. Rather than space, my main concern with the new shelf stability. Luckily it does come with an optional strap that you can use to nail it to the wall but so far I haven't attached it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkL8ZQb0O_AvJuhrxPb4okCJFdchbR9EhgCkRrfHvefWIgHgmOigcm0HL9MmZpumgI_swJk8Pb3UVt7ybyRKl2HL_lADhP2JuzHQg1Zf2gwIGW7W8OHKqJuHTEyDEITUvhhslzyUbQRbA/s1600/DSC00111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkL8ZQb0O_AvJuhrxPb4okCJFdchbR9EhgCkRrfHvefWIgHgmOigcm0HL9MmZpumgI_swJk8Pb3UVt7ybyRKl2HL_lADhP2JuzHQg1Zf2gwIGW7W8OHKqJuHTEyDEITUvhhslzyUbQRbA/s200/DSC00111.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>If this bookcase says anything about me it is that I am space poor (and that I love my jewelery as much as books to give up what little shelf space I have to one of my jewelery boxes). Upgrading from a single to a double bed gobbles up space. Which is why I also snagged this <a href="http://www.fantasticfurniture.com.au/ViewProduct/p/storage/cddvd-storage/avoca-2-door-cddvd-cabinet">Avoca CD/DVD Cabinet</a>. I only have one shelf worth of CDs so I used the remaining CD shelves to squeeze in more DVDs. The end result is the perfect fit for my CD and DVD collection.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3I0l5PlJfODCMxt-lKAFXlIC5p6C6R0BmBkk1Lye-He6dr8ffXY5MwnaS28nl74qbvAylAVIamB-FZRMsthL6qyzDwj2t5F2x-c7SyVbf8fg7OKkXmLvZpaJAO6zhqxhYhvEEWnIbH9I/s1600/DSC00109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3I0l5PlJfODCMxt-lKAFXlIC5p6C6R0BmBkk1Lye-He6dr8ffXY5MwnaS28nl74qbvAylAVIamB-FZRMsthL6qyzDwj2t5F2x-c7SyVbf8fg7OKkXmLvZpaJAO6zhqxhYhvEEWnIbH9I/s200/DSC00109.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I want to see YOUR bookcase!</span></b></div>Send me a photo of your bookcase along with a paragraph or two about what you love about your bookcase, what's on there, and what it says about you! Every week (here's hoping that I get some responses) I'll feature a bookshelf and happily link back to your blog or website if you have one! Please send your submisssions to <a href="mailto:terraontheshelf@gmail.com">terraontheshelf@gmail.com</a>.Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-74543799142889521652011-01-01T23:11:00.000+11:002011-01-01T23:11:57.997+11:00Bring on 2011!<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JL19WXyBv1I?fs=1&hl=en_GB&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JL19WXyBv1I?fs=1&hl=en_GB&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><br />
So, I realise that this blog has gone pretty quiet the past few months and I wanted to give a brief update. 2010 was a bit of a rough year for me and my focus ended up shifting elsewhere for a time. My intention has never been to leave this blog behind and hopefully I will start getting reviews out again in the coming days.<br />
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I have high hopes for 2011. This year I want to be happy, healthy, and read a lot of new books!<br />
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I hope you all have had a fun and safe start to 2011. Happy new year, everyone!Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-68739314941388872932010-11-02T22:45:00.000+11:002011-05-01T23:23:27.431+10:00Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJATTfsFFxUeZdMVLIuIx-R7bXvZ1AU-u9yoM46XQR7eZh2vaBAwbkwoUamfwBYQCLWC2FvqXvBnR_1xi_6vXDB06kDuK_iL8hyphenhyphen7WxCw7l4dcP1hVxAG3Ing7mX_fsqRO0zkByg_r7DRN/s1600/AlannaTheFirstAdventure01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJATTfsFFxUeZdMVLIuIx-R7bXvZ1AU-u9yoM46XQR7eZh2vaBAwbkwoUamfwBYQCLWC2FvqXvBnR_1xi_6vXDB06kDuK_iL8hyphenhyphen7WxCw7l4dcP1hVxAG3Ing7mX_fsqRO0zkByg_r7DRN/s320/AlannaTheFirstAdventure01.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> <i style="color: #45818e;">Alanna: The First Adventure</i><br />
<b>Series: </b><i style="color: #45818e;">The Song of the Lioness Quartet</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Tamora Pierce<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Atheneum<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> September, 1983<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library <br />
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<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>From the Back Cover:</b></div>Disguised as a boy, Alanna sets out to achieve her ultimate ambition: to become a knight. The struggle to prove she is as strong as the other young men demands all her determination but the need to cover her growing femininity is an entirely different challenge. And while the court magician may be her most dangerous enemy, the possibility of love may be her undoing...<br />
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<b style="color: #a64d79;">My Thoughts:</b> <br />
This one is a reread for me as part of a recent desire to revisit some childhood favourites. I think I first stumbled upon this gem around the age of ten or eleven. It was my first Tamora Pierce book and ever since this series has remained my favourite of hers.<br />
<br />
As a ten year old I loved Alanna and her commitment to reaching her goals and the easy to read nature of the books. As a twenty-one year old I still enjoy Pierce's writing style, world building, and characters but wish that the books were longer.<br />
<br />
Oh, sure, maybe I do now look at The Song of the Lioness Quartet with "rose coloured glasses" so to speak. Reading this first book in the series again was most certainly a nostalgic experience and I found myself thinking "I remember this bit!" and "oh, this scene used to be my favourite!" quite often. I believe that, more than anything, it goes to show how enjoyable a read it is for the target age group and that I do consider it to be one of the influential and memorable books that I was discovering at that time. I feel that many of the books, including this series, that I enjoyed at that age had great influence on the development of my taste in fiction right up to this day.<br />
<br />
If you have never read any Tamora Pierce then start here! If you are looking for a good fantasy series for a preteen then start here! Yes, it has its flaws including clichés and definitely a need for more detail but I consider this to be one of my treasured childhood favourites and I just have to share it. I'm not entirely sure if this is really a review or really just biased raving in disguise.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>Also Check Out:</b></div><a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/08/obernewtyn-by-isobelle-carmody.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">Obernewtyn</i> by Isobelle Carmody</a><br />
<a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/04/harry-potter-and-philosophers-stone-by.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i> by J.K. Rowling</a><br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-68238439680131782432010-11-01T22:32:00.000+11:002010-11-01T22:32:23.454+11:00Dear November...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL2LTn3vFm6pkppmRkp7HFoamGThSDl7_FkYE9Z4LU8zi4_y4ib3DoP1A_iJT8-4D2dpQaK9YFeqniUFRJo6jrgnZkgJ3xt9wcTGki_mGdxpQCLBDMvm4aJKfW-_5Rh2FlkqJsfPMm50x/s1600/BusyBusy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL2LTn3vFm6pkppmRkp7HFoamGThSDl7_FkYE9Z4LU8zi4_y4ib3DoP1A_iJT8-4D2dpQaK9YFeqniUFRJo6jrgnZkgJ3xt9wcTGki_mGdxpQCLBDMvm4aJKfW-_5Rh2FlkqJsfPMm50x/s200/BusyBusy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Please be merciful.<br />
<br />
Today I started my new full-time job, which I think started off well. I'll be spending the next six (6) months working in an university library so it's all very different, new, exciting, and occasionally confusing and exhausting. When I got home today I promptly collapsed in a heap on the couch and immersed myself in <i style="color: #45818e;">Battle for Middle-earth II</i> for several hours.<br />
<br />
As a result I have not written a word for <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> and I have for you no witty post or insightful review planned for <a href="http://www.nablopomo.com/profiles/blog/list">NaBloPoMo</a>. November is always my favourite month for creativity but it just isn't going to happen today. In fact...<br />
<br />
Dear November,<br />
<br />
Would you mind maybe going away and coming back later?<br />
<br />
Kindest, yet somewhat frazzled, regards,<br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-85011023320316192532010-10-19T07:15:00.005+11:002010-10-19T07:15:00.785+11:00Teaser Tuesdays<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s1600-h/TeaserTuesdays.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397258895689845554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s320/TeaserTuesdays.jpg" style="display: block; height: 81px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 128px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #ffcc33;">Teaser Tuesdays</span> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Grab your current read</li>
<li>Open to a random page</li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</li>
<li>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</li>
<li>Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJATTfsFFxUeZdMVLIuIx-R7bXvZ1AU-u9yoM46XQR7eZh2vaBAwbkwoUamfwBYQCLWC2FvqXvBnR_1xi_6vXDB06kDuK_iL8hyphenhyphen7WxCw7l4dcP1hVxAG3Ing7mX_fsqRO0zkByg_r7DRN/s1600/AlannaTheFirstAdventure01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJATTfsFFxUeZdMVLIuIx-R7bXvZ1AU-u9yoM46XQR7eZh2vaBAwbkwoUamfwBYQCLWC2FvqXvBnR_1xi_6vXDB06kDuK_iL8hyphenhyphen7WxCw7l4dcP1hVxAG3Ing7mX_fsqRO0zkByg_r7DRN/s200/AlannaTheFirstAdventure01.jpg" width="118" /></a></div><i>"I'm king here - more king than the man who sits atop the big hill. My people wouldn't give </i>him<i> a word in passing, but they follow my slightest wish."</i><br />
<br />
From page 61 of <i style="color: #45818e;">Alanna: The First Adventure</i> by Tamora Pierce.<br />
<br />
I've been revisiting some of my childhood favourites recently. I think I must have been maybe ten years old when I first read this book.<br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i><br />
<ul></ul>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-68614168864169161132010-10-10T10:25:00.009+11:002010-10-10T10:38:44.538+11:00Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon: Mid-Event Meme<div id="_mcePaste"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nxdoHC48y32HF-mNwB65jcs_CMknqPncrvObnIZo6TuDtfx2z9GUJwxi6sMQ5O-YMiAlanihfDWlhT72NSH_gCMYDcEwEmw06FpEMLe-JZOcMjxDCvwsQnFsNFxueVtviJtShic9d1qk/s1600/readathonbutton01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nxdoHC48y32HF-mNwB65jcs_CMknqPncrvObnIZo6TuDtfx2z9GUJwxi6sMQ5O-YMiAlanihfDWlhT72NSH_gCMYDcEwEmw06FpEMLe-JZOcMjxDCvwsQnFsNFxueVtviJtShic9d1qk/s1600/readathonbutton01.jpg" /></a></div><b>1. What are you reading right now?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Food for Life: Lifelong health from the food you eat by Michael Van Straten.</div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>2. How many books have you read so far?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">This is my first.</div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Probably <i style="color: #45818e;">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</i> as I haven't read it for a couple of years now. Mind, I was just thinking that maybe I should add <i style="color: #45818e;">John Dies at the End</i> to my reading list.</div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Nope. It's a glorious work-free Sunday here.</div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Sleep, which I learned last Read-A-Thon is important. </div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">That I have run out of pocky. Also, this post not formatting itself the way I tell it to. :( </div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">More pocky. Oh, wait. You mean suggestions for the event planners? None. It's great as always.</div><div id="_mcePaste"></div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Maybe go to be sooner so that I'd get up earlier to start reading. </div><div id="_mcePaste" style="color: black;"><b>9. Are you getting tired yet?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Nope. I'm am now awake and refreshed. </div><div id="_mcePaste"><b>10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?</b></div><div id="_mcePaste">Sleep is important. So is pocky. </div><div id="_mcePaste"><br />
</div><div id="_mcePaste"><i>Terra</i></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-54135632707423764642010-10-10T10:03:00.001+11:002010-10-10T10:04:41.916+11:00Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon: Better Late Than Never<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoVwdtQC7JvX2b3d7gIjvqrkzrtjAJkIIHwh2-hAPN09P0v8TgIh6iSCtb5dQgeSru0z80Tkdez86Az8m849Ubb0dQsz0CB3iGAMKSsTb25W5o-7I_9TAWgchYxLxOaGWBrvKg2pgA4gT/s1600/readathonbutton18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoVwdtQC7JvX2b3d7gIjvqrkzrtjAJkIIHwh2-hAPN09P0v8TgIh6iSCtb5dQgeSru0z80Tkdez86Az8m849Ubb0dQsz0CB3iGAMKSsTb25W5o-7I_9TAWgchYxLxOaGWBrvKg2pgA4gT/s1600/readathonbutton18.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Read-a-thon! Wait for meeeeee!<br />
<br />
Better late than never I an scrambling to get a start on <a href="http://24hourreadathon.com/start-times/">Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon</a>.<br />
<br />
I live in Australia so the starting time was late here and I was already so tired so I figured that it was better to get some sleep. So, here I am, now awake and refreshed and ready to get some ready done.<br />
<br />
In these last twelve hours of the Read-a-thon I will be trying to get through...<br />
<ul><li><i><span style="color: #45818e;">Food for Life</span></i> by Michael Van Straten</li>
<li><i style="color: #45818e;">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</i> by J.K. Rowling</li>
<li><i style="color: #45818e;">Hell Island</i> by Matthew Reilly</li>
</ul><br />
If I actually manage to get through those then I will continue on with <i style="color: #45818e;">The Passage</i> by Justin Cronin.<br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-27782483778741331492010-10-07T12:19:00.003+11:002011-05-01T23:23:27.439+10:00Feed by Mira Grant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wjk2Zy6sr9Rx6o5Y6-_klQQM1GpELpui1g9hVT-aZoBzYSsUrETbGWxTEd9aF19m0JblYpLQLgGlDWWRqNXUB8NSQw8zUrlDujzYy5Puo-0xfIOcZgwDUwL8QJD3pC_2EvhF4PVP-Xbe/s1600/Feed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wjk2Zy6sr9Rx6o5Y6-_klQQM1GpELpui1g9hVT-aZoBzYSsUrETbGWxTEd9aF19m0JblYpLQLgGlDWWRqNXUB8NSQw8zUrlDujzYy5Puo-0xfIOcZgwDUwL8QJD3pC_2EvhF4PVP-Xbe/s320/Feed.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> <i style="color: #45818e;">Feed</i><br />
<b>Series: </b><i style="color: #45818e;">Newsflesh</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Mira Grant<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Orbit<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> May 1, 2010<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>From the Back Cover:</b></div>The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.<br />
<br />
Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div>Four words: New. Favourite. Zombie. Book.<br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289"><i style="color: #45818e;">Feed</i> explores the impact of a zombie rising far beyond the initial fear and chaos, looking at the long term influence on media, politics, security, and medicine. </span></span>Mira Grant (pseudonym for <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289">Seanan McGuire) shows us the world in 2040 - a whole 26 years after the Rising. The panic has passed and the walking dead wanting to take a bite out of you is just another fact of life. The Rising catapulted bloggers into the spotlight as the only reliable news resource during a time when conventional news providers where under the thumb of censorship.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289">I fell in love with the cast of characters that Grant put on the page. Georgia and Shaun Mason are siblings by adoption who are closer than most brothers and sisters. They run the news blogging site, <i>After the End Times</i>, along with their friend Georgette "Buffy" Meissonier, winning themselves the career making opportunity of a lifetime - exclusive access to Senator Ryman's presidential campaign. Georgia is the "Newsie" with a passion for truth. Shaun as their "Irwin" brings in the ratings by pulling risky stunts like poking zombies with sticks. As the "Fictional" Buffy writes stories and poems to entertain the masses. Together they create a dynamic team and I enjoyed Georgia's unique voice as the narrator.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289"><i style="color: #45818e;">Feed</i> has the perfect balance of political conspiracy and zombies along with plenty of tension, action. humour, and tears that kept me up into all hours of the night unable to set it down. I eagerly await the next book in the series, <i style="color: #45818e;">Deadline</i>.</span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289"></span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer106460337"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText15590041856027520289"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>Also Check Out:</b></div><a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/11/zombie-hunters-by-jenny-romanchuk.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Zombie Hunters</i> by Jenny Romanchuck</a><br />
<a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/07/forest-of-hands-and-teeth-by-carrie.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Forest of Hands and Teeth</i> by Carrie Ryan</a><br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-31269027994544544152010-10-06T00:17:00.001+11:002010-10-06T00:19:31.157+11:00Teaser Tuesdays<div class="post-body entry-content"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s1600-h/TeaserTuesdays.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397258895689845554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s320/TeaserTuesdays.jpg" style="display: block; height: 81px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 128px;" /></a><br />
Technically fifteen minutes into Wednesday... -_-<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ffcc33;">Teaser Tuesdays</span> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Grab your current read</li>
<li>Open to a random page</li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</li>
<li>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</li>
<li>Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wjk2Zy6sr9Rx6o5Y6-_klQQM1GpELpui1g9hVT-aZoBzYSsUrETbGWxTEd9aF19m0JblYpLQLgGlDWWRqNXUB8NSQw8zUrlDujzYy5Puo-0xfIOcZgwDUwL8QJD3pC_2EvhF4PVP-Xbe/s1600/Feed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wjk2Zy6sr9Rx6o5Y6-_klQQM1GpELpui1g9hVT-aZoBzYSsUrETbGWxTEd9aF19m0JblYpLQLgGlDWWRqNXUB8NSQw8zUrlDujzYy5Puo-0xfIOcZgwDUwL8QJD3pC_2EvhF4PVP-Xbe/s200/Feed.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><i>"Actually, I decided to skip the weapons." Picking up the other two kits, I brushed past him on my way up front. "If we meet any zombies, we'll pacify them with Hostess snack cakes."</i><br />
<br />
From page 265 of <i style="color: #45818e;">Feed</i> by Mira Grant.<br />
<br />
Either there is an ongoing joke in the upper half of the world about the power of Hostess snack cakes to repel all sorts of things that go bump in the night, or Mira Grant listens to the <a href="http://www.geeksurvivalguide.org/">Geek Survival Guide</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Terra</i></div>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-64711075227234515982010-10-03T23:03:00.001+11:002011-05-01T23:23:27.445+10:00Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPRAjn_jl8W01uXjRt83pYDT5yJKwG02ZAno0ze_mnJsciWi5XSp6NpfgEGFaIR1X1BrGIixNOrQAnevcQnRofKjYAkuDaTkXmaMPJswXCLtlITgFJZZeWGHwHU3QgGSvKmOJP38XJPXR/s1600/LifeAsWeKnewIt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPRAjn_jl8W01uXjRt83pYDT5yJKwG02ZAno0ze_mnJsciWi5XSp6NpfgEGFaIR1X1BrGIixNOrQAnevcQnRofKjYAkuDaTkXmaMPJswXCLtlITgFJZZeWGHwHU3QgGSvKmOJP38XJPXR/s320/LifeAsWeKnewIt01.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> <i style="color: #45818e;">Life As We Knew It</i><br />
<b>Series: </b><i style="color: #45818e;">Last Survivors</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Susan Beth Pfeffer<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Harcourt<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> October 1, 2006<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>From the Back Cover:</b></div><span class="reviewText" id="freeText2460847080660087146">It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div>Although <i style="color: #45818e;">Life As We Knew It</i> is about the chaotic side effects of a meteor knocking the moon into orbit much closer to the Earth don't be too hasty to label it as "apocalypse" fiction so much as "survival" fiction. Much of the book is set inside Miranda's house as her family struggle to survive within without the 21st century resources that they are used to. Miranda only hears about the massive tsunamis and volcano eruptions and is spared from experiencing them. In <i style="color: #45818e;">Life As We Knew It</i> you won't see an informed overview of the world falling apart so much as the very personal story of Miranda and her family's struggle against starvation and the cold. Some readers may be dissappointed at times to miss out on the big action but I really liked Pfeffer's appoach of focusing everyday survivalism and family.<br />
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There is one thing that I think that Pfeffer does very well and that is to make me feel hungry and then to make me feel immediatel guilty about it. It really is amazing how little people know about how to survive in an emergency situation. We all like to think that we would be prepared but in reality we are so used to depending on electricty, gas, plumbing, and supermarkets to provide us with heat, running water, and food that who among us are trualy equipped to survive long term? Especially when your home environment suddenly turns so hostile.<br />
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One of my few complaints is that sometimes, especially at the start, the writing style felt a bit much like it was listing things but it is hard to say if this was intentional as <i style="color: #45818e;">Life As We Knew It</i> is in the format of Miranda's diary and the everyday venting of a seventeen year old girl can't be expected to always be a piece of art. I also felt like there were a few lose ends left open that I would have liked to see tied up.<br />
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That, and I am always a bit disappointed in survival stories when they scabble for can of foods to stock up and no one makes a point of saying: "Can openers! Grab as many can openers as you can!" It's just my pet survival thing. I mean, wouldn't it just suck to starve to death despite having all that food because something happened to your only can opener?<br />
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<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>Also Check Out:</b></div><a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/04/road-by-cormac-mccarthy.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">The Road</i> by Cormac McCarthy</a><br />
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<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-41123760476019012322010-09-28T12:04:00.000+10:002010-09-28T12:04:53.518+10:00Teaser Tuesdays<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s1600-h/TeaserTuesdays.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397258895689845554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPpyCt2yAtOHjdoGl4AGOY3bOSk56kLY0S6uSAFSP6Tn_pS1wsAQgJC9eLwdoZNaODsn17G4L6mzILiLpaDeD5iv6Ysp5P8arP0WgqoCzBQdk4h-o7srufg9D6v4BiR7mq8wIjL-zeWZl/s320/TeaserTuesdays.jpg" style="display: block; height: 81px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 128px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #ffcc33;">Teaser Tuesdays</span> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:<br />
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<ul><li>Grab your current read</li>
<li>Open to a random page</li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</li>
<li>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</li>
<li>Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPRAjn_jl8W01uXjRt83pYDT5yJKwG02ZAno0ze_mnJsciWi5XSp6NpfgEGFaIR1X1BrGIixNOrQAnevcQnRofKjYAkuDaTkXmaMPJswXCLtlITgFJZZeWGHwHU3QgGSvKmOJP38XJPXR/s1600/LifeAsWeKnewIt01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPRAjn_jl8W01uXjRt83pYDT5yJKwG02ZAno0ze_mnJsciWi5XSp6NpfgEGFaIR1X1BrGIixNOrQAnevcQnRofKjYAkuDaTkXmaMPJswXCLtlITgFJZZeWGHwHU3QgGSvKmOJP38XJPXR/s200/LifeAsWeKnewIt01.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><i>It felt weird, though, seeing them all closed, the same kind of weird when you see the moon and it's just a little too big and too bright.</i><br />
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<i>I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open.</i><br />
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From page 47 of <i style="color: #45818e;">Life As We Knew It</i> by Susan Pfeffer.<br />
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<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-9587828449086950142010-09-27T00:08:00.004+10:002010-09-27T00:10:32.168+10:00What's On the BookshelfConsidering my usual reading habits, it seems strange for me that I did not get that much reading done while I was on crutches, instead I pulled out some old PC games and allowed my mind to be consumed by <i style="color: #45818e;">Assassin's Creed</i> and <i style="color: #45818e;">Battle for Middle-earth II</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeZh50ndaotw_UY43W2_2FEIG0TGTGf-ccrQQh-XkiRnpf5M4wm63SpxdpjEGRtVW7O2JaJoUhiNgaPoe2sCqxgvc6NsVre1-M4rgaxENl0BV5g3e66Q-KVixCz2nXyR4BqYqwXp6ZK7E/s1600/JohnDiesAtTheEnd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeZh50ndaotw_UY43W2_2FEIG0TGTGf-ccrQQh-XkiRnpf5M4wm63SpxdpjEGRtVW7O2JaJoUhiNgaPoe2sCqxgvc6NsVre1-M4rgaxENl0BV5g3e66Q-KVixCz2nXyR4BqYqwXp6ZK7E/s200/JohnDiesAtTheEnd.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><b><i style="color: #45818e;">John Dies at the End</i> by David Wong</b><br />
I was thrilled when this finally turned up on my doorstep. I'd been hanging out and counting down waiting for the paperback to be released so that the Book Depository could finally ship me my pre-order. If the title sounds familiar to you it may be because it started out online as a web series. After a few years it caught the attention of indie horror publisher Permuted Press and eventually came to the attention of St. Martin's Press. Not at all bad for a story that started out online.<br />
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<b><i style="color: #45818e;">The Passage</i> by Justin Cronin</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVFDQr6CwL3vOzmeegG4hdSkIFAk_PtejbfXyPKGHSQL-URBaQ7lz2W2p6HbUNjF9ID88fw6ApLr7s-NKZ_4EBieybwbVG3oc56YnycjvtwiAcTL58aRjj2dGN-6b7cqlVM70Oeamz8wx/s1600/ThePassage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVFDQr6CwL3vOzmeegG4hdSkIFAk_PtejbfXyPKGHSQL-URBaQ7lz2W2p6HbUNjF9ID88fw6ApLr7s-NKZ_4EBieybwbVG3oc56YnycjvtwiAcTL58aRjj2dGN-6b7cqlVM70Oeamz8wx/s200/ThePassage.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Is this book in high demand right now or what! It took forever to get to the top of the library waiting list for <i style="color: #45818e;">The Passage</i> and there are more in line behind me. I just hope that I can get through all 766 of its pages before I have to pass it along! I look forward to reading a vampire story that isn't set in the school yard.<br />
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<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2767582599218462314.post-67113655617977019492010-09-25T08:25:00.001+10:002011-05-01T23:23:27.449+10:00Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnbPdwKR0tLefHJnbNMkIUReaO17NFNQENvYHpkoWk91WiDZ-uIYmPWiuM3TX-2dSmiM9r-zgZDGrXpVI3p4sKexL_A9tTGQp_BwEjTrocIWWsQ-dD-s2YBW63t0W6YbadgypUlrNwFsw/s1600/Shiver01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnbPdwKR0tLefHJnbNMkIUReaO17NFNQENvYHpkoWk91WiDZ-uIYmPWiuM3TX-2dSmiM9r-zgZDGrXpVI3p4sKexL_A9tTGQp_BwEjTrocIWWsQ-dD-s2YBW63t0W6YbadgypUlrNwFsw/s320/Shiver01.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> <i style="color: #45818e;">Shiver</i><br />
<b>Series: </b><i style="color: #45818e;">The Wolves of Mercy Falls</i><b> </b><br />
<b>Author:</b> Maggie Stiefvater<br />
<b>Publisher:</b> Scholastic Press<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 1, 2009<br />
<b>Source:</b> Library<br />
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<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>From the Back Cover:</b> </div><span class="reviewText" id="freeText4063664491773309719"><strong>The Cold</strong> <br />
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—<em>her</em> wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.</span><br />
<span class="reviewText" id="freeText4063664491773309719"> <br />
<strong>The Heat</strong> <br />
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now. <br />
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<strong>The Shiver</strong> <br />
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.</span><br />
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<div style="color: #a64d79;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></div>I had recently been feeling rather jaded with YA Paranormal Romance but in one fell swoop Maggie Stiefvater has redeemed the entire genre.<br />
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<i style="color: #45818e;">Shiver</i> is beautifully written. More than the romance, more than the unique werewolf mythology, Stiefvater had me entranced with her poetic prose. The pace is slow but steady enough that it kept me hooked. The narration passes between Sam and Grace and I came to enjoy both characters dearly. Grace is independent and level headed for her age yet a part of her still wishes for her parents to step up to the plate. The "beautiful and sad" Sam reads poetry, writes songs in his head, and struggles to come to terms with his past and impending future. Together they strike a beautiful balance. I feel like the candy shop scene captures the feel of their relationship and of this book perfectly - it's like mug of hot chocolate during the winter.<br />
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Stiefvater's mythology behind werewolves is refreshing and unique. It is the onset of winter that triggers the change from human to wolf and eventually, after a number of years of change, they will remain a wolf for the rest of their lives. Each chapter starts with the temperature. Although Fahrenheit is not used where I live, the significance of impending change was never lost on me.<br />
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I only wish that I had not waited so long to read this beautifully written book. I will not wait so long to pick up the next <i style="color: #45818e;">The Wolves of Mercy Falls</i> book, <i style="color: #45818e;">Linger</i>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Also Check Out:</span></b><br />
<a href="http://terraonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/01/fallen-by-lauren-kate.html"><i style="color: #45818e;">Fallen</i> by Lauren Kate</a><br />
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<i>Terra</i>Terrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17360534387459204322noreply@blogger.com2