Today is New Year's Eve and 2011 is quickly approaching. As always, we usually create New Year Resolutions for ourselves. The first few days can come easily but it's more challenging to committ in the long run. Work, school, taking down Christmas decorations, and schedules interfere with goals and may sometimes cause the resolution to fade away. One book may be able to help with that problem.
When Turtles Fly by Nikki Stone, gold medal Olympian and motivational speaker, tells stories about intriguing people who have accomplished great things. I've been reading the book recently and the stories are incredible. They show how people's efforts pay off with practice, dedication, and hard work. At the end of each story there is a tie-in to the book's theme and a challenge. These challenges are truly helpful in achieving goals. I definitely recommend this book for people striving to accomplish that New Year's Resolution.
2011 is almost here. A quick stop to the bookstore may be a good way to start the year off.
More details on Nikki Stone's book can be found on her website, http://www.whenturtlesfly.com/index.html
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Sun Also Rises Surprises
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest HemingwayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first Hemingway novel I've read and I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't heard great things about it before I started reading but I enjoyed it. I think Hemingway's style and use of short sentences is really effective in creating perfectly clear images. This was an enjoyable book to read. It was also nice to read something taking place in Spain and France. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read. (Photo from Goodreads website-cover of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises)
View all my reviews
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Fast Facts: Recent Writer Updates
I have a few writer related updates at the moment:
-Misadventures in Filgersville is now available on Amazon's Kindle store for devices supporting Kindle programs. It can be viewed through this link. Filgersville on Amazon
-With that said, a new edition has been added to Goodreads of Misadventures in Filgersville for the Kindle edition. Feel free to review/rate that edition if you so please.Kindle Edition |
| Author Andrew Clements signing books at Tatnuck. |
-The last Local Author Extravaganza on Black Friday went great. Thanks to everybody who came. It was nice to see some familiar faces and meet new authors from the area and reconnect with old friends from last time. I will also be attending the same event on December 26th at Borders from 1-4/5.
-Finally, I attended Andrew Clement's book signing at Tatnuck recently. It was really great to meet an author who I read and enjoyed through my childhood. He was very friendly and I was amazed by his timeline of book covers which was so long that it needed to be held up by multiple people. That's impressive!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Procrastination: The Eighth Deadly Sin
I recently finished National Novel Writing Month, writing 50,000 words in November. But Thanksgiving weekend I found myself cramming to write almost 30,000 words thanks to procrastination. It's always easy to put something off for ourselves to deal with later instead of in the present; even this blog post has been put off until today.
This time, I actually learned something valuable from procrastinating. The point of the National Novel Writing month is to write a novel, not to write a fantastic novel, or even a good novel, but to just write a novel. So, that's exactly what I did. I wrote a novel in a month and now I can move on to other writing. I eventually stopped worrying about splitting hairs and let myself write freely in order to meet my deadline. That is what I believe to be one of the key lessons of the challenge: learning to write without the constants editor and critic hovering over your shoulder.
What did I gain from National Novel Writing Month? 50,00 words. A story. I definitely think it was a good experience and hopefully I'll have free time in November 2011 to do it again.
This time, I actually learned something valuable from procrastinating. The point of the National Novel Writing month is to write a novel, not to write a fantastic novel, or even a good novel, but to just write a novel. So, that's exactly what I did. I wrote a novel in a month and now I can move on to other writing. I eventually stopped worrying about splitting hairs and let myself write freely in order to meet my deadline. That is what I believe to be one of the key lessons of the challenge: learning to write without the constants editor and critic hovering over your shoulder.
What did I gain from National Novel Writing Month? 50,00 words. A story. I definitely think it was a good experience and hopefully I'll have free time in November 2011 to do it again.
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Restricted Section
*A note before reading- this post was intended to release in September but ironically enough, I decided to not post it.*
September sure is a month for books. I celebrated Random Acts of Publicity Week after Labor Day and just recently discovered that the last week in September is traditionally Banned Books Week. This widely celebrated week recognizes books that are commonly banned or challenged for various reasons. Reading about banned books got me thinking. Why do we ban books? I mean, people are entitled to communicate stories through novels. Books are just like music, movies, radio, television, and other common forms of media which also may sometimes face some censorship. But more often than not it seems that books are the medium which face the most critical treatment. But why books? If people have an issue with a piece of literature they could simply not read it, right? The answer is far from that simple and I think an answer might lie in what we've talked about in my history class: identity.
We all have an individual and societal sense of identity whether it's in a social, political, intellectual, religious, or economic sense (or SPIRE as my teacher says.) We have a notion of who we are and what makes us who we are. Beyond the color of our hair, ethnicity, height, and other aesthetic qualities we all have defining traits and ideas. If books and other communication mediums contradict our ideas, maybe we take offense to those things and feel compelled to remove them from our lives altogether. If things are offensive or incorrect, it makes sense to ask for factual accuracy. This argument is highly complex and multifaceted but some of the books on the list are questionable: American literary classics can be found on the list with titles like J.D Sailnger's The Catcher in the Rye and also J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books.
If you have any thoughts you would like to share, feel free to comment on this post.
September sure is a month for books. I celebrated Random Acts of Publicity Week after Labor Day and just recently discovered that the last week in September is traditionally Banned Books Week. This widely celebrated week recognizes books that are commonly banned or challenged for various reasons. Reading about banned books got me thinking. Why do we ban books? I mean, people are entitled to communicate stories through novels. Books are just like music, movies, radio, television, and other common forms of media which also may sometimes face some censorship. But more often than not it seems that books are the medium which face the most critical treatment. But why books? If people have an issue with a piece of literature they could simply not read it, right? The answer is far from that simple and I think an answer might lie in what we've talked about in my history class: identity.
We all have an individual and societal sense of identity whether it's in a social, political, intellectual, religious, or economic sense (or SPIRE as my teacher says.) We have a notion of who we are and what makes us who we are. Beyond the color of our hair, ethnicity, height, and other aesthetic qualities we all have defining traits and ideas. If books and other communication mediums contradict our ideas, maybe we take offense to those things and feel compelled to remove them from our lives altogether. If things are offensive or incorrect, it makes sense to ask for factual accuracy. This argument is highly complex and multifaceted but some of the books on the list are questionable: American literary classics can be found on the list with titles like J.D Sailnger's The Catcher in the Rye and also J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books.
If you have any thoughts you would like to share, feel free to comment on this post.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Core Workout
Finding what's most important can be challenging sometimes. To find the meaning of something at its core can be difficult and I've been trying to do this with seven other classmates as we attempt to perform Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in Twelve Minutes, an infamous project at my school.
A Shakespearean comedy, this play satirizes marriages of the time through superficial weddings and rather dark humor. Naturally, this five act play is rather lengthy with numerous dirty jokes and enjoyable scenes. But in doing this project, the group has realized that we have to make some important decisions regarding what content we may keep. Ideally, we would be able to perform the play in its entirety but such a situation is not possible. To put it into perspective, each act should be designated just over two minutes to fit into the allotted twelve minute period. Interpreting the meaning of dialogue and some simple lines or descriptions is difficult when eight different people confer. More often than not, everybody agrees on what to cut but we all are reluctant to take out certain jokes or lines that amuse us. A balance is needed between the necessary and the embellishment.
In the spirit of concise literature, this post will be brief. But I have one last question. For the sake of being "efficient," how do we determine what's necessary or a priority to us and what is superfluous?
A Shakespearean comedy, this play satirizes marriages of the time through superficial weddings and rather dark humor. Naturally, this five act play is rather lengthy with numerous dirty jokes and enjoyable scenes. But in doing this project, the group has realized that we have to make some important decisions regarding what content we may keep. Ideally, we would be able to perform the play in its entirety but such a situation is not possible. To put it into perspective, each act should be designated just over two minutes to fit into the allotted twelve minute period. Interpreting the meaning of dialogue and some simple lines or descriptions is difficult when eight different people confer. More often than not, everybody agrees on what to cut but we all are reluctant to take out certain jokes or lines that amuse us. A balance is needed between the necessary and the embellishment.
In the spirit of concise literature, this post will be brief. But I have one last question. For the sake of being "efficient," how do we determine what's necessary or a priority to us and what is superfluous?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Big Screen Books...In Pieces
Ever wonder why some books are so good as movies? I sure have.
This year I am taking a Film and Society class and we've been discussing and viewing early films from names like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. These movies have been enjoyable and I have began to look at the big screen with a more critical eye: how music affects a scene, different camera angles and lighting effects, and even things as simple as costumes all contribute to the ambiance of a movie. I've even had a chance to consider a movie in school outside of film class.
In English class, we have been reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and have kept up to date with the 1995 mini-series during class. While watching the installments of this series I've thought about how books can effectively come to the big screen and believe that one issue of books as movies is their ability to be true to the text while remaining enjoyable. The production team of this film battled this issue through installments in a series, a logical and effective approach. Through spaced out clips, the series can remain accurate to the book as it is spread over a period of time and maintains interest through shorter episodes. Because the whole plot is not presented at one time, the viewer is left in suspense and continues to view the accurate depiction of the story. This doesn't seem to be such a bad idea.
Another movie that is using such an approach is hitting theaters in November: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released in two separate movies to remain as accurate to the final book in Rowling's series as possible. This is a logical decision for this movie as well; as this book is rather long it makes sense to deliver as much information as possible in the movie to be accurate. The desired accuracy would create a lengthy film to view and cutting it into two parts is a perfect compromise.
Although there are specific directorial decisions which make all the difference in big screen entertainment, simply releasing content in installments may be a feasible solution for this issue in longer novels.
This year I am taking a Film and Society class and we've been discussing and viewing early films from names like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. These movies have been enjoyable and I have began to look at the big screen with a more critical eye: how music affects a scene, different camera angles and lighting effects, and even things as simple as costumes all contribute to the ambiance of a movie. I've even had a chance to consider a movie in school outside of film class.
In English class, we have been reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and have kept up to date with the 1995 mini-series during class. While watching the installments of this series I've thought about how books can effectively come to the big screen and believe that one issue of books as movies is their ability to be true to the text while remaining enjoyable. The production team of this film battled this issue through installments in a series, a logical and effective approach. Through spaced out clips, the series can remain accurate to the book as it is spread over a period of time and maintains interest through shorter episodes. Because the whole plot is not presented at one time, the viewer is left in suspense and continues to view the accurate depiction of the story. This doesn't seem to be such a bad idea.
Another movie that is using such an approach is hitting theaters in November: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released in two separate movies to remain as accurate to the final book in Rowling's series as possible. This is a logical decision for this movie as well; as this book is rather long it makes sense to deliver as much information as possible in the movie to be accurate. The desired accuracy would create a lengthy film to view and cutting it into two parts is a perfect compromise.
Although there are specific directorial decisions which make all the difference in big screen entertainment, simply releasing content in installments may be a feasible solution for this issue in longer novels.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Writers' Workshop
In the spirit of Random Act of Publicity Week for books, authors, and writers, I decided that it would be appropriate for me to discuss some great writing resources. The following list is a group of books/blogs/websites that I have found helpful in improving writing.
-A Teen's Guide to Getting Published: Publishing for Profit, Recognition, and Academic Success by Jessica Dunn & Danielle Dunn. No, this isn't quite about writing but it is about publishing, something that many writers hope will happen to their work. Not only does this book discuss publishing but it also provides advice for editing and receiving feedback. I'd recommend this book as a first to read about writing.
-Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine. I read this book while doing a school research paper about novel writing and it is probably one of the most helpful things that I have read. Levine breaks down different aspects of writing by informational sections like voice, show and tell, and establishing a good beginning. At the end of each section, she provides a related writing prompt or two. One of my favorite prompts of hers is to "[w]rite down twelve new story ideas right now. Don't expect them all to be good. What you want are twelve ideas, good, bad, or blue with pink stripes. If twelve don't arrive immediately, write junk or notes till you're done." I definitely think is a must read for writers of any age even though it is directed at a teenager audience.
-Another prime example of a book aimed to a young audience and writers is Josephine Nobisso's Show; Don't Tell! Secrets of Writing. I went to a workshop of Nobisso's at the spring NE-SCBWI conference and bought the book after her presentation. This book is another must for nailing good descriptions: it gives playful and precise instruction to improve description. She stresses using specific nouns and verbs to describe things instead of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. This is a fun read with fantastic illustrations as well.
-Breathing Life into Your Characters: How to Give your Characters Emotional & Psychological Depth by Rachel Ballon, PH.D. This book provides a psychological insight into writing characters. Ballon explains that the best way to understand characters is by understanding their psychology and your own; in doing this, characters become more believable. She explains the necessity of character motivation, back story, and differences from yourself and the characters.
-Gail Carson Levine's blog: http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/. This is a terrific resource for writing. Levine usually does a weekly post regarding writing, provides prompts, and is open to reader comments.
-Cara C's Food 4 Thought blog http://food4thought-cc.blogspot.com/. This blog is a lot of fun to read. She discusses such delectable food that mouth waters when I read about it. Great writing style and content.
Just for fun...
I also enjoy these art websites/web comics.
-Dani Jones has a great web series, My Sister the Freak. http://www.mysisterthefreak.com/
-Will H. does some humorous animation and web comics on his website. This is another fun thing to read, watch, and follow. http://www.crazycrudd.webs.com/
-A Teen's Guide to Getting Published: Publishing for Profit, Recognition, and Academic Success by Jessica Dunn & Danielle Dunn. No, this isn't quite about writing but it is about publishing, something that many writers hope will happen to their work. Not only does this book discuss publishing but it also provides advice for editing and receiving feedback. I'd recommend this book as a first to read about writing.
-Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine. I read this book while doing a school research paper about novel writing and it is probably one of the most helpful things that I have read. Levine breaks down different aspects of writing by informational sections like voice, show and tell, and establishing a good beginning. At the end of each section, she provides a related writing prompt or two. One of my favorite prompts of hers is to "[w]rite down twelve new story ideas right now. Don't expect them all to be good. What you want are twelve ideas, good, bad, or blue with pink stripes. If twelve don't arrive immediately, write junk or notes till you're done." I definitely think is a must read for writers of any age even though it is directed at a teenager audience.
-Another prime example of a book aimed to a young audience and writers is Josephine Nobisso's Show; Don't Tell! Secrets of Writing. I went to a workshop of Nobisso's at the spring NE-SCBWI conference and bought the book after her presentation. This book is another must for nailing good descriptions: it gives playful and precise instruction to improve description. She stresses using specific nouns and verbs to describe things instead of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. This is a fun read with fantastic illustrations as well.
-Breathing Life into Your Characters: How to Give your Characters Emotional & Psychological Depth by Rachel Ballon, PH.D. This book provides a psychological insight into writing characters. Ballon explains that the best way to understand characters is by understanding their psychology and your own; in doing this, characters become more believable. She explains the necessity of character motivation, back story, and differences from yourself and the characters.
-Gail Carson Levine's blog: http://gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com/. This is a terrific resource for writing. Levine usually does a weekly post regarding writing, provides prompts, and is open to reader comments.
-Cara C's Food 4 Thought blog http://food4thought-cc.blogspot.com/. This blog is a lot of fun to read. She discusses such delectable food that mouth waters when I read about it. Great writing style and content.
Just for fun...
I also enjoy these art websites/web comics.
-Dani Jones has a great web series, My Sister the Freak. http://www.mysisterthefreak.com/
-Will H. does some humorous animation and web comics on his website. This is another fun thing to read, watch, and follow. http://www.crazycrudd.webs.com/
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Still Reading After All These Years
I might not be crazy, but I have definitely found solace in reading since I learned from the simple Bob-books. I find that there are some books that no matter what your age is, you can't help but love them. So today's post is designated to those special favorite books. Here it goes...
-The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I read this book once for summer reading and I loved it. I like it's different puns like how Milo searches for Princesses Rhyme and Reason.
-I like Chris Crutcher's books like Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and The Sledding Hill. I found his books at a middle school book fair and was intrigued. His books are highly realistic: they focus on real and serious themes and use accurate adolescent language. I have a bunch of his books on my shelf that I can't wait to read.
-Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan. I came across these books in middle school as well. Riordan grounds fantasy in reality as Percy Jackson, demigod son of Poseidon, fights monsters around Manhattan and Camp Half Blood. The characters are believable and I found that I cared for them from the beginning of The Lightning Thief and beyond the last page of The Last Olympian. This is a fast-paced read and I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed the following book series...
-J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series. This is one of my all time favorite book series. I grew up with these books and began reading in elementary school. I even went to the midnight release parties for the sixth and seventh books at the bookstore in my town. Rowling captures the reader in the Harry's Wizarding World, which is now a theme park nonetheless, and the reader is left stunned after reading this fantastic series.
-Agatha Chirstie's books like And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I love a good mystery and Christie's are the best that I've read. Her books contain every slightest detail which at first, readers, like myself, may ignore but later end up kicking themselves as they find that they brushed by the solution to the mystery without giving it a single thought. Christie throws many red herrings and curve balls at the reader and most often, the murderer or criminal is in the place that you'd never look but clearly should have. Read this with a pencil and sheet of paper to keep track of suspects, clues, and details to solve the mystery.
Do you have any of these favorite books? Leave a comment and talk about them.
-The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I read this book once for summer reading and I loved it. I like it's different puns like how Milo searches for Princesses Rhyme and Reason.
-I like Chris Crutcher's books like Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and The Sledding Hill. I found his books at a middle school book fair and was intrigued. His books are highly realistic: they focus on real and serious themes and use accurate adolescent language. I have a bunch of his books on my shelf that I can't wait to read.
-Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan. I came across these books in middle school as well. Riordan grounds fantasy in reality as Percy Jackson, demigod son of Poseidon, fights monsters around Manhattan and Camp Half Blood. The characters are believable and I found that I cared for them from the beginning of The Lightning Thief and beyond the last page of The Last Olympian. This is a fast-paced read and I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed the following book series...
-J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series. This is one of my all time favorite book series. I grew up with these books and began reading in elementary school. I even went to the midnight release parties for the sixth and seventh books at the bookstore in my town. Rowling captures the reader in the Harry's Wizarding World, which is now a theme park nonetheless, and the reader is left stunned after reading this fantastic series.
-Agatha Chirstie's books like And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I love a good mystery and Christie's are the best that I've read. Her books contain every slightest detail which at first, readers, like myself, may ignore but later end up kicking themselves as they find that they brushed by the solution to the mystery without giving it a single thought. Christie throws many red herrings and curve balls at the reader and most often, the murderer or criminal is in the place that you'd never look but clearly should have. Read this with a pencil and sheet of paper to keep track of suspects, clues, and details to solve the mystery.
Do you have any of these favorite books? Leave a comment and talk about them.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Dog Days of Summer
Although the temperature outside may slowly be decreasing, there is still plenty of time for dogs this summer and I've read two perfect books about man's best friend.
The Dog Gone Mystery by Bryan Gatley is for children ages eight through twelve and features siblings Colin and Verity as they search for their missing dog, Strags. This story "takes place in the northeast corner of America a long time ago," and reflects tidbits of local history. The character Ruth B. Thistletip is one such example as she was inspired by Ruth Buck, a suspected witch from Westborough. Colin and Verity use their sleuthing skills and resourcefulness to find their dog and face the terrifying Ruth B. Thisteltip. This would be a great story to read with a class or aloud with an audience.
White Dog Haikus and Things We've Learned from our Westie by Kathy Troidle Jackson is another great book for all ages. This books contains several haikus about the Westie, Islay Bear, in different situations like facing the different seasons, finding mice and chipmunks, seeing other dogs, and eating. There are great pictures of Islay Bear, a cute Westie, decorating the pages. There is even a list of advice, "The Things I've Learned from my Westie," with items like "Hold no grudges," "Live in the moment," and "A little bacon makes everything taste better." This a light-hearted read that I'd recommend to any dog-owner.
These dog books may be purchased through the following sites:
The Dog Gone Mystery
White Dog Haikus and Things We've Learned from our Westie
The Dog Gone Mystery by Bryan Gatley is for children ages eight through twelve and features siblings Colin and Verity as they search for their missing dog, Strags. This story "takes place in the northeast corner of America a long time ago," and reflects tidbits of local history. The character Ruth B. Thistletip is one such example as she was inspired by Ruth Buck, a suspected witch from Westborough. Colin and Verity use their sleuthing skills and resourcefulness to find their dog and face the terrifying Ruth B. Thisteltip. This would be a great story to read with a class or aloud with an audience.
White Dog Haikus and Things We've Learned from our Westie by Kathy Troidle Jackson is another great book for all ages. This books contains several haikus about the Westie, Islay Bear, in different situations like facing the different seasons, finding mice and chipmunks, seeing other dogs, and eating. There are great pictures of Islay Bear, a cute Westie, decorating the pages. There is even a list of advice, "The Things I've Learned from my Westie," with items like "Hold no grudges," "Live in the moment," and "A little bacon makes everything taste better." This a light-hearted read that I'd recommend to any dog-owner.
These dog books may be purchased through the following sites:
The Dog Gone Mystery
White Dog Haikus and Things We've Learned from our Westie
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
An A+ for The Alphabets
Wow! Cecelia In Lee's The Alphabets is quite the read. This story follows ten different seniors in high school. The reader realizes how they relate to each other and is left hanging with suspenseful twists and serious issues like divorce, drug addictions, and secretive scandals with this rich young adult group in the city called The Alphabets. As this group goes through several parties and hangovers they realize how important they are to each other.
This book has very dynamic characters. They really pop off of the page and each deal with their own issue in a distinct way that reflects their strong personalities. I felt like I was among them when I read and I really cared about the people. Cecelia also creates a clear image of their relationships with each other with both comical and serious scenes. I definitely recommend this book to somebody who is looking for a fast-paced, action-filled read.
To purchase, visit the book's website. See http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=72671
This book has very dynamic characters. They really pop off of the page and each deal with their own issue in a distinct way that reflects their strong personalities. I felt like I was among them when I read and I really cared about the people. Cecelia also creates a clear image of their relationships with each other with both comical and serious scenes. I definitely recommend this book to somebody who is looking for a fast-paced, action-filled read.
To purchase, visit the book's website. See http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=72671
Friday, September 3, 2010
NaNoWriMo
School has once again resumed and it is time for new beginnings. I've decided that this fall I will try something new and participate in National Novel Writing Month.
From November 1-30, people from all over the world compete with themselves to write a 50,000 word novel. The mission of this month is to simply write: not to worry about quality or meticulous details, but to simply get words down on paper and pump out a novel. This seems like a tough challenge. The website has all sorts of motivational pep talks and even a procrastination station. NaNoWriMo is just less than two months away.
For those interested, more information can be found at http://www.nanowrimo.org/
From November 1-30, people from all over the world compete with themselves to write a 50,000 word novel. The mission of this month is to simply write: not to worry about quality or meticulous details, but to simply get words down on paper and pump out a novel. This seems like a tough challenge. The website has all sorts of motivational pep talks and even a procrastination station. NaNoWriMo is just less than two months away.
For those interested, more information can be found at http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Monday, August 30, 2010
"The Name's Bond. James Bond."
Although I am a devoted fan of Rowling's Harry Potter series and movies, my favorite movie would have to be Casino Royale. I can be a very laid-back, relaxed person at times. I prefer activities like kayaking, swimming, or running, none of which are contact exercises. Yet for some reason, this movie is one of those that I can watch over and over and still enjoy like it's my first time watching it. Last night my dad was flipping through the channels on the TV and this movie came up. The remote stopped clicking the "channel up" button as we watched this and I couldn't help but smile. I enjoy the high-speed chases, action, James's quick-wit and quiet deception, and the lavish lifestyle that 007 leads.
When I was younger, I used to play spy with random toy gadgets like light-up goggles, motion detectors, and wrist-watch walkie-talkies.I would try to uncover some non-existent top-secret information using these tools and my "detective knowledge" (of course I would always bend the story in my favor.) Maybe this is part of the reason I love this movie so much: I find their excessive intelligence exceedingly impressive. They combat their corrupted enemies with the well-thought out plots of this secret British intelligence agency. I always knew that I was no super-sleuth detective, but how can playing pretend hurt a kid?
When I was younger, I used to play spy with random toy gadgets like light-up goggles, motion detectors, and wrist-watch walkie-talkies.I would try to uncover some non-existent top-secret information using these tools and my "detective knowledge" (of course I would always bend the story in my favor.) Maybe this is part of the reason I love this movie so much: I find their excessive intelligence exceedingly impressive. They combat their corrupted enemies with the well-thought out plots of this secret British intelligence agency. I always knew that I was no super-sleuth detective, but how can playing pretend hurt a kid?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Pay it Forward: Random Act of Publicity Week
More details can be read on Darcy Pattinson's website. (Note, the banner displayed is Darcy's and does not belong to me.)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Last Olympian= Gold Medal Success
Although it doesn't have to do with the Olympics, Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian is an outstanding book.
This book may have been a quick read, but I loved it. Rick Riordan describes his characters so well that they became clear people and images in my brain. Quite often when I read books I picture the characters looking like somebody I have seen before but with his series, I have always had a clear illustration of who the people are. They really pop off of the page and make the reader care about them and their multi-faceted personality. One character who I particularly liked was Hestia. She came off as a sweet girl but with great wisdom and values.
The ending was not in the least disappointing either. I was curious as to how Riordan would end his series. I was afraid that Percy was going to end up being the hero and somehow work the Great Prophecy so he is not defeated by Kronos. But I was more than happy with the twists in the ending, between Sliena's valiant death (another scene which was vivid in my mind) and Luke's ultimate sacrifice in the end when he realized that he had made a big mistake. The ending to this series is not at all cliché but still has a happy resolution that left me smiling. 5 out 5 stars!
(This is a link to my Goodreads account where you can find this review and others.)
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/118400964
This book may have been a quick read, but I loved it. Rick Riordan describes his characters so well that they became clear people and images in my brain. Quite often when I read books I picture the characters looking like somebody I have seen before but with his series, I have always had a clear illustration of who the people are. They really pop off of the page and make the reader care about them and their multi-faceted personality. One character who I particularly liked was Hestia. She came off as a sweet girl but with great wisdom and values.
The ending was not in the least disappointing either. I was curious as to how Riordan would end his series. I was afraid that Percy was going to end up being the hero and somehow work the Great Prophecy so he is not defeated by Kronos. But I was more than happy with the twists in the ending, between Sliena's valiant death (another scene which was vivid in my mind) and Luke's ultimate sacrifice in the end when he realized that he had made a big mistake. The ending to this series is not at all cliché but still has a happy resolution that left me smiling. 5 out 5 stars!
(This is a link to my Goodreads account where you can find this review and others.)
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/118400964
Monday, August 23, 2010
D.E.A.R Time
This summer has been a rather dry one with little precipitation until yesterday morning when the clouds darkened over Massachusetts and poured rain over the parched ground. For the first time since June, we really felt the chilling effects of a crisp rain. Whether it be running through the weather for shelter or staying cooped inside with rainy day past times. With the warm and inviting weather of summer, I find myself spending much of my time occupied outside and being consistently active. I easily fall behind in my scheduled summer reading and am forced to stay up late at night to catch up. But with this wet weather, I have found more time to do one of the things I most love: reading.
Aside from quick errands, I have spent most of the past two days indoors reading.Without the bright sunshine illuminating the pages of my books and causing my wandering eyes to notice the gorgeous summer weather, I have gotten considerably ahead in my summer reading. With this obligation kept at bay, I then advanced to a book for my personal enjoyment. Since middle school, I have been a sucker for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series. These books are very entertaining and a quick read; thus, I have zoomed through most of the last installment in just a matter of hours. It's easy to get lost in a great book, connect with the characters, and exist in the environment of the story. Time isn't an object when reading and it was soon seven o' clock at night in real life yet entire days had passed in Percy's quest. In this imaginative world, I have found solace in the rainy days of summer. Yet I think the rainy days may be the real comfort after a busy summer; it's nice to have time to relax, be lazy, and read a book.
Aside from quick errands, I have spent most of the past two days indoors reading.Without the bright sunshine illuminating the pages of my books and causing my wandering eyes to notice the gorgeous summer weather, I have gotten considerably ahead in my summer reading. With this obligation kept at bay, I then advanced to a book for my personal enjoyment. Since middle school, I have been a sucker for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson Series. These books are very entertaining and a quick read; thus, I have zoomed through most of the last installment in just a matter of hours. It's easy to get lost in a great book, connect with the characters, and exist in the environment of the story. Time isn't an object when reading and it was soon seven o' clock at night in real life yet entire days had passed in Percy's quest. In this imaginative world, I have found solace in the rainy days of summer. Yet I think the rainy days may be the real comfort after a busy summer; it's nice to have time to relax, be lazy, and read a book.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Alphabets
Yesterday I went to a book signing for Cecelia Lee's book, The Alphabets. I walked through the bookstore to the event room and found a table full of books food, and people surrounding it. I was introduced to some of the other attendees (one happening to be from another town and is best friends with one of my friends from camp) and bought a copy of her book. She casually signed it and returned it to me.
At the party, we talked about summer vacation, the upcoming school year, the school's track team, and our favorite video game characters from our childhood, a semi-unrelated yet intriguing topic. But after nibbling on a handful of chocolates, I had to leave for a dinner with my sister. All in all, the launch party was great and I can't wait to read the book. Good job Cecelia!
At the party, we talked about summer vacation, the upcoming school year, the school's track team, and our favorite video game characters from our childhood, a semi-unrelated yet intriguing topic. But after nibbling on a handful of chocolates, I had to leave for a dinner with my sister. All in all, the launch party was great and I can't wait to read the book. Good job Cecelia!
Friday, August 20, 2010
School's Out For Summer
School has indeed been out for summer. But now summer vacation is winding down and the low-key, relaxing days of summer are fading away as the beginning of the new school year approaches. I always find that these last days of vacation are filled with cramming summer reading into few spare moments, trying to fit in activities that I have wanted to do for the entire vacation, beginning sports practices, and searching for time to relax before returning to the scheduled life of school. The commitments of school activities begin to reappear as more e-mails and text messages fill every possible inbox with important information and dates to mark on the calendar. It's also a time of setting goals for the innovative fall season and preparing for what lies ahead with new beginnings and changes.
But why is it that we think this far ahead instead of savoring the week and a half that is left of summer vacation? It's tough to live in the present and enjoy where we are at any moment when we aren't under the constant pressures of work and school. Life can easily become scheduled and lose all sense of spontaneity. And once we return to these positions, there is little to no time to honestly relax. So why not kick back for these two weeks before Labor Day?
But why is it that we think this far ahead instead of savoring the week and a half that is left of summer vacation? It's tough to live in the present and enjoy where we are at any moment when we aren't under the constant pressures of work and school. Life can easily become scheduled and lose all sense of spontaneity. And once we return to these positions, there is little to no time to honestly relax. So why not kick back for these two weeks before Labor Day?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Deliver the Letter the Sooner the Better...
Although this poem brings me back to fourth grade reading class and Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw, I have always loved communicating by old fashioned snail mail. When I was younger, I loved to poke through the day's mail delivery in hopes of getting some letter or package addressed to me. More often than not I didn't have a single letter, until fourth grade when my cousin and I began to correspond as pen-pals after spending a week of our summer vacation together. We soon talked about everything through our letters and I would eagerly await the day when a letter would come addressed to me from Florida. It's such a novelty concept that I have grown up loving: a white truck drives to your house's box, drops off parcels, and moves on to the next house.
Snail mail is also a simple alternative to all of the new technology out these days. With all of the social networking media on the Internet, it becomes easy for people to lose that sincere and personal touch of a letter. At camp this year, I always anticipated checking my CIT mailbox for mail from friends and family. A letter reflects extra time given addressing the person to whom you're writing. Hand-written thank you cards, although sometimes a nuisance, are suggested for a reason. Why not try writing a friend a letter? Although, I wouldn't recommend putting the urgent and childish poem on the envelope.
Snail mail is also a simple alternative to all of the new technology out these days. With all of the social networking media on the Internet, it becomes easy for people to lose that sincere and personal touch of a letter. At camp this year, I always anticipated checking my CIT mailbox for mail from friends and family. A letter reflects extra time given addressing the person to whom you're writing. Hand-written thank you cards, although sometimes a nuisance, are suggested for a reason. Why not try writing a friend a letter? Although, I wouldn't recommend putting the urgent and childish poem on the envelope.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Word of the day: Blog?
I've always thought that "blog" was an intriguing word. It's an odd name for a special type of website.
I love writing and am always looking for ways to write. Yesterday, I was a guest at a local author signing at a nearby bookstore and when talking to the other authors, I realized that blogging is a fantastic way to write. Between this, following my sister's blog, and trying to keep a little blog on my book website, I thought that I may as well give this blogging thing a shot. It seems like fun: writing about something, posting it on the Internet, and seeing if people read it. Even if not it seems like an entertaining way to write. If you've stumbled upon this, good job! I'm blindly stumbling into this new environment as well. I may write about anything really: writing, reading, the day, or whatever else is interesting enough to write and (hopefully) read about it.
Blog- it's an interesting word, but for an interesting concept.
I love writing and am always looking for ways to write. Yesterday, I was a guest at a local author signing at a nearby bookstore and when talking to the other authors, I realized that blogging is a fantastic way to write. Between this, following my sister's blog, and trying to keep a little blog on my book website, I thought that I may as well give this blogging thing a shot. It seems like fun: writing about something, posting it on the Internet, and seeing if people read it. Even if not it seems like an entertaining way to write. If you've stumbled upon this, good job! I'm blindly stumbling into this new environment as well. I may write about anything really: writing, reading, the day, or whatever else is interesting enough to write and (hopefully) read about it.
Blog- it's an interesting word, but for an interesting concept.
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