Over My Head

William Blake's "The Tyger"

2009-09-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

We're reading Blake's Songs of Experience in my British Lit class and I've absolutely fallen in love with his illustrations. Thought I'd share this one of "The Tyger".

My summer of boredom...

2009-08-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone cares, but I know it's been quite awhile since I've written. And it's not because my summer has been full of exciment and thrill, trust me. I think it's just that I got in the habit of not writing after many months, and it has just stuck with me. I wish I had something interesting to write about, like summer trips, new story ideas, or book reviews (I've been rereading the Harry Potter series--I'm on the third book now, hooray for Lupin! Hooray for Sirius Black! Hooray for butterbeer!), but I don't. All I have is an old story idea I've been working on for what seems like ages (and I'm only 9 pages, not even 5,000 words into the story!), some bored hours spent shelving in the Dewey Decimal system at my new job at the library (I know--I stopped working at the bookstore and switched to the library, my aren't I adventurous. Actually, when I found out I had the job, I had this ridiculous notion that I'd be facing dangerous monsters and tricky enchantments in the lower levels just like Lirael; ha, I have never been more wrong in my life, unless you consider the Dewey Decimal system to be a monster).
Anyway, I have absolutely nothing good to show you, so I thought I might include a picture from my travels in Amsterdam last summer (instead of doing one big post on my trip, I'll include one picture with every post I write, including a description of said picture).

Click on the picture for a larger image

This is the view from the kitchen of my cousin's apartment in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I just love love love the apartments in Amsterdam (well, okay, I could do without the ankle-twisting dutch staircases)--especially if they have those cute little garden houses in the back like this one does!

More later,
Sookie :-)

One of my favorite books

2009-06-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is from one of my favorite books by Ellen Hopkins. Identical is one of those books that are so terrible, scary, but good, you just don't think you'll make it through. However, Ellen Hopkins really makes you care about her characters, makes you want to see Kaeleigh and Raeanne's struggle for freedom, even if it's not such a happily ever after ending. Identical is hauntingly, but wonderfully written in Ellen Hopkin's usual style.

Raeanne
Mirror, Mirror

When I look into a
mirror,
it is her face I see.
her right is my left, double
moles, dimple and all.
My right is her left,
unblemished.

We are exact
opposites,
Kaeleigh and me.
Mirror-image identical
twins. One egg, one sperm,
one zygote, divided,
sharing one complete
set of genetic markers.

On the outside
we are the same. But not
the inside. I think
she is the egg, so
much like our mother
it makes me want to scream.
Cold.
Controlled.
That makes me the sperm,
I guess. I take completely
after our father.
All Daddy, that's me.
Codependant.
Cowardly.
Good, bad. Left, right.
Kaeleigh and Raeanne.
One egg, one sperm.
One being, split in two.

And how many
souls?

much love,
Sookie

ps. sorry, I know this isn't much of a review, but I'm not sure any review would do this book justice--it's just got so much to it. I would recommend this book for ages fourteen or older. It is definitely NOT a light read (but in this case that's a good thing).

The Water Mirror (Dark Relfections, Book 1) by Kai Meyer

2009-06-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

Merle is an orphan in Venice in the 1800's. But her Venice is a much different Venice than we know. Of course there is the Doge's palace, the gondolas, the canals and such, but this Venice is also home to stone lions (some with wings) that prowl the city, mermaids with sharks' mouths that swim in the canals, and, of course, the Flowing Queen--a goddess of the mermaids and the source of the canals. Merle and her new found friend (who is blind) Junipa are apprenticed to Arcimboldo--the magic mirror maker. For both girls this apprenticeship means a new found freedom from their orphanage, it also means an end to Junipa's blindness as well (but at a stange cost). While apprenticed at Arcimboldo's shop Merle meets a master thief under the age of fifteen, a mermaid with legs, The Ancient Traiter (the last talking, winged lion), and the Flowing Queen herself! Among many others.

I thouroughly enjoyed The Water Mirror. For the most part it was interesting and had wonderfully crafted world with many inventive creatures, who wouldn't want to ride on the back of a huge, winged, obsidian lion? But although I enjoyed it, the book was strangely put togeteher--some things needed to be explained (although I suppose the author was trying to leave loose ends for the rest of the books in the trilogy to pick up). From what I've heard of the next book in the trilogy, The Stone Light, I'm not sure I want to read it. But The Water Mirror is definitely worth reading if you love well-woven fantasy--which I do.

It's just, for once in my life, I feel...Wicked

2009-06-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'd been told by many of my friends just how awesome the musical Wicked is, but I don't think I could have believed them until I actually saw it (last night). I absolutely fell in love with this play--the concept that the Wicked Witch of the West isn't actually wicked at all, that Glinda (Galinda) the Good wasn't actually that good... And of course I loved all the songs (Popular and Defying Gravity are my favorites!). The costumes and set were amazing! It's definitely a play worth seeing at least five times (even if you have nosebleed tickets...which is what we had).

I've been on Hiatus for Nearly NINE Months!

2009-06-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

The header of this entry is totally true. I’ve been on a hiatus. Although why I didn’t inform anyone, contact anyone, or write anyone in nine months is unknown to me. Trust me, I thought about it often—coming back, writing a post or two on what I was reading (mostly textbooks), how crazy college is, or just putting up a post that said “On Hiatus, Come Back Later.”
And why didn’t you? You might ask. I think it’s probably because I needed a break—a long, long break from blogging. My freshmen year of college was coming up and I wanted to experience everything, without many attachments to anything else. Does this excuse me for not contacting my blogging friends? No. I wish I had kept in contact.
I feel so bad about just picking up and leaving. But, I’m coming back again. I missed reviewing books, my friends, and writing in a blog nearly everyday so much. First things first: I’m hoping to post an entry on my trip to Amsterdam (with photos!). I also want to post my Best Books of 2008 post since I never did that this year. There are also so many books I want to review—right now I’m reading Ever and enjoying every minute of it! As well as some manga books I’ve been wanting to review as well (who knew I’d turn out to absolutely LOVE manga?). As far as writing goes, I’ve been neglecting my nanowrimo novel since I started it. Unfortunately, college doesn’t offer much time for writing. Something I hope to remedy when I take MY FIRST CREATIVE WRITING COURSE EVER NEXT SPRING!!!!! (You can’t tell I’m excited at all, can you?)
I look forward to reading everyone’s blogs and book reviews. I’m so thrilled to start blogging again!

Much love,
Sookie

ps. Who is looking foward to reading Sarah Beth Durst's Ice this fall? I know I am!

So sorry

2008-08-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

College is so busy that I haven't gotten to write in my blog once since it started!
And this will be an annoyingly short post since I have to meet my friends in the cafeteria in about fifteen minutes.
It's just that I'm taking Mythology this semester (woot!) and was reading over the story of Cupid and Psyche (my new favorite myth) in Edith Hamilton's Mythology and found this little gem to remind me of my major (Psychology):
(this is the very end after Psyche has gone through her trials and finally marries Cupid)

"Love and the Soul (for that is what Psyche means) had sought and, after sore trials, found each other; and that union could never be broken."
-p134 Mythology

Meme!!!!

2008-08-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Found this one at My Spare Oom (Thanks Raewyn!). I said that one of the last things I'd like to post on this journal is a meme. So here goes....

I am: a slightly neurotic, Texan girl with many different homes, many different families, a pen in my pocket, and a song stuck in my head (always).

I think: therefore I am.

I know: five things to be true. 1). Happiness can never really be obtained, it just happens when you least expect it 2.) God is with me always 3.) I want to help people when I "grow up" 4.) I want to write stories for a living 5.) hair dye is a fickle friend. The box may say "Vivid Auburn Dreams" (or something of the like), but if you come out of the shower with your hair looking like the animated monster "The Swamp Thing" the next morning, customer service really really really doesn't care.

I have: a pink panther-head lamp (honest!). It makes my whole room look pink at night when I turn it on. (It was one of those Christmas gifts I could never get rid of, go figure.)

I wish: I had more time.

I hate: being labeled.

I miss: Europe.

I fear: that I'll never make it past remedial math in college.

I feel: sad that I have to go, but happy that a new stage of my life is about to begin. There's a quote from House (one my fave TV shows) that sums up my feelings on this. "Life is just a series of rooms, and who you get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what your life will be." I will miss the last room, and the people within it. But I'm excited to meet the new people as well.

I hear: the buzz of the air conditioner, the "clack clack" of my typing, the many different sounds coming from my stereo where I'm playing a mixed CD that a friend made me--piano, drums, singing, even violin and clarinet.

I smell: my aunt's famous dark chocolate fudge that she made for me as a going away present.

I crave: chocolate

I search: my suitcase to see if I've packed my favorite "I Heart Netherlands" socks that I got in Amsterdam.

I wonder: about many things; mostly about how strange and wonderful and terrifying it is to say goodbye.

I regret: nothing. I've made many "mistakes" in the past, messed up plenty of times, but I count those experiences as lessons that I needed, that's why I try my hardest to regret nothing and move onward.

I love: many many people; my family, my friends, my best friend since fourth grade; I also love good music, good books, and writing in my journal.

I ache: because I feel like I don't have enough time

I am not: an idiot, a jock, a musician, a good driver, a mathmatician, good with change

I believe: in many things. Today I believe that the eyes of God must be green--green and wise and ever-seeing. Not jungle fern green or dark forest green, but the glassy bluish green of the sea, or like the murky waters of the byous in East Texas. Or maybe even the green-ish gray of the sky right before it is about to storm.

I dance: to feel lighter; when I dance ballet--sometimes I feel so light that I could fly.

I sing: only when no one is listening.

I cry: because I'm a human being--I don't believe that it makes me weak if I cry. I think it's natural and not at all childish--seeing as how I've seen people cry at every stage of life.

I don't always: know what I'm doing; I try to go with the flow--but in some situations I feel completely unprepared.

I fight: with my mom. Frequently. It's terrible, I don't like it. But it happens.

I write: everyday, about everything. From vampires to the particularly repugnant smell of socks before I put them in the washing machine.

I win: every game of connect four that I've ever played.

I lose: time very easily.

I never: think before I speak (it's a terrible habit, one I'm trying to curb at the moment), double-check anything, smoke

I always: worry about the future way too much, get ahead of myself, write on my laptop before I go to bed.

I confuse: myself and other people very easily.

I listen: to everything. Other people's conversations, background noise, music, my friends' voices as they talk

I can usually be found: reading a good book, writing on my laptop, shopping at Barnes and Nobles, at home watching an episode of House, or at the studio dancing.

I am scared: about the future, for my friend who obsesses over her wieght, for a child I know who has been abused and is not responding to therapy.

I need: to know that things will all work out in the end, new guitar strings, a new patch for the raggedy old jacket I've worn since freshmen year in high school.

I am happy about: my new life, getting to take an upper level English course my first year (THANK YOU AP TESTS!!!!)

I imagine: that one day perhaps I will meet all of my awesome blogger friends in real life :-)

My that was a long tag! But it was certainly awesome ^.^

Tantalize By Cynthia Leititch Smith

2008-08-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Quincie Morris is just your average teenager...if you call being best friends with a hybrid werewolf/human since childhood and running a vampire-themed restaurant (Sanguini's: A Very Rare Restaurant) in Austin, Texas normal. As the grand opening of the restaurant looms nearer and nearer, and with the tragic murder of Sanguini's former chef, Vaggio, ever hanging over her head, can Quincie turn the seemingly normal Henry "Bradley" Johnson, the new chef, into a fanged masterpiece. Or does Bradley have sinister secrets of his own?

I picked up this book because I am an avid reader of anything in the vampire and werewolf genre. And because I love the idea of a vampire-themed restaurant in Austin (only about an hour away from my hometown). The pace was fast, the characters interesting and multi-dimensional. The only real problem I have with Tantalize is that the author does not really bring her own ideas into the mix for the creatures. They were really just standard. It also seemed like she used quite a bit of material from Sunshine (by Robin McKinley)--at least for the were-creatures.
However, I still enjoyed this book immensely. What can I say? I was tantalized.
I give Tantalize a three & 1/2 out of five. And I'd recommend this book for ages 14+.

Y'all have a nice weekend,
Sookie

WHOOPS!!!!!

2008-08-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

That last post was supposed to be saved as a draft and then published!!!! I'm not leaving yet!!!!
I realized that I had accidentally pushed the "publish post" button after writing that draft instead of saving it (muscle memory--I almost always publish what I've just written without perfecting it--a bad habit) this morning when I pulled up my blog to change the book covers under "currently devouring". I also realized that several people had already read draft 1 of my official goodbye post (which I want to perfect) and left the sweetest comments ever! Thanks so much guys, I will miss ya'll so much. However, it isn't the end yet.
I will STILL BE HERE for about a week and a half, and I'd like to think that I'll have time to write a book review or two on my holidays this year (Thanksgiving, Christmas).
Anywho, there are still somethings I'd like to do.
I'm such a chronic list-maker that I've made a list:
1. Write book reviews for Trouble and Breaking Dawn. (The latter will be torturous since I have mixed emotions about the book).
2. Since I never really was able to make the website look the way I wanted it to, I want to display some of the work I've done in the past couple of months.
3. Do one last meme (tag)--I love those things.

I really will miss the blogging world :-(
but I'm not quite done yet!!!
~Sookie

Saying Goodbye.....

2008-08-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again. ~William Shakespeare

Fare thee well! and if for ever,
Still for ever, fare thee well.
~Lord Byron

Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart. ~Washington Irving

Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave. ~William Shakespeare

First of all, I'm so sorry to all of my awesome blogging friends that I've been sort of distant. I haven't posted as much as I used to because I'm dealing with a lot of real world stuff that isn't quite as fun as blogging and book-reviewing have been. However, its necessary that I now focus on that instead blogging, it's sad for me to say that, but it's true.
I'm so glad I got the time to meet some really awesome people in this blogger-world, that I wouldn't have otherwise--may we meet again someday!
I'm terrible at goodbyes, so I'll try to make this as short as possible--I feel awful because I need to get my priorities in line, and some things have to go...and one of those things is my blogging (though not my writing in general, I'm still writing). If I feel someday that I can do it again, then I'll pick it back up. But not for a long while.
I'll still read and comment on my friends' blogs, but I may not do so as often as I used to (I know I haven't been keeping that up for the past few months as often as I ought to).
I'm so sorry that I have to leave!
Don't miss me too much :-)
Adiós,
Sookie

EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-31T17:08:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you're a fan of the Twilight Series, you probably know why I'm excited---BREAKING DAWN COMES OUT TOMMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!

One of my Favorite Poems....

2008-07-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

I just though today was a good day to post this, since I've had to do research on Changelings (Fairy children, switched for human children) in Scandinavia.
Enjoy!
The Stolen Child
W.B. Yeats

Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we've hid out faery vats,
Full of berries
And the reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim grey sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances,
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters of the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal-chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery hand in hand,
From a world more full of weeping than he can understand.

If anyone is annoyed with High School Musical...

2008-07-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

...and loves making fun of it, they should watch THIS video.
*Note: there's a little bit of language and slight gore at the end, and Zac Effron is mocked mercilessly, so if you like him...I wouldn't recommend it to you.

Quote of the Day

2008-07-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

From Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt

"'Get away,' he said again. 'Black dog, get away.'
...
First, Black Dog had a home and a name.
Second, the telephone rang. It was the hospital."

I'm currently reading Trouble (which I will post a review of sometime soon) and Tales from the Secret Annex which is some of Anne Frank's essays and stories. I picked it up from the Anne Frank Museum.

Art Therapy

2008-07-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to you?

Right now I'm in a terrible process--frantically deciding what I should major in for college. I understand that for the next two years (because of Gen Ed requirements) I won't really need to know what my major(s) is (or are). But I want to know. I don't want to be one of those people aimlessly wandering around campus (figuratively)who don't really know what they're going to do. The University that I am going to is one of the few in Texas with a Creative Writing major and minor. I chose it for this reason (among others). So I know I want to do something with that. But I've also wondered about being an art therapist--a psychotherapist who helps troubled, traumatized, or mentally ill patients express their emotions through images, word-pictures, and other artistic ways. But the thing is--I know my writing will suffer.
It's most likely draining and involved work--and I'd barely make my fifteen minutes a day!

Whoah! This is possibly the most serious post I've written--but I needed to get it out!
Now I don't feel the to bang my head up against the wall and mutter *angst* *angst* *angst*.

Summer Senses Tag

2008-07-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Rules: List the things you love about summer for each of the five senses and tag five people at the end. Simple!

Taste: the nutmeg-sweet taste of spikooke (spice cake--and I'm sure I'm not spelling it right!) in Amsterdam, glorious cream puffs in the French countryside, bitter dark chocolate with tart raspberry jam, fresh warm bread anywhere in Europe (but especially in France), and excellent queso and homemade tortillas here at home

Touch: the burning Texas sun pouring down on my skin at 10 in the morning; my fingers poised lightly, tentatively on the keys of my laptop before working on my novel, the fire-hot touch of my steering wheel of my car having been at the campus parking lot for an hour or more while I'm in class

Sight: the Belgian countryside--with red bricked roofs of distant villages nestled in the lush forestry miles off of the highway; rows and rows of spinning windmills in The Hague, the Notre Dame, all the colors of spray-in haircolor at Sally Hansen's while me and my friend decide whether to color our hair blue, green, pink, or purple (I went with pink--next time I'll go with purple).

Smell: the fruity smell of a mango bubbletea on Chinastreet in Amsterdam, the smell of fresh-baked bread in France, the fresh, sweet smell of strawberries

Auditory: hearing swear words in Dutch, Flemmish, and French (occasionally even in Spanish!), hearing all the Brit and Australian accents from the many tourists in Amsterdam, hearing Coldplay's awesome new CD, hearing the click-click of my keys as I type

Quote of the Day

2008-07-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

"The Bagginses had lived in the neighborhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected....This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and he found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected."

~ From The Hobbit

Happy Independance Day!

2008-07-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know I'm a day late--but I still thought I'd post that.
Anyway--I'm currently rereading a childhood favorite of mine: The Hobbit.
Isn't it strange that a book I enjoyed at eleven is still enjoyable to me today, when I'm nineteen? (It's the same thing with Ella Enchanted.) Strange and wonderful.
I've heard rumors of The Hobbit becoming a movie and directed by Peter Jackson (as with LOTR). Has anyone heard anything else on that front?
Sorry for such a short post!
~Sookie

Yay! Meme!

2008-06-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so...I was not exactly tagged for this one, but when I saw it I decided to do it anyway....

Here are the rules:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your summer. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

1. Memories--Within Temptation
2. Space Dementia--Muse
3. Music of the Night--from Phantom of the Opera
4. Nemo--Night Wish
5. Lola--The Kinks
6. Fly Me to the Moon--Frank Sinatra
7. Season of the Witch--Donovan

Okay, so I'm pretty sure that everyone's been tagged with this already (I've been gone too long!) so I'll just say that I tag the first seven people who see this, haven't done it yet, and want to do it.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

2008-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Woot! I'm back! I would love to put up some pictures of my trip (ended up going to Belgium, too!) but my camera was stolen the day before I left!!!!! Eesh! I am still so mad!!!
And I would love to give a minute-by-minute report of my trip but the Jet Lag has definitely caught up to me....and I have about fifty-eight relatives and friends all waiting for me to call and tell them how the trip went!
So I think I'll review the book I brought with me on the trip instead....
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima is about your typical sixteen year old boy living in small-town America. The only things that make Jack Swift a little different are the medicine he has to take and the wicked scar above his heart.
One day Jack forgets to take his medicine....but he feels great--he's stronger, more confident and more focused. Everything is just peachy until Jack loses control and makes Garret Lobeck, a bully who is dating his ex-girlfriend, fly into the net inexplicably during soccer team tryouts.
And after a near-death incident that involved plucking a magical sword out of his ancestor's grave and a man that could throw fire, Jack realizes that he is not who he thought he was and that no one and nothing in his life is as it seems.
Jack is actually a warrior heir--one of the few left--to a secret, magical underground society called the Weir. And his life will never be the same....

I enjoyed The Warrior Heir very much--I loved the blended magical and historical elements of this book. I think anyone who enjoys YA fantasy fiction will definitely appreciate this book. And I certainly think it's worth reading. The Warrior Heir is the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day...or in a plane (as I was). And I'm looking forward to read its companion--The Wizard Heir.

Bye now!
~Sookie

Prince Caspian, The Abhorsen series, & Europe (!)

2008-06-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

Woot! Saw Prince Caspian today. I should probably write an official review, but unfortunately I don't have time.
I was going to write a review for the Abhorsen series (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen), but I don't have time for that either (I'll get to the reason in a second).
But here's what I think (quickly) of both.
Prince Caspian: Reepicheep pretty much rocks! Ben Barnes pretty much owned Prince Caspian, but Edmund is still my favorite character (in the books and movies). I really did like Prince Caspian--it had a much darker feel to it and I certainly like the way it was interpreted. As for the added stuff (Susan/Caspian romance, Caspian/Peter rivalry), I didn't think it was too bad--certainly not bad enough to make Mr. Lewis turn in his grave. But that's just my opinion.

The Abhorsen series: love love loved!!! This is a must-read series for anyone who is a fan of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. I just can't say enough how much I loved these books! (And the Disreputable Dog!)....(and Mogget too!)

Anyway--as of tomorrow I'm going international. Paris and Brussels here I come baby! I'm just so excited--and I haven't even finished packing!
I'll try to take lots of pictures!
Bonjour,
Sookie

Woot!

2008-06-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I promised to post on how I did at the Twilight Manips Twilight poster challenge.

Here's my poster:

And here's the prize I won:

I was really surprised--this was the first graphics contest I entered, so I expected not to place at all!

But anyway: that name on the banner--The Owl Perch--that's the livejournal account I set up for this fall.
I've absolutely had a blast on Blogger, but I knew all along this year that I'd need to switch if I wanted to post more graphics.
Still...Blogger has sentimental value...it'll be hard to let go!!!!

Right now I'm currently reading Sabriel by Garth Nix, and loving it--so hopefully I'll get to post my review soon!

FIVE tag

2008-05-25T13:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I wasn't really tagged with this one, but I wanted to do it anyway....

What were you doing five years ago?

Five years ago I was technically just out of seventh grade and was probably at Cheerleading camp (yikes! Glad I didn't do any Cheering in high school! Me and Cheerleading are not a good mix)

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

1. Pick up the shiny National Honor Society stole thingy (not sure I'm spelling that correctly)
2. Eat white chocolate chips
3. make some calls
4. take a bath & straighten hair
5. Graduate!!!!!!

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. White chocolate chips (they’re my weakness!)
2. Low-sodium pretzels (I just love saying low-sodium—it makes me feel like I’m actually eating healthy!)
3. Ice cream
4. raisins
5. Sonic tater tots with cheese (gotta have the cheese!)

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Buy lots and lots of books
2. Buy my college education to Rice University (where I’d like to go if I had money)
3. Buy more books
4. Buy a new bicycle
5. Solve world hunger

What are five of your bad habits?
1. being clueless
2. Making constant excuses
3. Almost always being off in my own world
4. Eating too many of the aforementioned white chocolate chips
5. Having a lead foot in my car (I need speed)

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. My very first job was Baby-sitting
2. Writer (still currently occupied in that position!!!)
3. Blogger (dido as above)
4. Graphic/Web Designer (dido again)
5. Cashier at a book store

Hmmm...I tag any five people who wish to do this one.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary. E. Pearson

2008-05-23T19:09:00.001-07:00

WOW. Wow is all I can say at the moment. This book offers so much: a look at how the future might be, romance, and even good humor.
I think this is officially my favorite read so far in 2008. Just wow.
I'm not even sure I can sum up how wonderfully written Jenna's story is.
But I'd encourage anyone to read it--whether you like YA or not, or Sci-fi or not (I'm not even technically sure you can classify Jenna as sci-fi).

Jenna Fox is a teenager who's just woken up from a coma sometime in the future.
She tries desparately to figure out who she really is, or was. But there is something a bit strange about the way her family acts around her, particularly her grandmother, Lily, who for some unknowable reason, hates Jenna.
There is also something strange about how much her parents shelter her, and how she has not been visited by any former friends.
She will soon discver the mysteries in her life, including how it is possible for her to be alive.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a story about what could very well be possible in the future, and about one seventeen-year-old's struggle to fit in her own strange skin.

I loved this book from start to finish!

~Sookie

ACK!

2008-05-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all I have to say.
(That's why I haven't written in awhile. After Graduation I'll post my review of Jenna)

~Sookie

Twilight Poster Challenge

2008-05-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm loving livejournal more and more these days...
There is a Twilight graphics community (Twilight Manips) I've been looking around at for awhile, and just discovered they have Twilight poster contest--I HAD to enter!!!!
Here is the link if you wish to check it out as well:
Twilight Poster Challenge

Tagged!

2008-05-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Books and Love.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.

The nearest book....
She opened it, stared at it, and absentmindedly unscrewed her pen, as if she were thinking of making some notes.
But all the time she was praying, Oh please, please, make him stop being angry with me. But was God listening? Or was he relaxing on the sofa with a beer, having switched on his answerphone?
Maybe she should write a letter to Fred, a crawling, imploring apology offering him her services as slave for life if he would forgive.

I tag anyone who has an interest in doing this...

(the sentences are from Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb)

In response to everyone's comments on my last post....

2008-05-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

AHHHHH!!!!!
I'm on Stephenie Meyer's website!
Ahhhhh!!!!
Shall I be stalked? Am I famous enough to be on TV?
Oh no--I can just see the ocean of reporters coming to report--
(The more serious will ask...)
What does Sookie think about the War in Iraq?
Does Sookie endorse Baraq Obama's Campaign? (I don't, by the way)
What was Sookie's first reaction to seeing her blog's name and link on Stephenie Meyer's website?
Did you drool just a little? (*blushes* yes)
(The less serious will ask...)
What is Sookie's favorite color? (fashion designers will rush to make all their latest fashions in the color red!!!)
What is Sookie's favorite ice cream flavor? (Baskin and Robin's will stock nothing but Daquiri Ice!)

Okay, okay...so that's a BIT of an overreaction....

I can probably still walk down the street without someone pointing out "Hey, there's that chick who's blog link made it on the SM website, let's hide in her trash can and take pictures of her while she's brushing her teeth and then sell them to the tabloids..."

Tee Hee.
I'm just honored.

♥,
Sookie

My Pen Name

2008-05-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to This Link (from Miss Erin), I now know what my pen name is going to be...
And here it is:
*drumroll*

Stephenie Bubba Luna

Yeah...hmmm...I don't think so many people would buy my book...

Novel Difficulties

2008-04-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yays! The Senior Trip was amazing--and Texas countryside is beautiful as always.
But while I'm busy bringing up my grades for that final transcript, worrying about prom dresses, and taking loads of pictures (This is the last month! I want to remember this!), my writing has suffered.
I've switched from story idea to story idea, and I've barely enough time to write a single chapter!
Is anyone else struggling like this?
There are just some days where I want to forget it all...and then all of a sudden a random, crazy, but exciting idea for a story comes to mind and then BAM! I'm hooked.
I hope once high school and June (a month which will be REALLY busy for me) are over, I'll have time to do some serious writing.
Ooh...on a good note--you know that trip to Paris I've been meaning to take? Well it's all finally okayed. I'm going to the city of love (and bread) this June! Yays again!
♥,
Sookie

The Decision is Definite...

2008-04-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

I'm switching to Live Journal in May.
Why Live Journal? You may ask.
I think it will suit my blogging needs better. Blogger has been great for the almost two years (!) I've been blogging.
But it will definitely be time for a change...
I hope everyone will come and visit me there!
I'll still do all of my book reviews (because there are still so many books to read!), but I also plan to do graphics too (and LJ is definitely graphics-friendly).
Oh and speaking of that graphics website I babbled about back in February?
Well...it's coming along rather slowly.
It will probably not be done for a few weeks.
Oh, and does anyone have any reccomendations for a good Beach Book? (You know...summer love, girl drama, bronzy tans and strappy sandals--something with the perfect mood for just lounging around the beach...or in my case, the lake).
My Senior Trip is coming up soon! (And I definitely plan to do some tanning!)
Texas Countryside Here We Come!!!!! (Woot! class of '08!)
(Okay, as you can see--the senioritis has caught up with me--such a deadly disease!)

EEKS! Book Choices!

2008-04-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, so in about forty days or so, I will be graduating. And after summer, I will be going to college (*sweat*).
I'm making myself compose a list (chronic list-maker, I am) of all the things I'm going to take from the stuff I already have.
And well, I have to say I'm a little nervous about the Books part. I've seen the dorm rooms in the residence hall I hope to get in. And let me tell you, the word microscopic comes to mind.
There isn't enough room for one person's stuff, much less for two people!
That's why I've decided, gulp, to only bring ten books. Yes ten! (*dies*).
The Twilight Series (minus Eclipse--I wasn't so wild about book #3, but I'll have book four by then) and Harry Potter #7 will be the ONLY HARDCOVERS! Yikes!
In the ten books I plan to bring Ella Enchanted, Speak,Wuthering Heights,A Great and Terrible Beauty, and The Goose Girl.
Now I know I'm being ridiculous and I probably should only bring, like, three since there won't be any time for reading.
By the time everything else is packed, there probably won't be room for books.
But oh well, this is what I've decided.

Hilarious!

2008-04-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yet another Harry Potter meets Country Song Youtube video (except I think this is my favorite!)

The Truth About Forver by Sarah Dessen

2008-04-09T17:09:00.000-07:00

Now, I know what you're going to think as soon as you see the title and cover of Truth. But it's one of the books I read on hiatus (yes, I read more than Ophelia), and I have to say, I enjoyed it very much. Sarah Dessen is a very talented author (she also wrote This Lullaby, one of my favorites), she has a way to make you really care about her characters. The plot might not necesarily have been riveting, but there is a natural suspence you feel about getting to see what her characters do or go through next. I recommend this book for 14+, since there is a bit of language.

Macy is not looking foward to this summer. Her boyfriend is going off to "brain camp", and she is stuck working his job at the info desk at the library, where her co-workers frequently ignore her. With her father dying just recently, and her mother constantly in work mode, Macy is lonely and doesn't expect the word "fun" to come up by any chance.
But that's just what happens.
Macy meets the Wish Catering crew: chaos-driven Delia, the zany Kristy, monotone Monica, doomsday-er Bert, and best of all...Wes. Wes, who intrigues Macy by his artistic talents--and his attractiveness. Wes, who already has a girlfriend, but who befriends Macy. Wes, who teaches Macy the truth about forever and gives her the strength to stop mourning her father.

Five Crazy Things I did When I was a Little Kid

2008-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

1. I wrote a sequel to The Bronze Bow that involved my favorite pop artist at the time.
2. Well I'm not really sure if this counts as ME being crazy, but when I was little my aunt had three pet snakes and she'd put one around my neck as a necklace and taught me how to take care of them, how to milk the venom...etc. To this day I'm not really afraid of snakes as most people are. (But it was a crazy experience!)
3. My parents had geese, so I got this bright idea when I was six (after watching Fly Away Home too many times) that I would get a few of their eggs and incubate them. My grandpa bought the incubator, and my dad helped me find four relatively unblemished eggs--and bam! After a few months of turning them over constantly and shining a flashlight through them to see the growth--I had four new geese (or goslings?)! And yes, they really do follow you around in a single-file line like lost puppies ^_^
4. I begged my dad to read me Goosebumps books night after night and I got wicked nightmares...
5. I (accidently) called my grandmother a vampire (again I say accidently).
I was about three years old and I said something along the lines of
"Don't worry that you're old, grandma, you're a vampire!" My mom still bursts out laughing when someone brings it up (CURSE GOOSEBUMPS FOR GIVING ME IDEAS!!!!)

YAY!!!!!

2008-04-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

YAYNESS! Hiatus is over!
Now that it is, I'll be able to check everyone's blogs more often. And, of course, post.
Actually, I'd like to expound on that project I mention a month earlier.
I'm re-telling Beaty and the Beast and setting it in modern times.
No really, I am.
It's because I've never found a modern adaption that I really like. Robin McKinley's Beauty is my favorite re-telling, because it keeps so close to the story.
I hope to do this also--but put it into our world (and add in my own "flair" ^_^).
Which has been SUCH a challenge.
I'm beginning to figure out that I sort of like challenges...
But anyway, that's all I'm telling right now. Maybe I'll put up an excerpt sometime when I get it all worked out.
Anyway, that's all.
Have a great day!
Peace,
Sookie ^_^

Tag

2008-03-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still on Hiatus until April 1st, but I thought I'd do this tag anyway.
I was tagged by The Book Adorer to write six random, unimportant things about me.

Hmm...Okay, here goes.

1. I can play the guitar (not too well, but a little. Chords and a few songs--mostly Norah Jones or Buddy Holly).
2. I've dyed my hair a total of five times. The first was a disaster!
3. In the third grade I was dared to kiss a tree...and ew! I did.
I will never think of bark the same way again (*shivers*)
4. I make the best brownies known to mankind (man that sounds conceited, but it really is true).
5. I hate rap music
6. Sushi scares me

And there you go! 6 random things about moi

~Sookie

March Hiatus

2008-02-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Despite the fact that I haven't been posting anything much, I'm still taking a hiatus in this upcoming month. Don't worry--I'm not giving up on blogging altogether. And maybe I'll even post a book review or two during March...but that's only a maybe. I've been very bad about keeping up with everyone's blogs, so forgive me if I haven't read your stuff like I usually do. Or if I'm not answering questions...I'm still here. It's just that right now I'm double-busy. But now that I'm on hiatus, it'll FINALLY give me some extra time to write. I've been working on this one project for over a month...I'll give you a sample when it's polished to perfection! (Right now it's resembling something worse than the plot lines of High School Musical, and to me that be very bad indeed >.<)
Best regards,
Sookie

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

2008-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

A Curse Dark as Gold

Charlotte Miller and her sister are left practically destitute after the death of their father.
Charlotte has never believed any of that superstitious nonsense--the curse that is said to be on their mill and its male heirs...
But after one too many things gone wrong, Charlotte is forced to find help from an outside source.
Enter Jack Spinner, who changes Charlotte's life (not always for the better) and turns her whole world upside down with his magical abilities.
Curse is a retelling of the fairytale "Rumplestiltskin".

This book was extardordinary. Dare I say...golden?
After that whorl-wind of an ending, I'm still trying to figure out whether I liked it or not.
One thing that definitely shines through is the writing--Elizabeth C. Bunce's ability to capture her readers in the creepy atmosphere of Curse is amazing.
This is one book you don't want to miss!

Bicycling. Blogging. Books. Tennis????

2008-02-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I haven't exactly kept to my two-posts-a-week goal. My current schedule is hardly condusive to blogging. Or reading.
Despite the latter fact, I bought Elizabeth C. Bunce's A Curse Dark as Gold today. I didn't think it was coming out for awhile...but I saw it at the bookstore, so I picked it up.
Then I went bicycle shopping. I haven't ridden since before my age was two digits. (Maybe six? Maybe eight?)
As soon as I get my new bike (I already know what I want--I'm picky: it has to have 21 speeds, an aluminum frame, 24" wheels ,hey, don't look at me like that, I'm short!, front and rear suspension, and please please be light blue, blue, or green, no pink or purple!), I know I'll fall right off. But oh well--I've decided that I'm going to bike my way around campus (whichever college I end up choosing).
Ooh--exciting news on that front! This week I was accepted to Stephen F. Austen University. YAY YAY YIGGEDY YAY! I thought it was so funny--my acceptance letter said "You're a Lumberjack!" and I was like, what???? (My brain kinda fries after tennis practice), then I figured out that the lumberjack is the school's mascot. (*breathes a sigh of relief* I cannnot do anything involving an axe or tree cutting).
Anyway, speaking of tennis.....
The season just started up again. In celebration I made this *very simple* little ad for a tennis supply store. It's animated is on the most basic level--but I still love it:

I'm thinking of adding it to the Gogu Graphics website.

Anyway,
I am so, so sorry I haven't been able to keep up with everyone's blogs the way I want to. I will try to do better this week....

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

2008-02-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Host by Stephenie Meyer is not yet published so I'll do my best not to spoil anything for those of you without an ARC (Muchos Gracias to Em for ARC, by the way ^_^).

Wanderer is a "soul": a parasitic alien who can only survive inside a host body. But she has never really felt like she belongs in her souls' worlds, though she's visited many planets (hence the name).
When she is inserted into a rebel human body, one of the last survivors of the aliens' takeover, she never could expect this--Melanie, the host, has survived and remains in tact along with Wanderer's soul.
Melanie isn't willing to give up on surviving: she torments Wanderer with dreams and memories of another surviving human: a young man. Jared.
Wanderer soon recognizes her own feelings for this man she has never met--and leaves the ever-serene (ever-boring) world of the souls for a much more turbulent one: a camp of non-inserted humans living in the desert. Melanie's world. The Host arrives in May 2008, published by Little, Brown.

At the beginning I had such mixed feelings about the book (having read Stephenie Meyer's other series, The Twilight Series). But after a couple of pages or so--I was transfixed. An alien who falls in love with the same man as her host loves? It was fascinating--along with the fantastical descriptions of the host bodies of other planets (dragons, flowers, singing bats...it's all there, I tell you). For some reason, even though there are aliens and a few mentions of spaceships, I would classify this book more as Fantasy. But genres aside--I think I love this book EVEN MORE than the Twilight series (heresy! I know!). Once again Stephenie Meyer has dazzled us with a deeply psychological struggle. It is, without a doubt, a character story. If you're for a more plot-driven story, you might like this book too. There are more outside forces at work--and quite a few action scenes.
I think you can already tell, but, I just have to say: I love this book and was pleased once again by my favorite author. Kudos!

Past-do Tag

2008-01-29T17:22:00.001-08:00

Jess (Bohae) tagged me a LONG time ago, so I'm posting this as fast as I can!

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Lolita. It gets amazing reviews, but it's a really, really twisted story.

If you could bring 3 characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
I'd have to say that would be Lupin (from HP), because he's awesome, Ella (from Ella Enchanted)because she's a lot like me, and I think she'd make me laugh, and Melinda (from Speak) because she has so much to say.
The event would definitely be afternoon tea.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
my U.S. Government book.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
Well...I don't know that I've ever pretended to read a book. Maybe only when I was really little and would flip the pages of a Goosebumps books, hoping I could get the story by sniffing the pages. Sadly, I'd always have to wait for my dad to read them, though I'd pretend that I already knew the story...

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?
No.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP)
If the VIP was a girl, I'd recommend Twilight, if he was a guy, I'd recommend Hatchet.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
French.

A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale...I do this anyway.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
Definitely new authors, upcoming authors. Without the awesomeness of the blogging world, I would never have learned about Into the Wild or Erec Rex.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather-bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Oh, goodness. Here we go....
My perfect library would be that one from the Beauty and the Beast. All of the books would be about vampires, werewolves, snarky heriones, magic, faeries, and the occasional book of poetry (Byron,Robert Frost, Poe, or Emily Dickinson).
That's one vat of awesomeness right there.

~Sookie

Presenting My New Latin Laptop Lover: Eduardo!

2008-01-27T18:04:00.000-08:00

Meet my new baby:

I just got a new laptop: a (silver) Sony Vaio!!! Mucho mucho dinero, but very much worth it. Eduardo will (hopefully) hold all of my stuff until college graduation. He's got 2 Gigs of memory and 200 gigs of hard drive. Plus 4 USB Ports and High Definition Internet and DVD player.
Okay, geekiness aside, After graduation I'll be using Eduardo to post here, so I hope he works okay. I thought I'd just introduce him to the neighborhood. He's pretty shy (what with being a brand new, shiny PC laptop and all).
Okay, you've definitely gotten the picture: I'm overly fond of inanimate objects. I even give them names. Usually Spanish names (purse: pedro; alarm clock: diabolico; toaster oven: miguel). Yes, yes, I know. Not a good sign of mental stability, but whatever :-)
~Sookie

Working Away.....

2008-01-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to keep to my "two-posts" agreement and write this little entry. I thought I might take the time away from my usual obsession (books *drools*), to go to my other, quieter one: Graphic design. Wow. I've learned a lot from my class. Right now we're supposed to be refining everything and then eventually putting it on a website and start a mock "Graphic Design" company and everything as our end-of-the-year final. So much fun! I have book covers, tabloid manipulations, animated graphics, advertisements, hair dye boxes, and other things to share. Plus--I already know what name I'm going with: Gogu Graphics. How awesome is that? All company promotion is going to have a little green frog with a golden crown I manipulated onto it (that's the site logo). I'm still having trouble coming up with a catchy tagline though. I've thought about "More Green Than You've seen" and "Hoppin' Good Graphics". Both of which are lame. Anyone have any suggestions?
As soon as I find a web host and create a template that doesn't make me want to scream in frustration, I'll put the link on here.

If you don't know what "GOGU" is, you should read Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. It's amazing!

I am going to LOVE this book

2008-01-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

In English class we have to form small reading groups and pick a different book for each group. My group chose Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm only on page ten...and I adore this book.
Just read the first sentence in the book:
"It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache."
For some reason, I could just tell I would like the heroine of this book. Her voice sounds so familiar--like one of my friends, or myself....
As the story develops, you can tell there is something wrong with the girl, Melinda. Her friends have all turned their backs on her, nearly everyone hates her, and she can't seem to say much of anything.
Even though I am not that far along, I highly recommend this book.
Well, I should get back to reading...
Ooh! I think I smell jasmine tea...must go.

The Red Queen's Daughter by Jaqueline Kolosov

2008-01-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

I love almost any book that blends history and fantasy together. I especially love this book because it took place in the Elizabethan times. But I also love The Red Queen's Daughter for many more reasons. The writing is filled with imagery of nature, flowers, and stones. I also love the magic in this book--it is linked with nature and has that element of alchemy. Also, I LOVED the stones and their meanings. But anyway, the story is very intriguing also.

Mary Seymour is Catherine Parr's daughter (the author wrote a note on this--Mary is a somewhat fictional character because in reality she died at the age of two; another thing I love about this book--te author rewrites history, very cool...). She is orphaned and taken in by Lady Strange, a mysterious lady who is set to train Mary as a white magician--someone to watch and protect over young Queen Elizabeth's reign. But Court is a treacherous place, and she is put into some situations she is not ready for--including falling in love with her cousin, Edmund Seymour, the greatest Dark Magician in England...

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, adventure, and history, with a bit of romance thrown in.

(My only complaint was that the part between meeting Lady Strange and going to court was a little slow.)

~Sookie
Ps. Sorry I've been a little MIA around here. I hope to resolve that by posting at least three times a week...that's my goal. Well, maybe two...

Angelo State

2008-01-11T14:11:00.001-08:00

EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!! I'm accepted! I got accepted! WOOT! Angelo State University LOVES me! (Okay, that's an overstatement; although they did send confetti in my acceptance letter...well, they probably do that for every body).
Still, I am SO excited. This is the first college I applied to...one down, two more to go! Go Rams!

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I've written...
(I still have that Red Queen's Daughter review I have to write.)
Last semester was so CRAZY. And this one's slowly showing signs of getting worse....Now that there is more homework than ever, a plethora of new deadlines. Not to mention the graduating and application process itself (I mean, when I thought about applying to colleges, I had that happy moment in mind--kind of like when Rory of Gilmore Girls applies to Harvard...but it's nothing like that! It's insane! Well...at least it was for me; oh joy now I'm rambling....)
Okay, I think a big, fat, loud "Get on with it!" is implied.
So....On to my New Year's Resolutions. Here they are:
1. Eat Healthier and excercise more often (I have no target weight...I just want to be a little healthier now that I am in *health* class)
2. Write in this blog more (this is the one I want to achieve the most!)
3. Write more (this has been my New Year's Resolution for the past two years)
4. Stop drinking so much caffiene (I probably didn't spell it right, but you get the picture...)
5. Graduate high school (woot!)

Anyway, hope ya'll have a great evening
~Sookie ^_^

Best Boooks of 2007

2008-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

Looking back on the year...I've read so many good books! I put them into categories to make it a bit easier. Sorry--there won't be any pictures. My computer is acting funny :-(

Best YA Fantasy Books of 2007:
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Red Queen's Daughter by Jaqueline Kolosov (review forthcoming)
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
The Summer King by O.R. Melling
Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

Best YA non-Fantasy (but still a lot of fun) Books of 2007:
The Poison Apples by Lilly Archer
Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell
The Princess Diaries Vo. VIII--Princess on the Brink by Meg Cabot

Best Children's/Middle Grade Fantasy:
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (I decided that it is my favorite in the Narnia series--the only problem is I keep changing my favorite every time I read them, which is once a year)
Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

Best Adult Books:
Size 14 is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot
Secret Society Girl by Diana Perefreund

Best Classics:
Macbeth by Shakespeare

Best Book of the Year for 2007:
It is a terrible tie between Carpe Diem and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Anyway, I think I'll be out of contact for a bit--not enough to actually call it a hiatus, but just for a few days.
Hope you have a great New Year!
~Sookie

Book Review: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

2007-12-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

Wildwood Dancing is a stunning, entertaining book chock full of fairy-tale prettyness and multi-dimmensional characters galore.

The story is based primarily upon The Twelve Dancing Princesses (though you can see traces of other fairytales as well) and based in my favorite foreign country--Romania--in my favorite province--Transylvania.

There are five daughters who live at Piscul Dracului. Every Full Moon they open the portal and travel to the Other Kingdom. For that night, they dance at the revels in the wildwood with the otherworldy creatures , and, thanks to Jenica's watching eyes, they have not had any trouble until three new arrivals are introduced at the revels--Night People. Otherwise known as vampires. Suddenly, Jenica and her sisters' lives are turned upside down. And it won't be easy getting everything back to normal. After all--everything comes with a price.

This is definitely one of my new favorites--I love the blend of vampires and Fey, the Romanian terms and names, not to mention Gogu--he is such an awesome frog! (I totally wish I had a frog to carry around on my shoulder!)

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who reads the YA fantasy genre.

~Sookie

yay!

2007-12-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Top Eight ARCs I'd like to have in my stocking

2007-12-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

In no particular order.....

1. Hallowmere, By Venom's Sweet Sting--Faeries. Boarding school. Witches. The Reformation Period. I fell in love right away with Hallowmere 1, can't wait to read book 2. It comes out in several days!

2. The Sweet Far Thing (book 3 in Gemma Doyle series)--check! Recieved this one in the mail quite awhile ago (note: I will post my review of this in a few days when it comes out!!!!). Still, it was only a borrow, and I'd like to have this in my stocking to keep forever ^_^

3. The Host by Stephenie Meyer--I'll read anything by this author, including a sci-fi book about body-snatching aliens.

4. Cybele's Secret--I ordered the first in the series a couple of days ago, and I hate waiting on sequels.....Even when I haven't read book 1 yet (though I've been guaranteed I'll love it by several people)

5. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer--the fourth book in the Twilight series. 'Nuff said.

6. Princess Mia--the last book in the Princess Diaries (*tear* I'm going to miss that feeling of reading the next book in the series for the very first time)

7. Bayern 4--hasn't really been written yet. But still, I'd love to have it.....

8. A Curse Dark as Gold--this looks like a really good book!!!!!

Anywho.....
Finals are brutal. *Shivers* I have my first at 8 tomorrow morning.....cross your fingers! Knock on wood! With hope and prayer and studying and massive amounts of chocolate I might just pass it....

Author Interview: Kaza Kingsley

2007-12-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

Kaza Kingsley, the author of Erec Rex: The Dragons Eye and Erec Rex: Mosters of Otherness, otherwise known as Queen of Fabulosity, has allowed me to interview her about writing, future projects, and among other things--favorite websites.....

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I was one of those kids whose nose was always buried in a book. So
authors were like rock stars to me. As a kid I was always playing around
with words, and writing short stories. I remember writing one with my
brother that turned out incredibly gory and silly all at the same time. It
was fun, though! So - I guess I've always wanted to be an author!

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process? Do you
outline? Spontaneously make things up as you go? Or have some special
methods?

Before I wrote a word of Book One in the Erec Rex series I plotted out
the first book in detail as well as the rest of the series - for five
months! I wrote detailed plot on loose leaf paper and put it in a binder
so I could add into any section as I went. Then, even when I was
writing the rough draft, I would still add plot ideas for later in the book
or in future books. Sometimes I get hit with a great idea, but know it
won't fit in until, say, Book Four. But the good thing about planning
it in advance is that it lets me drop hints in earlier books, and set
things up well!

Do you have any other projects in mind besides Erec Rex?

Oh, yes. That's the problem with having maybe too much creativity - you
get hit over the head with all kinds of great ideas when you need to
get something else finished. I just write down the ideas and make myself
wait. I am planning a cookbook tied to the Erec Rex series, full of
fun-to-make, completely unique goofy but good foods. I'm also writing a
side book to the series. And I have some great ideas about a younger
kids series, too!

What were some of your favorite books as a kid?

I loved the Wizard of Oz series (about 14 books) by L. Frank Baum.
Those, and pretty much everything I could get my hands on! But I still love
"kids/YA" books. I read them more than adult books. Inkheart is next
on my list.

Can you tell us anything about the next Erec Rex book : The Search
for Truth?

You bad girl!! Well ... I guess I can tell you a bit. Erec finds out a
lot more about his past. And here is an aside you might find
interesting: Do you remember the contests in Book One? The first one was called
the MONSTER. Book two is called The Monsters of Otherness. The second
contest was the Pro and Contest (about finding out the truth...) Book
three is The Search for Truth....

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to hang out with friends and watch movies. I love to read, which
I don't let myself do too much when I'm writing. I'm on MySpace and
Facebook, which take more of my time than I want. Facebook is more fun, I
think. I like to cook - deserts especially. Lots of things.

Random question: What's your favorite website?
Hmmm... In about a month it will be my website, hands down,
http://www.erecrex.com I'm getting it totally redone and it will be awesome. But for now ... that's a toughie. I use Wikipedia all the time -
that might have to win.

Thank you so much for your time, Kaza Kingsley!

Book Wish List

2007-12-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for yet another mini hiatus! Final reviews are brutal--as are wrap-up-the-quarter tests and COLLEGE APPLICATIONS!!!! (Still haven't successfuly gotten one in the mail yet).
All right, enough of that babble. Here is my current book wish list for the holidays.

1.

Leap of Faith--Erin reviewed this one, and I find the differences in denominations to be fascinating for some reason. So it's a must-read.

2.

Tantalize: A werewolf, a vampire-chef-in-training, and one very unique girl all combine to make this story seem tempting to read. plus its set in the Texas capital--Austin!!! I personally give cudos to any author who writes about vampires in Austin...

3.

Princess Mia: this is the last installment of the Princess Diaries series. It won't be out for awhile.

4.

Spiderwick Chronicles: I really, really want to buy these but they're so expensive!!

5.

Out of the Wild: I can't wait for this one! As always, Sarah Beth Durst's books promise adventure and fun.

6.

Wildwood Dancing: I've heard many, many great reviews of this book. Plus--it combines fairies with Romania! Yay!

7.

Breaking Dawn: the fourth installment of the Twilight series. I seriously CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

Anyway, I haven't been posting enough in this blog. Sorry I've been neglecting for so long. Senior year is by far the busiest! ^_^

Manga anyone?

2007-12-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

When I first heard about Manga specifically (I already knew about Graphic Novels--but these are a bit different), my friend asked me if I had read any. I thought she was joking so I laughed.
She looked at me like I had a third eye on top of my forehead.
"What's Manga?"
I asked.
Now I had an addition of tentacles to go with my third eye. Apparently I was supposed to know what this "Manga" was.
She told me.
I bought some.
I got a headache from trying to read a book backwards.
I threw them out.
Now, awhile later, after another friend of mine read Twilight, she recommended this Manga series to me: Millenium Snow. At first I was like "I am NOT reading any type of book by a guy named 'Biscuit Hatred'" (It's actually Bisco Hatori, and she's a she). Then my friend forced me to borrow her copy, and I'm in the middle of reading it now. I really like it, even though the backwards-reading and almost no text thing and sketchy drawings thing still kind of bugs me.
All I want to know is--what do ya'll think of Manga? Do ya'll know any good Manga series besides Millenium Snow?

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

2007-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Or checked everyone's blogs. I've been swamped with school work and on top of that volunteer work and on top of that college applications and on top of that my dad is in the hospital for the second time in a month. Things are going pretty bad.
So I don't really want to focus on that right now....
Anyway, what did everyone do over Thanksgiving break?
I got to hang out with my cousin and we went to go see my new favorite movie--Enchanted. I just loved it!
If you haven't seen the preview, you must...

I can't even imagine finishing my nanowrimo now....
Maybe next year....

New Project????

2007-11-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

I know I know! My mind is so easily changed about this whole blog layout thing! Anyway, I think I like this new look better. It's still got the dramatic red but touches home with the book banner and the warm greys.
I am SUCH a web designer type of person ^_^

Anyway, while I'm not working like mad on my nanowrimo novel, studying for tests, reading the dreaded government book, or signing autographs for my stellar performance in Oklahoma! (Heh, just joking there), the wheels of my mind have been turning (a dangerous thing). I've been thinking about starting a little community or online club, whatever you want to call it, for people who'd like to review YA Fantasy books. Specifically YA fantasy--plus tons of other stuff. Like maybe even graphics and fanfiction and book video contests (stuff that would have to do with a specific book). And maybe book memes and playlists and interviews...and, and.....Lots of things I love.
Would that be totally unoriginal?
Am I totally and completely insane?
Will I be struck with lightening for such an idea?
I don't know. But I'm still brainstorming about it.
If I do make said community, I think I'd better have it on either LiveJournal or Blogger. Definitely LiveJournal will have the upper hand because it allows you more design control and more than one maintainer--but then you'd also have to have an LJ account, and that might be a con...
Do ya'll have any ideas to add to this one?
Specifically for the name.
I'm thinking titles like "A Strange Tale" and "YA Fantasy Corner."
Of course those aren't very original, but I'm pretty tired tonight so my brain is pretty much low on function at the moment.
If ya'll think I'm crazy, just let me know.

New Blog Look

2007-11-16T21:31:00.001-08:00

Does anyone like the new look? I think it's perhaps too much black-and-red gothic. But I like it.
I've been doing a lot of reading lately--from The Historian (Anna Kustova) to Trickster's Choice (Tamora Pierce) to re-reading Enna Burning.
I really, really want to review The Poison Apples.
Maybe I'll do that over Thanksgiving.

Oh, also--some news. The review I wrote for Carpe Diem is going to my school's newspaper. I plan to edit it a little, and maybe add a bit more to it.
But I thought I should type it in before I forget.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend!
~Sookie

First Drafts

2007-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

I love that poetic feeling of writing a novel in first draft. Of course I hate the novel at the same time that I love it. But that's just how I am. I love how it's unpolished, a diamond taking shape, being dingy and ugly, and at the same time beautiful in its own way. I think if there's ever any time that I really REALLY love writing, it's this time. Just writing. Nonstop. Not thinking too hard about the words, thinking more about the SOUND of the words.
The way they twist out of my head like a serpentine ribbon and wind down to my fingers only to be transferred into the computer. I love it.
Of course it's pure trash that needs to be completely re-written.
But still.
How is everyone else's nanowrimo novel's going?

I'm working as hard as I can on it with any free time given to me from my social life, the play, and school.
Oh when will I ever be able to just sit down at the computer and write for three hours straight without the phone wringing or costumes waiting to be donned for rehearsal, or teachers asking me continually when will I FINALLY apply to a college?

Only one night to go and then it's the play!!!!
I can hardly wait.
I'm a little nervous, but that will fade off soon.
Hopefully.
Gulp.
~Sookie

I Heart Nanowrimo

2007-11-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some reasons why I love National Novel Writing Month

1. It's challenging
2. It's fun
3. There are a lot of breakout writers to be found on Nanowrimo
4. It's free (yeah!)
5. It's encouraging
6. You can meet other young writers/novelists out there
7. It allows me the chance to do something I've always dreamed of doing, writing a (complete!) novel.

Even if you don't decide to join this year, I hope you'll check out my profile: Here to see what I'm working on (pretty sketchy so far).

Also, in order to share my love for all things Nanowrimo, I've created a little Novel Tag.

Nanowrimo Name: absolvable
About the Novel: It's about a girl who is a librarian (Archivist) in her world (which is much like ours) and her adventures there.
Novel Title: So far mine is unnamed
Overall Audience: anyone who likes fantasy fiction and a small amount of romance combined, and well, me, since right now I'm the only one reading it.

I tag anyone who wants to do it.

Thanks,
Sookie

Ps. Hectic! Crazy! Mad! Those three words describe perfectly what's going on right now. Our first performance is three days away! Ack!

CD Covers

2007-10-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

I know I know....I'm supposed to be taking a break, yada yada yada, but I just HAD to come back to tell everyone that I'm loving this Graphics Design course I'm taking. I wanted to show ya'll what I've made for my latest project--we're supposed to either create a band, or choose a band that we like, and design "their latest Album cover". I had to choose a name for it and all. I chose Evanescence because they're one of my faveorite bands--and also their style of graphics was easy to imitate. I chose "Once Upon A Midnight Dreary" as the title, because Evanescence's songs are sort of Poe-ish.
I've narrowed it down to two covers. Which one do ya'll like the best?

The First Cover

The Second Cover

That Darned Hiatus

2007-10-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry once again :-(
I must take yet ANOTHER mini hiatus due to these three things :projects at school, college applications and visits, and Oklahoma!
I'm scrambling to memorize my lines. After all, the play is only two weeks away. It's so chaotic. The whole thing will either come together, or it won't. I hope it comes together.
We all thought a musical would be a good experience for our small school--but there's a lot of complaining and stress and ill feelings and I'm really worried about it.
Some Book Updates:
I've been reading Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer and The Poison Apples by Lily Archer and I'm loving them both. Hopefully I'll get the chance to review each of them.
Other Updates:
Would ya'll be terribly, terrinly angry if I switched over to Livejournal?
Not that I don't love Blogger, or feel immense loyalty towards the blogging community here, but let's face it: Livejournal is darn easier to post from.
Though I doubt I'll move anytime soon--I thought I'd just alert the media.
Okay, Boringness over now,
I'm hoping to write again nearer to Halloween.
Oh yeah, and I'm planning to post all the crazy pictures I have from Homecoming, but it may take me awhile.
^_^,
Sookie

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

2007-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Aislinn has lived by the rules her grandmother taught hr throughout her life. Don't look at the faeries. Don't speak to them. Don't let them know you can see them and you'll be safe. But Aislinn's rules are slowly becoming obsolete as two faeries pursue her and even talk to her under a thick coat of glamour. But Aislinn might be in more trouble than she thinks, especially since the one pursuing her is the Summer King, and along with him his Winter Girl--who warns of Keenan's (the Summer King's) cursed errand, and an unnamed test which Aislinn must take. And the results may well mean the end of humanity.

Wicked Lovely is deliciously realistic, set in our modern day world where faeries whirl about us everyday and we fail to notice them... The story is intriguing and dark. Some of the language and situations made me uncomfortable, however, so if the author ever puts out a sequel or another book, I'll have to seriously consider before reading it.
~Sookie

College Applications Rant....

2007-10-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

What???????? 65 stinking dollars just to apply to ONE college. How messed up is that????!!!!!!!

Hallowmere--In the Serpent's Coils by Tiffany Trent

2007-10-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hallowmere, In the Serpent's Coils
Tiffany Trent
Corrine, a girl who has survived the Ague fever and the death of her mother, is sent to boarding school in post-civil war Virginia by her Uncle William. Corrine has been frequently plagued by strange dreams and visions--visions of fairies and of her mother. Painful dreams. As she is settled in to Falston Reformatory School, she hopes she can escape the dreams--instead, they follow her. And she learns of a secret--a terrible secret about those who run Falston and about girls who were taken. Plus there are mysteries to be solved--whatever happened to her father? And what are the fairies, and what do they want from her?

Hallowmere is my favorite kind of book--involving boarding schools, fairies, secrets, old letters, and people who are not what they seem. Even though it was a bit darker than I was expecting--I still enjoyed it, and I'll be picking up the sequel this December. The only qualms I had with the book was that it was not whole--it's true that not every end can tied, but I felt like the book wasn't complete, and perhaps more could be explained. Still, it's worth the read.

Once again, I apologize for my lack of substancial writing around here (other than Harry Potter fan videos). I haven't been very good at keeping up this blog. Senior year is very hectic--but I'll find time the best I can to talk about more of the books I've been reading (and I've been reading a lot more than Hallowmere).
Sorry!
~Sookie

Stranger Than Fiction--Harry Potter Style

2007-10-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

I was just recently told about a youtube movie that was Pride and Prejudice--Harry Potter style. Today I found a Stranger Than Fiction--Harry Potter style movie.
I've also found a remake that someone did of the Harry Potter meets P&P movie, only this time with Tom Riddle and Hermione. Not as good as the other one but still fun--hope you enjoy!!
~Sookie

Hilarious--Ron, I Wanna Talk About Me

2007-10-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

I found this video by chance and I love it! It's a Harry Potter fan video from Ron's point of view. Using the country song "I wanna talk about me" (One of my faves!)
The creator did an excellent job--kudos to them.
~Sookie
Ps. Sorry I haven't written lately--it's been Homecoming week and I've had volumes to do every day up until now.

Reading my own writing

2007-09-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

You know, I experienced something strange today. While in bewteen working on a plethora of study reviews for Government class, I would take a break to write some on the currently unnamed novel I've been working on for a few days (hey--we all have to start somewhere!).
So I wanted to read over what I'd incoherently scribbled right before hitting the pillow. And I found something to my astonishment--I actually liked the story and the characters!
Craziness!
I kept reading on and on, enjoying the strange names I'd thrown together in my sleep-deprived mind, and the characters themselves. And then it stopped midsentence. For some strange reason I thought Man! I can't believe the author didn't finish it!. Then I remembered. Oh yeah, I wrote this.

^_^ Only I could be so dorky. It's a gift, and a curse.....

Happy Writing,
Sookie

Fantasy Fiction-Writing Cook for Hire!

2007-09-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry again that I've been incognito for awhile. Senior year is becoming even more hectic than I thought. Writing has become, even more, a source of detox.

Anyway, tomorrow in my English class, we have two assignments due. One of them is to submit a food or dish that symoblizes a character or theme in The Great Gatsby (the feast is tomorrow--it's too bad we couldn't make it a REAL Gatsby-style party, but the only person who knows how to make mocktails was told she couldn't). So I've decided to make a strawberry cake with rich chocolate icing and a liberal amount of sprinkles. The cake has a three-tiered meaning. The Chcocolate Icing= the wealth and moral decay that we think Gatsby has before we really get to know him. The Strawberry Cake=Gatsby's true goodness and uniqueness. The Sprinkles=the parties Gatsby throws to attract Daisy. I'm thinking of naming it "The Green Light Cake" (Note--if you haven't read the Great Gatsby, you probably don't understand this).

The other assignment that just happens to be due tomorrow: our senior surveys. These are the things that have ridiculous questions like this: "Where do you hope to be in ten years?" "Can you list your strengths and weaknesses?" "How have your strengths and weaknesses affected your high school experience?" "What career would you most like to pursue?"

For me, these are pretty bad questions, because I have no idea what *secondary* career I want to pursue other than writing. I have no idea where I intend to be in ten years.

Perhaps I could be cook--since I like making food so much these days (or that might have been the intense hunger I get from running Crosscountry for hours in 100 degree heat). The only problem is--it would get in the way of my writing. Besides, the other cooks might scoff at my desire to write about dragons and faeries and vampires. *tear*

You see--this is how I think about 60% of the time.

But right now--I need to focus on getting into COLLEGE!!!!!! I suppose that's what I need to write on my senior survey. Has this whole entry been a very deceptive way of ignoring my homework?

Perhaps........

Much love and strawberry cake,

Sookie ^_^

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

2007-09-22T11:57:00.001-07:00

Set in a fantasy world that mirrors medieval Mongolia, B1000 is the diary of a girl named Dashti who is shut in a tower with her mistress after she refused to marry a certain suitor. Dashti learns how to live in a tower without seeing the sky, and about why her lady is always so frightened. And we learn with her, as she records everything in her diary.

I don't think there has ever been a more likable main character than Dashti. She's not "too perfect" or one-dimensional. We hear her voice and her story, and both are beautiful. Shannon Hale always has a way with words in her books--but I think this one is my favorite. It's just so brilliant. And it's spun with a bit of magic too....

It did take me a bit to get used to the diary-style writing and the illustrations. But I found by the end that I loved both. Don't pass up a chance to read this book!

Crosscountry Hurts--A Haiku

2007-09-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Crosscountry Hurts

my feet are running

my lungs are aching for air

the Texan sun burns

--by me

ps. I promise I will review b1000 soon!!!

Blogiversary!

2007-09-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday dear blog! Happy birthday dear blo-og, happy birthday to you!!!!

Yes, today is officially the day I started my blog!!!!!! I'm so happy to have had this experience of sharing books, opinions, and my writing with all of my wonderful internet friends! I wish I could actually *make a dish* and serve it to people here, but unfortunately, our technology is thus limited in the way of creating virtual parties. So anyway, this blog thing has been very fun, and the people I've met here are so cool. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it up when I'm in college (*tear*), but for now, I'll keep on blogging.
I've also come across a really cool tag, by the way of Miss Erin which I've decided to convert to: all the things I love when they happen on my blog.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love it when I have a lot of comments(!!!!)
I love it when I post some writing or a poem and I get really great feedback
I love it when I make a new blog friend
I love it when I introduce people to books they've never heard of before.
I love it when someone writes something that makes me laugh in a comment or on their own blog.
I love it when I learn about new books I've never heard of before.
I love it when I realize I've been blogging a whole year and I never want to stop!

With lots of ♥ ,

Sookie

My New Favorite Song

2007-09-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Coldplay--The Scientist
This music video is kind of wierd, but I just love the song.....

What Comes to Mind: Tag by Bohae

2007-09-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

Type the first word that comes to mind: scary

Type the first country the comes to mind:The Netherlands

Type the first song that comes to mind: "Drag" by Placebo

Type the first book that comes to mind: Book of a Thousand Days (Because I'm reading it!)

What is your favorite character from this book?: so far--Dashti

Type the first author that comes to mind: Charles Dickens

Best work by this author (that you've read): A Tale of Two Cities

State your problem with the world around you: I love the world around me, I love my friends, my family, I love art and writing and singing and living and breathing....But very soon I am going to have to make a CHOICE about what I do in this world. And that is my problem: there are too many paths, too many choices. I'm stumbling around in a maze, haven't a clue where I am going, and my thoughts are just getting dizzier and dizzier. Well, I could actually condense this whole thing in one simple, little, two-word phrase: Senior Year.

Jippity Crickets! I'm Aunt Eller!

2007-09-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so life update: after school today (it was a short day--it only lasted until 2pm when really we get out at about 3:30) the two teachers who are in charge of this year's musical, Oklahoma!, posted the cast list on the door.
And guess what I got....
Yes, that would be the fabulous(if not a little crazy), eccetric, pantaloon-buying Aunt Eller!
I'm so excited to be playing her!
I want to bring as much personality and comedy as I can to the table. This will be new to me, since I've only done tragedy (Les Miserables--Eponine; saddest play ever!).
But I'm up for the challenge.

The only downside is that three of my best friends wanted this part also, and me having formerly NOT been picked for a part, I can understand this dissapointment a little too much.

Well, anyway, I plan to take lots of pictures and post them up here!
Yes yes, I know, everyone who's read this blog has just been waiting for the opportunity to see me with silver-gray hair, dressed in Old-Western style apparatus (Ha ha!).

Probably the best quote on essays ever...

2007-09-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

"For in Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is a thing you're taught, just as English boys and girls are taught essay writing. The difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays."

~ C.S. Lewis (taken from The Horse and His Boy, pg. 36)

Tag

2007-09-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last book I bought:
Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Book I'm reading:
The Last Battle from the Chronicles of Narnia

Total number of books I own:
Let's just put it this way--I have about two feet of space in my room plus the bed and a few furnitures--the rest is the books' lounging area. Though they're strewn about my house.

Three books that mean a lot to me:
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Night by Elie Wiesel
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Favorite Book:
Lots. But here are my official top ten right now: A Tale of Two Cities, Romeo and Juliet, New Moon, All the Harry Potter books, The Horse and His Boy, Wuthering Heights, and The Princess Bride....

Last film I saw:
Mr. Deeds (International House Pancake!)

Three (or four) films that mean a lot to me:
Pride and Prejudice (latest version)
The Princess Bride
Simply Irresistable
and I had to add one more:
Beauty and the Beast

Last CD I bought:
I haven't bought any CDs in the past year since I got an iPod. But right now I've been buying tons of songs from Muse and Beth Waters

Song currently playing:
The Boy who Blocked His Own Shot--Brand New

Songs that mean a lot to me:
(I think if my life had a soundtrack, it would pretty much be this)
Over My Head or any song from--The Fray
Loverly--from My Fair Lady
Sing for Absolution--Muse
On an Eveneing in Roma--Dean Martin
Crimson--Nicole Nordeman
Over the Rainbow--from Wizard of Oz
Leanring to Breathe--Switchfoot
Butterflies and Hurricanes--Muse
Fly Me to the Moon--Sinatra
Fairytales and Castles--Lifehouse
Starlight--Muse

Favorite Food:
Mmm....I envy all of those who have never been to Texas (in particular: south Texas) and have never had our Tex-Mex. I love tacos, nachos, enchilladas, and chalupas--oh and flan and sopapillas!
Besides I all that, I like French and Italian food a lot. Plus my American staples: pizza, cheeseburger, brownies, and hot dogs.

Favorite Drink:
The Raspberry Italian soda at this place called Gritalia.

Favorite Vacation:
I've only been out of the U.S. once: to the Bahamas. But I know I will love it when I go to Israel to study. Oh, and when I go to Romania and Italy also.

Favorite Vice:
Well, I'm not sure I like any vices. But if I had to choose....It would be Pride.

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

2007-09-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Vassar Spore lives out her days making extensive lists of goals (including going to her namesake, Vassar, and winning a Pulizter prize, not to mention marrying a 6'5 blond surgeon, or judge). And also watching her father revise his book: How to Increase Your Persoanl Productivity in 2,000 Easy Steps--while going over her goals with her mom in the appropriated Hour of Reflection.
That is until Vassar recieves a sixteenth birthday present from her mysterious grandmother Gertrude (who lives in Southeast Asia) a few months late: A ticket to Malaysia. And also--an offer to be her assistant while trekking through the Laotian jungles in search of a rare beetle....
At first her parents refuse point blank (and so does Vassar) but whispers of blackmail and a sinister Family Secret send Vassar packing on a plane to Malaysia in less than two weeks, with her ten monogrammed suitcases and all. But Vassar and suitcases # 2-10 may be in for a wild and surprising ride, not to mention the unveiling of the Secret, a little romance with an Asian cowboy, and some strange Asian toilet adventures as well.
Will Vassar come out of this experience unscathed? Or will she learn to Cease the Day (instead of plan it out)and, like her grandmother, Live in the Moment?

I loved this book more than I can tell. It is one fourth adventure, one-eighth romance, and two halves of excellent writing. I enjoyed learning all the phrases and words from Maylay, Laotion, Cambodian, and Latin, and learning a bit more about Southeast Asia. It is definitely my kind of book--and is worming its way into my top ten.

Apology

2007-08-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't written awhile. School can be pretty brutal, and this weekend I had to fly to Dallas to help my cousin pack (she just moved to Amsterdam yetserday).
Anyway: I thought I'd quickly do my "top five" for a combined July/August list.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
(J.K. Rowling)
2. His Dark Materials
(Phillip Pullman)
3. Flora Segunda
(Ysabeau S. Wilce)
4. Eclipse
(Stephenie Meyer)
5. Wuthering Heights
(Emily Bronte)

I've enjoyed each and every single book so much. That's why the list is put in no particular order.

First Day of School: Favorite Moments, + Updates

2007-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Favorite Moments
Since my camra broke (*tear*) I don't have any pictures to show....So I'll just type it all out.
+When I got to school and got parked and everything: I saw my two best friends and we practically ran to meet and hug each other, and nearly knock each other over. It was a totally Gilmore Girl moment.
+I met a new girl (sophomore) who I have Speech with, who formerly had homeschooling. I got to show her around--introduce her to all my cool people and I found out that she's read the Twilight Series! Although she's team Edward and I'm not sure how I feel about that....Just kiddin'. It was nice playing the big senior girl who knew how to get the lockers open....
+In my first class of the day, Speech, all the seniors had to make an impromptu speech talking on a subject picked randomly from a pile. Guess what I got? Yes that's right, people. Philosophy. I know zip about philosophy. As far as I know, when I make my breakfast in the morning, philosophy is that yellow stuff that I spread on my toast... So I asked my new teacher if I could pick a new topic and she said, "No. You can talk about how you became a Christian. Chrsitianity is full of philosophies....." Well, Thanks for that Mrs. Feola. I really don't like talking about that in front of people I don't know...It was a pretty personal experience for me. So I summarized and mumbled something unintelligable and the teacher decided my minute and a half was up forty five seconds early.
+I found out I have Portfolio this year--which is a pretty sweet class. All year long we work with all different types of mediums (to your choice--I even heard the phrase "candle-making" in the mediums that the teacher listed). But they all have to be centered around a theme or story of your choosing. I have a couple of mind--such as "Love Throughout the Ages" and "Coffee and Books". But I was also thinking of recreating the story of The Goose Girl. Not the book, the folktale. I'm thinking that if I do this--I'll use fabrics, paint, and various textures to make the story.
+In Math Models class, my only, thank goodness, math class this year, a kid behind me asked the teacher "Is this going to be beneficial or teach us anything we need to know at all?" and the teacher answered "No." (My kind of math class! No geometry or algebra here!)
+My last class of the day--Spanish 3--the teacher couldn't be there. So our principle came and talked to us instead. One guy asked about our new teacher, "What does she look like?"
And the principle answered, "Um, a woman" *Giggles*.
Updates
+If you haven't checked my sidebar thingy in awhile, you should. There's a new button on there called "goodreads" it links to a site where I'm keeping track of my book reviews, and the books that I'm reading. Check it out!

Have a great day,
Sookie

The Forest Again

2007-08-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this has to be like the best rednition of the chapter in Deathly Hallows, "The Forest Again", that I've ever seen.
I cried my eyes out at the end!
Just watch it--trust me.

Too Cool For School

2007-08-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

School, school, school....brings back a certain...nostalgia. *Sniff*
It just dawned on me today that this is my last year of high school when my manager (I work at a bookstore: it figures) asked me if I had already gotten my senior pictures made so that I could put them on the invitations to my graduation at the end of the year....and if not, she'd be happy to recommend a few photographers.
My mouth just hung open.
"What?" I finally asked when I came back to reality.
"YOU HAVEN"T GOTTEN YOUR SENIOR PICTURES TAKEN YET?????"
"I...um, um.....I....?" *Mumbles unintelligably*
"Sooks, you really gotta get that done. And you need to go to a proffesional photogographing place, too...so that you can get some pictures of you in the graduation robes they have on hand--to place in your invitation card. Oh, and have 'Class of 2008' Printed on your picture"
"Uh....."
"...And you've got to get more than one session, too! So you can have more to choose from..."
"But I thought, I thought.....I didn't know there was this much more to it!"
"Being a senior? Yes, it's much more than senior retreat and fundraising and having a lighter homework load. Because trust me, you'll be on your toes all year."
"My toes?" *Looks down at toes in cute black ballerina slippers*
"Yes, Sookie, your toes."
"But, but, but...."
"No buts, Sookie. You need to get those pictures done soon. And restack all those books that toddler has thrown on the floor. And ask if that lady over there with the sunglasses who looks mysteriously like J.K. Rowling needs any help."
Okay, so that last part was made up a bit...Well, not the restacking part. Heath really has no respect for the wellbeing of the books. But he is only a toddler....I *suppose* I should forgive him for nearly tearing up the paperbacks section....
No J.K. Rowling sightings yet--but I'll keep on the lookout just in case she ever comes to Texas.
Anyway--back to being a senior and all that. Man I have to get cracking.....There are pictures to take, smelly robes to buy, invitations to fill out, yearbooks to sign, applications to fill out....Oh the horror! The horror! And school hasn't even started yet.

This is my Daemon, Klitus

2007-08-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

***Another Edit***
Yay! It turned back to a lion! Yayness! Please please please don't take the test that says "Is My Daemon a Match?" Because I think that's why it changes..... And I REALLY love lions. Half an hour ago it was a hyenna....I really can't stand hyennas....I hope I don't laugh like one....
***Edit****
WHY HAS IT CHANGED TO A DOG????? WHY!!!!!

Oooh! I knew mine would be a lion!

I'm a fan of all things lion. You name it: Aslan, Gryffindor, The Lion King, anything to do with lions....

(By the way, ignore the "Molly", when I tried to take the quiz with the name Sookie I got a monkey! I really don't like monkeys....)

Y. S. Wilce [dot] com

2007-08-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting for The Amber Spyglass (I want to review the whole series as a set). So while I'm waiting, I'm also, you guessed it, reading another book.
Flora Segunda by Y. S. Wilce.

It's very amusing so far, but what really did the trick was the author's website: http://yswilce.com/. Even if you haven't read the book yet, it's still pretty hilarious. Especially the Alta Califa, which is a newspaper of utter nonsense. I especially like the quote at the beginning: "Truth is a virtue; lying, an art" (although that may be a quote by some literary genious like Longfellow, I have yet to know).
Anyway, this is my last week before school. So I'm also busy reading the required books :Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, and Wuthering Heights.
And, of course, I'm still waiting for that fickle copy of The Amber Spyglass (it seems whenever I don't want it--it's out there on display at the library, but whenever I do--it's rented out by a slow reader or someone who doesn't like returning library books...)

Feature Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2007-08-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

Feature Review: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Contents:

v Synopsis

v Review

v Links

Synopsis

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review

Okay, here I go. I will try my best not to spoil anything for those of you who haven’t been able to read it yet.

Eclipse was a book like non other I’ve read before. I mean, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was practically edge-of-your-seat tension all the way through. But Eclipse was an altogether different kind of experience.

I love the Twilight World. I love the characters—even the least likely to be loved, such as the Volturi. Stephenie Meyer is a brilliant author, and this is why: she makes you fall in love and care about her characters. And in Eclipse, when the characters are ill at ease with each other, it makes you squirm. The taste and texture of the book—Eclipse—was a bit the same as the other three. Deep, sensuous, flowing, and always blood red—like wine. But the plot was less spread out than the other three. It was jam packed with action, new discoveries, and danger. There wasn’t a moment’s rest for Bella—no reprieve for the reader, either. That’s why this book gave me a migraine—serious! Every time I picked it up I had to take some Advil! But that didn’t make me unlove Eclipse. In fact, I liked it even more than I thought I would. It was at times heartbreaking, at others memorable and light. At others violent and raging.

But most of all it was surprising.

It was surprising because I found out that I really did like Edward. After the second book—I never thought I’d love any character more than Jacob.

And while I still don’t love Edward that much—I like him better than I did in the previous two. He really is a good guy.I agree with Anidori-Isilee that he became a much more realistic character in Eclipse than in the other ones.

Jacob, on the other hand, became irritable in this book. Though underneath it all—he’s got the best spirit and personality I think of all the other characters. That’s why the ending broke my heart.

But anyway: what was also surprising is that we learn more of Rosalie and Jasper’s histories. These are the two Cullens that Stephenie seems to have just shoved to the side for Edward and the rest. And I’m really glad we got to see a bit more of them. As for the very controversial scene where Bella tries to, er.....seduce Edward, I think it was really unnecessary. I think that Stephenie might have only written it in because of the demands of fans who....let’s say, feel the need for Bella and Edward’s relationship to take that turn. Which is utterly stupid if you ask me. Bella and Edward may be mature in some things, but they are innocent when it comes to....yeah. And as a Christian myself, I don’t really want to read about it. And besides—it really comes to nothing at the end. So we could have spared that scene. Well...except for the end and everything. The proposal was good...It’s just, yeah.....We didn’t need that.

I was also disappointed that Bella never really mulled over the choice she had to make in the end. I mean, it’s the most important choice of her life! And it’s only after we find out that Bella and Jacob are meant to be together. As Jacob says, it would have been natural. Had not Edward gone to Biology class on that fateful day....

Anyway, I’m waiting to see what Breaking Dawn bring. And in the mean time—I really encourage people to read Eclipse twice. You really get so much more out of it your second time in......

Links

v Buy Eclipse

v The Twilight Saga

v Eclipse Home

You can also view this review at my Livejournal: here

What am I reviewing next?

The Golden Compass

And after that? I'll be writing my top five of the month thingy. For July. It's really going to come late this time....

Hmm....

2007-08-11T10:22:00.002-07:00

Take the Quiz here!

If I were a Meme: I'd be this one

2007-08-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm done reading Eclipse the first time around. I'm planning on reading it again. So reveiw forthcoming. But I wanted to do this first. It's from Farm Girl.

1. If I were a planet, I would be: a falling star; true, it's not a planet, but heck meteors are a lot more interesting than Jupiter.

2. If I were a month, I would be: October; Brisk but not freezing, trees changing colors, I equate the smell of October to than of cinnamon sugar, and Halloween....Free candy+ Costumes= lots of♥

3. If I were a day of the week, I would be: Friday, it's just the best day of the school week, isn't it? Because you've got the weekend to look forward to...

4. If I were a time of day, I would be: midnight; I'm a night owl. I operate best at night and worst in the morning...

5. If I were a sea animal, I would be: a mermaid--I would SO not want to be a fish or anything....

6. If I were a direction, I would be: East. Because I've always wanted to visit East Europe.

7. If I were a piece of furniture, I would be: a divan--you know, one of those red, plush couch/bed things that drama queens faint onto ;o)

8. If I were a sin, I would be: selfishness or maybe anger

9. If I were a historical figure, I would be: Jane Austen, she is one of the greatest authors of her time. She was quirky, her writing at times hilarious (at times heartbreaking), and her stories inspired nearly every romantic comedy today. Plus--she was perceptive, and had the skill to see people for what they were.

10. If I were a liquid, I would be: apple cider.

11. If I were a stone, I would be: emerald; I'm Irish.

12. If I were a tree, I would be: oak.

13. If I were a bird, I would be: a red cardinal.

14. If I were a tool, I would be: the toolbox...? Lol, I have no idea what I'd be...

15. If I were a flower/plant, I would be: a lily

16. If I were a kind of weather, I would be: a sunny day with a brisk wind and slightly chilled air.

18. If I were an animal, I would be: a red fox

19. If I were a color or shade, I would be:berry red

20. If I were an emotion, I would be: peacefulness...a lot of people say I'm easy to be with because I "exude calm" (?????)

21. If I were a vegetable, I would be: a sweet potato...the only vegetable I really like (and only with brown sugar and marshmallows...Or deep fried and made in to crispy fries)

22. If I were a sound, I would be: the sound of a singing bird

23. If I were an element, I would be: water

24. If I were a vehicle, I would be: a Fiot Spider.

25. If I were a song, I would be: one of Norah Jone's songs

26. If I were a movie, I would be directed by: M. Night Shayamalan

27. If I were a book, I would be written by: myself! I love to write!

28. If I were a food, I would be: Sweet Potato fries

29. If I were a place, I would be: Transylvania, Romania. It's so pretty there! The sunflowers, fields of them, are absolutely gorgeous....

30. If I were a material, I would be: tartan plaid; interesting, texturized, and soft and warm to keep out the cold.

31. If I were a taste, I would be: hot, sweet, and bitter hot chocolate with a liberal dose of coffee and a lot of marshmallows and cinnamon

32. If I were a scent, I would be: cinnamon sugar

33. If I were a word, I would be: dreamy

34. If I were a body part, I would be: eyes; they are perceptive and have a language all their own...

35. If I were a facial expression, I would be: a cross-eyed one with a tongue sticking out....a little bit rebellious and silly at the same time

36. If I were a subject in school, I would be: English....my favorite subject...

37. If I were a cartoon character, I would be: The Pink Panther--he's my favorite!

38. If I were a shape, I would be: a heart

If anyone one wants to do this--tell me! It's a lot of fun...
Toodles,
Sookie

See You On the Other Side

2007-08-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Regrettably we didn't make it to the Eclipse Prom. But no worries, we got our copies of Eclipse.

Sadly, there won't be any pictures....Sorry guys.

Lords and Ladies, I present to you...

2007-08-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Eclipse Prom

I will be attending this event tonight with my black dress and gloves, and a camera strapped to my hand. Of course I'll give you the whole enchilada, I usually do, along with some pictures of me and one of my best friends Mari going to our first prom ever at a bookstore.

"Let's look at it this way," Mari said to me when we decided we would go, "You don't go to a prom at Barnes and Nobles everyday now do you?"

There is supposed to be games, prizes, a reading of the second chapter of Eclipse, and, of course, the release of the book itself. I can't wait!

See you on the other side!

-Sookie.

Ps. Is anyone going to the Prom as one of the characters? I thought about it, but decided against going as Victoria or Bella (Victoria would work with my hair--but I have the perfect dress for Bella). If anyone has pictures I want to see them! I'll post my pictures as soon as I can...

The Write Recipe

2007-08-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to Shannon Hale's blog for ages, but I found something there that I could readily agree with. Currently I'm in the process of writing a novel (for those of you who read my project "The Lizard King" I've finished with it--it became a rather long short story; I'm happy with its length and the way things turned out--so I probably won't write anymore lizard-y-ness), and it feels like (to Luna Lovegood-ize it) being attacked by nargles and wrackspurts every five minutes. One minute it feels fun and wonderful, and the next it feels like I'm writing it all wrong.
But anyway, here's what I found:

When you read a book, it seems obvious that this had to happen in order for
this to happen, or that character had to be a certain way or the writing style
had to be thus in order for the story to work. But when you're writing it from
scratch...well, the only way for me to describe it is through metaphor. It's
like saying to someone, "You know how to scrabble eggs, make chocolate chip
cookies, and chili. So obviously you know how to cook. Now I want you to make
chicken pompeii. It should taste like this. There's no recipe, and I can't tell
you what's in it or even show you a picture of what it'll look like when it's
done, but you'll find what you need at the grocery store. Also, there are live
alligators at the grocery store. Good luck!"

--Shannon Hale at Squeetus

Wand at the ready!

2007-08-05T19:02:00.001-07:00

(Click on the image to take the quiz)

Well, that's nice and all, but I *really* fancy a Phoenix Feather wand. And maybe have the wood be mahogany or willow.....

You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) by Josh Groban

2007-08-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to post this because it's from my absolute favorite artist: Josh Groban. His songs are encouraging, usually about love, and some of them are really imaginative, great for writing. Plus, he usually sings in a foreign language which is so cool! This song is in English, but it's one of my favorites. It was the first song he sang at his concert back in March that I got to go see. He was so awesome! Even though we had like nosebleeds seats at the AT&T center downtown (and they are SO high up. You can even touch the ceiling!).
Anyway, this is the music video for "You are Loved (Don't give up)".
Toodles,
Sookie

Teen Movies Rock!

2007-08-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

From Meme Girls
Favorite Teen Movie of All Time:
I'd have to say 10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Classic Teen Movie:
Hmmm.....define classic.
Favorite 80s Teen Movie:
It's too hard to choose between Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles... Oh! If you must: then Pretty in Pink, because I love Ducky.
Favorite 90s Teen Movie:
Erm....I repeat 10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Teen Movie within the last five years:
Bend it Like Beckam, I'll admit, I'm not a sports girl, but I loved this movie.
Favorite Romance in a Teen Movie:
The romance between Derek and Sara in Save the Last Dance
Favorite Character in a Teen Movie:
Katerina Stratford
Favorite Kiss in a Teen Movie:
Well, if you must....Any kiss between Tristan and Isolde in Tristan and Isolde
Favorite Quote from a Teen Movie:
"Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you, Oh baby, oh baby."
-Katarina Stratford (she's saying this sarcastically
Favorite Teen Movie Actor:
Jon Cryer
Favorite Teen Movie Actress:
Julia Stiles

Toodles,
Sookie

New Layout

2007-08-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

So what do you think about my new layout? It's a bit on the serious side....But I'll probably get bored with it soon and change it :-). Though I like it now. It's kind of autumn-y, and I love autumn, so I'm pretty excited for summer to be over (normally it would be as hot as the tenth circle of hell outside, this is Texas, after all, but this summer we've had kind of a freak-rain torrent all season long, which keeps the temp cool and the skies gray--but normally you can see why I'd love autumn).
-Sookie
Ps. I found some Eclipse spoilers (Yes, yes I know, I know, I shouldn't ruin the book for myself...I should wait to read it in all its glory.....etc. I just couldn't, it was the same way with New Moon). Well, these "spoilers" didn't really spoil much, so I won't either. Apparently it's one of the best of the series, and Bella learns a little bit more about how vampirism would effect her if she were ever to change, and we do see more of Jacob.....yeah, that's pretty much it.
Toodles.
(love saying that word)

Diary Books

2007-08-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a post on one of my favorite type of novels: fictional diaries.

There are so many books and series in this format that deserve credit and haven't gotten it. Besides--writing in diary format is one of the hardest ways to write. You can only see what the character sees--if the character has blinders on, then so do you. AND you have to give them a distinct, flawed voice. So much different than 3rd person, or even 1st person.

So here are some of my favorite diary-novels.

The Royal Diaries Series
These books straddle the children's and YA genres since the princesses go from being like 11-15, around those ages. There are so many of them now--but a few of my favorites are Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Isabel of Spain, Eleanor of Aquataine, and Anastacia, among others....

Dear America: A Coal Miner's Bride
There are many of these Dear America books also, but the only one I've read remains one of my favorite books of all time.

Anetka's story of how she was torn from her homeland and grandmother at age thirteen (this was in the 1800's of course) because her father has "sold her" into marriage to a Coal Miner in America.

Anetka's voice is real and her wounds are painful, but we also get a happy ending and a very non-boring book.

This is one of my "comfort books", I think.

The Princess Diaries Series

by Meg Cabot

These are some of my favorite books! There's going to be nine full novels, with many little novelettes in between.

I love how real Princess Mia is, and I just love the situation: just imagine being told by your father that he's a prince and you are the sole heiress to his country! It's so much fun.

And last...but certainly not least:

Book of a Thousand Days

by Shannon Hale

I haven't read this one yet, but I know I will already love it! It's gotten some great press by those who were lucky enough to get an ARC (*pouts*).

It comes out this September and I'm so excited, I can't wait!

But for right now...I think I'll focus on scoping out all the bookestores in the vicinity for an early bird copy of Eclipse

Harry Potter Icons (for Livejournal)

2007-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Just thought I'd make some Harry Potter icons for my favorite characters.

Mini-Post

2007-07-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, right now I'm busier than I've ever been before summer ends. I'm trying to hold down two jobs, summer school (had to take a course our of requirement--not because I failed anything; though with the way things were going in Physics last year--that's surprising), and writing and reading. I think I might just put my "Busy Reading Eclipse" banner up now, even though I've had no luck in finding an early copy (A couple thousand or so got shipped and put in stores early--though they should have considered TEXAS when choosing where to put the early bird books, because no one in my city seems to ever find ARCs....).
I know I promised to review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So here's my review in seven words:
Loved it, though I miss Remus and Tonks.
Well, okay that's eight words but whatever.
WHY???? Why did my two favorite characters (besides the trio and Ginny) have to die???? WHY?????
The world of fiction is an absurd place.
I love it, but its crazy (I mean, she could have killed off Draco for all I care....But Remus and Tonks? At least their son hasn't died....YET).
Anyway, does anyone have an early-bird copy of Eclipse that they don't want?
Because I, for one would LOVE to have it.

The Spiderwick Chronicls

2007-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't read the books yet, but I did see the movie trailor. It looks very interesting. I was wondering: does anyone think the books are worth reading? Because I've heard some negative reviews of them... And I'm looking for some light reading before Eclipse comes out next week.
If not...does anyone have some suggestions? I'm going to the bookstore tonight!
I'm SUCH a geek :o)
Anyway,
have a great weekend everyone!
-Sookie

New Sites & Such

2007-07-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, since I'm a site-a-holic, I thought I'd just take the time to point out the new new ones I've made.
NEW!
Over My Head on Flickr! : Right now all it has is pictures from the Release party, but I'm planning to take some pics at the Eclipse Prom (when the third book in the Twilight series is going to be released)--where I'll be dressed as the main character--Bella. And I'm dying my hair! This time dark brown--almost black. I'm excited to see what it's going to look like. Also since I'm a senior this year, I'll be the annoying tear-eyed girl with a camera strapped to her hand nearly everyday at school. So expect more pictures soon!

Spooky Sookie at Livejournal : Also called "Spinner's End". (You can see where I'm drawing inspiration here). It's acting as a sort of interum website right now while I learn more HTML/CSS. I'll be putting up an archive of my reviews there also.

The Long Project : I'm working on resurrecting my old first website. But I won't post much until I learn how to make my own template for it.

Well, that's it for now. But don't think I won't be a dunderhead and start anymore new websites. Because it's likely that I will.