Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country

Title: Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Vertigo 2010

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; Support Your Local LIbrary

How I Got It: Library loan

The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. In each of these otherwise unrelated stories, Morpheus serves only as a minor character. Here we meet the mother of Morpheus's son, find out what cats dream about, and discover the true origin behind Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. The latter won a World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first time a comic book was given that honor.
This volume includes issues 17-20 of the original series and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, of issues 17 and 18.

Hmmm... So I didn't like this volume as much as the first two. We get appearances by Dream, but the stories are stories of others. I did enjoy the story featuring Death. She is fast becoming my favorite character in the series. Her spunk is a great contrast to her job. I think my favorite part of the volume was actually the extras at the back. We get an actual manuscript from Gaiman detailing the stories to be included. They read like a play script with stage directions and character descriptions. I find the journey from story to comic to be an interesting one.

Sandman

#1 Preludes and Nocturnes
#2 The Doll's House
#3 Dream Country
#4 Season of Mists
#5 A Game of You
#6 Fables and Reflections
#7 The Brief Lives
#8 World's End
#9 The Kindly Ones
#10 The Wake
#11 The Dream Hunters (with Amano Yoshitaka)
#12 Endless Nights

Sunnyvale Summer Week 3

The boys are here! Now on to the fun. I thought it would be a easier to do a week in review for all of our summer adventures. Week two in the past:

Sunday:

Pool -- It was a bit chilly, but still refreshing.
Started the boys on Doctor Who (reboot, not back to the 60s). So far they love it!

Monday:

Great America -- I might have been crazy to take the boys to an amusement park, but it's only 10 minutes from our house. We had to try to it out. After a bit of hesitation, they tried ton of rides. We spent 8 hours at the park! And they want to go again! Good thing I bought season passes. (And yes, that is N and I participating the grand finale of the magic show)

Tuesday:

Library Visit -- Love our library visits. This time we even picked up some movies.
Golfland Sunnyvale -- I had bought a Living Social deal awhile back. There's two different courses: Knight's Quest and some Tiki styled one. We choose Knight's Quest and boy was it challenging, fun but challenging. We played one round and then went inside to check out the arcade. They already want to go back. And if you want to know who won, N blew A and I out of the water!
Brave -- Definitely a must see Pixar movie. We loved it! Plus it gave us a chance to check out a different theater in Cupertino. Road trip! (really only 15 minutes from home, but we've never really gone that far south)

Wednesday:

Coast exploration adventure -- I was determined to find a decent beach. We wound our way to the coast and Highway 1. The first beach we tried (Half Moon Bay State Beach) was charging $10 a car and didn't take credit cards. So we got back into the car to try another. Just about 1/2 mile south we found Poplar Beach with metered parking $4 for 2 hours on the beach. And the machine took credit cards. Perfect amount of time. The boys frolicked (yep they frolicked) in the surf. It was freezing, but they didn't seem to mind. They were so excited to check out the Pacific Ocean. They even built a sandcastle with another little boys. After two hours, they were exhausted and bit cold, perfect time to pack up and head home. But we will be back!
Toys R Us -- The boys had a couple of gift certificates from grandma. They found a few Skylanders they don't have, a toucan Angry Birds plush, a few Sonic comic books, a mini Lego figure, and a Fruit Ninja apple plush. I think a pretty good haul!

Thursday:

San Francisco Day!
Commuter fun -- First time for the boys riding the Caltrain and Muni. We caught an early bullet train in the city. From there, we had to transfer to the Muni light rail to the BART station underground. Finally we hopped on the old fashioned street cars to travel to our destination...
Aquarium of the Bay -- The boys loved looking at all the exhibits. All the animals are species that live in the bay, so it's a unique aquarium. We end watched an awesome 3D movie about sharks that was entertaining and informative.
Johnny Rockets for lunch
Musee Mechanique -- Antique arcade games stretching back into the late 1800s. And they are all playable! Of course the boys gravitated to the 1980s-1990s games, but we had fun anyway.
Fisherman's Wharf -- Checking out the sights
Boudin Bakery -- Yummy sourdough bread and cookies for a snack
Pier 39 -- Shopping, seeing the sights, taking pictures.

Friday:

Chill day at the house
Movies and Pool

Saturday:

Chill day at the house
Pool, Movies, and Rock Band

Starting goals:

Getting a library card (for the boys) and weekly trips; summer reading program √
Sky High -- trampoline bounce place √
Great America -- only 10 minutes from the house! √
Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco √
Alcatraz -- J wants to go with, so this will be a vacation day or weekend trip
Scavenger hunt/photo scavenger hunt -- I want to do one of these but haven't even started thinking about the clues
San Jose Giants baseball game?
Beach trip -- possibly Santa Cruz
Exploratorium in San Francisco
Summer camps -- need to get a Sunnyvale account to sign them up -- Signed up! √
Most likely daily pool visits √
Get together with an old friend and her kids -- possibly at the Santa Cruz boardwalk or in Fresno (her town)
Possible bike rides -- if they can get better at riding

Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon

Title: Intentions of the Earl (Scandalous Sisters #1)

Author: Rose Gordon

Publisher: Second Wind 2012

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 270

Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romance; Mount TBR; A to Z -- I

How I Got It: Own it in ebook form

Will he secure his future by ruining hers, or will she ruin his plans by securing him? A new twist on the old fortune hunter plot puts an impoverished earl in a position to gain his fortune only by ruining an innocent's reputation without offering marriage. The innocent he's selected, however, has no plans to settle for anything less than marriage and will go to almost any length to secure him. With no other means for an income, the impoverished Andrew Black, Earl of Townson, makes an agreement that will put a definite end his eight year poverty streak. But, in order to gain his fortune he must do only one simple thing: ruin an innocent young lady’s reputation enough to make her flee to America. Brooke Banks isn’t interested in marriage, or so she thinks. She came to London to have a good time, and that’s exactly what she’s doing. Widely known for her tendency to flout the rules, she suspects nothing when a handsome stranger appears on her doorstep. Thirteen days, a handful of kisses and one scandalous situation later, Andrew and Brooke will have to choose to stick to their original plans, or decide if a life together is worth the risk.

Light and fluffy romance. I do love those types of books. Brooke, while impestuous, is great heroine. She's full of spunk and confidence, even when things aren't going her way. Andrew is a great hero and Gateway is the stereotypical villain. The storyline is great fun. Then I got to the last 20 pages and the story seemed to get way too complicated and convenient at the same time. The pacing was great until those last 20 pages. Everything seemed to get out of control and wrapped up quickly without much discussion. I just couldn't get behind those last 20 pages. I wished the ending had been a bit more drawn out. We get more of an explanation for the conclusion and not a rushed happily ever after. This if the first book in a trilogy. I'm still trying to decided whether or not to read the other two. Overall I enjoyed the book, just disappointed at the ending.

Scandalous Sisters

#1 Intentions of the Earl
#2 Liberty for Paul
#3 To Win His Wayward Wife

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Title: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2008

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 443

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires; Support Your Local Library

How I Got It: Library Loan

Shadow Kiss continues the story of the main character, Rose Hathaway and her education in becoming a Guardian. Rose knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend Lissa- the last Dragomir princess- must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous tutor Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken... Including school rules and the law when she takes her romance with Dimitri to the next step... love. Then a strange darkness begins to grow in Rose's mind and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy's iron gates. The immortal undead are closing in, and they want vengeance for the lives Rose has stolen

Another solid volume in this young adult paranormal series. This isn't the best series I've ever read, but it's definitely enjoyable and a quick read. I find myself getting more and more wrapped up in Rose's life. I can't wait to see what happens next. What will she do about the whole Dmitri situation? What about her future as Lissa's guardian? Will she follow duty or her heart? Twists and turns...

Vampire Academy

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Hyperion 2010

Genre: Children and YA/Fantasy

Pages: 576

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Mixing It Up -- Children's and Young Adult;

How I Got It: I own it!

After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

An absolutely amazing follow-up to the Percy Jackson series. We started with a bang and ended with a bang. Riordan knows how to pull the reader in, let them get to know the characters, and then throw the characters into heart-pounding situations. I loved that we get to meet three new major characters while revisiting some of our old favorites (Annabeth, Rachel Dare, Chiron). Piper quickly became my favorite new character. She had a great sense of loyalty and confidence (except when it came to Jason). And all of the action sequences were great. Lots of mystery. I always love trying to figure out the new characters (friend or foe) before the heroes do. I am glad to say that I called two of the major baddies before the reveal. (The one in the department store was definitely my favorite). My boys loved every minute of it. Just like the Percy series, they learned a ton of mythology along the way. They are definite fans of Riordan. Of course Riordan ends this book with a cliffhanger. Thankfully we have the second book and will be starting soon. Unfortunately we have to wait until the fall for the third book... Oh well, I must be patient for great books.

Heroes of Olympus:

#1 The Lost Hero
#2 The Son of Neptune
#3 The Mark of Athena
#4 The House of Hades
#5 The Blood of Olympus

Quote Wednesday -- Macinness

Nothing is interesting if you're not interested. -- Helen Macinness

Time and time again I come back to this idea. You can't force people to get involved if they aren't interested in the subject. I've been trying to get the boys into new foods and activities. Unfortunately this isn't working very well. I need to let the boys come to me. But the waiting is killing me!

Top Ten Tuesday -- Characters Like Me

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

There have been a few characters in literature that I identify with, that remind me of myself.

1. Mary from The Secret Garden -- I think I have the same need to be independent and strong as Mary. But like her, I definitely need friends.

2. Beth from Little Women -- Beth has this quiet vulnerability.

3. Anne Elliott from Persuasion -- I just love her so much. For some reason, I think that I'm a lot like her.

4. Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- Alice is curious. Alice is confident (most of the time). Alice is trying to find out who she is. All things like me.

I could only find a few characters that are like me. Funny how they are all from classic books that I love.

Music Monday -- 1983

As part of my ongoing celebration for my 30th birthday, I am highlighting some popular songs from throughout my years. Songs were picked based off of a list of Grammy award winners and Billboard Top 100. Then, I chose my favorites to highlight.

Year: 1983

Book: Unknown

Music Selections:

Toto "Africa"
Michael Jackson "Billie Jean"
The Police "Every Breath you Take"
Pat Benatar "Love is a Battlefield"
Bon Jovi "Runaway"

The Sunday Salon #16

Listening To: Into the Js, but now we have a problem. The music was taking up too much of my hard drive. So J pushed it onto the server to free up space. I can access it from the server anytime. Unfortunately that means that my plan to go through my music a to z is going to be much harder mixed in with all of J's music.

Book finished: Mayflower; Frostbite; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Reading: Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

On the Nightstand: Rest of the Vampire Academy series; Persepolis; HP 7; Mythology

MakingLists: Grocery lists (big surprise!) and possible freezer meals.

From the kitchen: The boys tried thai food. Not a big hit, but we'll try something else next (maybe Japanese). With the boys here eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home, we are going through a ton of food. I really hate cooking. Thank goodness the freezer meals method works great. Speaking of, I need to have another cooking day.

On the Web: There's been a huge amount of contest blog hops and I've entered them all! Plus, I've found some other great bloggers to follow.

Crafting: Attended a great "step it up" class. We made two different cards and then stepped up each card with some extra bling. I signed up for another class next week. Very excited!

Watching: I finished Chuck and I wasn't impressed. I feel like the series could have ended with the season 4 finale. J also started me on Parks and Recreation. The first season was a bit rough, but it got a whole lot better in the second season. Ron and April are definitely my favorite characters.

Wondering: How did I miss sunscreening two little spots on my chest? I now have a ridiculous tan line and mild sunburn.

From Nature: It's been a bit cool here lately. Very sunny but still great. Thankfully the pool is always heated. Very refreshing, but getting out the pool is a bit chilly.

Shopping Scores: I put in my first Stampin' Up order in California. I can't wait to try out some of the new colors.

Project: I'm going through all of my cds. Finally we have gotten around to them. I'm only about 1/6th through it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author: J.K. Rowling

Publisher: Scholastic 2006

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 652

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: HP

How I Got It: Own it! (in pretty hardcover no less)

This one is a reread for me. It's been awhile since I read the series. I remember reading the first couple of books out loud to the boys when they were infants. SO that's what, eight years ago? I read the last few books as they came out, but overall it's been awhile.

Instead of doing a traditional review, I thought I would just give you some of my reread thoughts. Things I noticed, things I loved, quotes I like, etc. And then I will have a mini review of movie vs. book.

Book fun:

Favorite scene:

Every one of the memories of Tom Riddle. They are so illuminating. I really wish they included them in the movie...
The opening scene between the Minister of Magic and the Prime Minister. It's a great opening sequence showing the interaction between the magical and muggle world. Another thing I really wish they would have put in the movie.

Favorite character(s):

Narcissa Black Malfoy -- Even though she's only in it for one actual scene, I love her. I especially love the contrast between her and her sister Bellatrix.
Ron and Hermione -- Their whole will-they or won't-they is fascinating. I just adore them. And I especially love the scene in the hospital.

Other odds and ends:

I forgot how angry Harry is in this movie... Teenage angst is a bit much.
There's a whole passage on pages 180-181 comparing Harry and Snape. As much as Harry doesn't want to admit it, they are very similar.
Slughorn is a great side character.

Favorite quotes:

No one really sticks out to me.

Movie fun

My favorite scenes:

Ron and Hermione's fight with the birds -- I love the emotional vulnerability in this scene. It just works.
Slughorn Christmas Party -- Between Hermione avoiding Cormac and Harry wanting Ginny, this is a great scene of teenage hormones. Plus it just looks pretty.

Things I wished to see, but didn't:

The book's opening sequence. Unfortunately they change to one (Harry in the tube station) that doesn't really make a lot of sense. However I did love the destruction of the bridge and Diagon Alley. It's mentioned in the book, but to see the raw power from the Death Eaters is just terrifying.
Harry and Ginny's kiss in front of the entire Gryffindor common room. The small kiss in the room of requirement just doesn't really work.

Other odds and ends:

In the books, I love Ginny Weasley. She's a great mix of Fred and George and Mrs. Weasley. I understand why Harry likes her. Yet, in the movies, she's more of a wet blanket. The movies rob her of all the interesting aspects of her personalty. Very sad change of character from books to movies...
I loved loved loved watching Draco's transformation from arrogant elitist to broken little boy. It makes his realization of what's right and wrong that much better. Tom Felton really gave him a haunted look in most of the scenes.
Attack on the Burrow -- WHY!?!?! It's just completely wrong...

Harry Potter:

Day Zero Project Update: Week 36-40

Instead of daily posts, I thought it would be a lot easier for me and you if I did weekly update posts. These will track my progress each week. I will highlight what I’ve done, what I want to do, and any interesting tidbits. Sometimes I’ll add pictures and/or links. Hopefully these posts will keep me accountable to me list…

What I Did

3. Listen to 26 new bands (one for each letter of the alphabet) (18/26)

Kindness "House"
Birdy "Just a Game"
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros "Home"
Radical Face "Welcome Home"

5. Make a playlist of my favorite 101 songs -- in progress. I am currently working through the Js.

6. Watch all the James Bond movies (22/22) -- Finished!

8. Have a Pixar marathon -- ongoing

Up -- started with the saddest one, but a good one

9. See 101 new movies (35/101)

Super 8 -- Great story. Could have done with the Abrams patented lens flares.
Like Crazy -- Awesome quiet little story of love. Most of it was improvised dialogue between Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.
One for the Money -- Ugh! Thank goodness this was a Redbox movie. Crap!
Secret of My Success -- How have I not seen this awesome 80s Michael J. Fox farce? And we even own it.
Haywire -- Good action sequences, blah storyline...
The Three Musketeers -- Overly hyped and stylized. Just didn't get me at all. I was laughing at the ridiculousness.
The Woman in Black -- Very predictable. And hard to see Harry Potter as a widow with a young boy.

12. See all of IMDB’s Top 250 movie s (11/250)

Up -- Always makes me cry

14. Choose an actor/actress and see all their films (1/ 22) -- I picked Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. One movie complete this week.

The Rundown

16. Spend an afternoon in the park reading -- Perfect week to do this when the boys were at summer camp.

17. Reread all of the Harry Potter books (6/7) -- One to go...

24. Keep a journal for this project -- Ongoing

26. Keep a “Six Words to Describe the Day” journal for 6 months -- Ongoing

28. Blog 1001 times -- 45 posts this period (412/1001)

30. Finish 100 creative writing prompts (4/100) -- I only do these at the coffeehouse... I need to do more.

32. Finish 30 reading challenges (8/30) -- Completed the Read Your Name Challenge with 23 books.

33. Read my height in books -- 5 inches this period (55/68in.)

37. Pass 250,000 pages read for my 1,000,000 pages challenge (79,394/250,000)

60. Try 30 new recipes (25/30)

Chocolate avocado muffins
Blueberry buttermilk cake

65. Save $5 for every task completed ($55)

100. Scrapbook 100 pages (84/100) -- 16 pages in the boys' books completed.

What I Plan to Do Next Week.

35. Join or create a book club -- Still waiting to find a good one.

72. Complete “50 Questions that Free Your Mind” (20/50) -- Have the templates ready, just haven't answered them yet.

Monthly Goal -- July

My day in 6 words. Ongoing for the next three months.

Take 26 photos of things that inspire me (one for each letter of the alphabet). I am going to try and complete this goal this month... Maybe the bosy can help me think of things.

Overall Progress

14/101

Sunnyvale Summer Week 2

The boys are here! Now on to the fun. I thought it would be a easier to do a week in review for all of our summer adventures. Week two in the past:

Sunday:

Pool
Dinner at Rok -- We ordered cheese fondue as an appetizer. Yummy California Dreamin' mix. For the main course, N had mac and cheese, A had chicken tenders, J had kangaroo, and I had scallops and prawns. You cook your food at the table on 650 degree volcanic rocks. (Don't worry, the boys' rocks weren't hot). All that plus a bottle of wine made for a very yummy dinner. Next time we will have to try the dessert chocolate fondue. (The last picture is N trying the kangaroo. He didn't really like it, but he did try it.)
Trutti Frutti -- Dessert at Trutti Frutti. Boys had the same concoctions as last time. I tried green apple and death by chocolate with brownie bits and gummi bears.

Monday:

Library visit -- Most of the books the boys put on hold became available, so we stopped to grab them before camp today. Below: returning books through the library's automated system. Very fancy!
Summer Camps -- N had LEGO Engineering and A had Magic Camp. They both talked nonstop after their classes. I think they are enjoying it so far... Pic from today is of A.

Tuesday:

Summer Camps
Playground/park time -- The boys' classes start an hour apart in different locations. So we have a bit of time to wait between start and end times. Thank goodness N's location is in the middle of a park. All pics from today are of N after his class, but before we went to pick up A.

Wednesday:

Summer Camps
Playground/park time
Pics of the Sunnyvale Community Center fountains. Very pretty. A has informed me that it is an "acid lake" (break time play with friends) and they have to avoid it at all costs.

Thursday:

Summer Camps
Playground/park time
Start of our Pixar movie marathon -- This is one of my Day Zero Project goals and I though the boys might enjoy rewatching some Pixar movies. We started with Up... makes me cry every time. I think our next selection will be Wall-E.

Friday:

Summer Camps
A's Magic Show -- The kids each performed two tricks and then received their special awards. He did so well with a clear voice and eye contact. Each kid took home their box of magic tricks, but there were others to buy after the show. A bought his favorite growing flower in a pot trick and N picked up a magic hat to match his brother.

Saturday:

Pool
Lounging day at the house
Another Pixar movie

Starting goals:

Getting a library card (for the boys) and weekly trips; summer reading program √
Sky High -- trampoline bounce place √
Great America -- only 10 minutes from the house!
Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco
Alcatraz -- J wants to go with, so this will be a vacation day or weekend trip
Scavenger hunt/photo scavenger hunt -- I want to do one of these but haven't even started thinking about the clues
San Jose Giants baseball game?
Beach trip -- possibly Santa Cruz
Exploratorium in San Francisco
Summer camps -- need to get a Sunnyvale account to sign them up -- Signed up! √
Most likely daily pool visits √
Get together with an old friend and her kids -- possibly at the Santa Cruz boardwalk or in Fresno (her town)
Possible bike rides -- if they can get better at riding

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Title: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2008

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 327

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires; Support Your Local Library; A to Z -- F

How I Got It: Library Loan

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks.... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.
But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

I still really like Rose and Christian is amazing. But I am getting more and more ambivalent towards Lissa. She's just a wet blanket of a character. Thankfully this volume focused more on Rose and her relationships with others (Dimitri, her mother!, Tasha, Christian, and Mason). I loved seeing her interact with those other people. I even loved the inclusion of Mia to that list. She was an absolute bitch in the first book, but now we see where she's coming from. I think she's a great counterpart to Rose. And Adrian was an interesting addition. To me this series is really about the characters. The supernatural elements some second. And I love that! Even Rose's occasional immature behavior is okay. She's growing like real people should. I don't expect her to be perfect; her flaws are what make her interesting. This is one young adult series that has me hooked. And all those comparisons to Twilight are just ugh! It's not the same at all. I can't wait to see what happens next...

Vampire Academy

2012 Reading Challenges Update #2 -- Mid-Year Point

I thought it would be a good idea to do a periodic checkup on my reading challenges. A way of reminding myself of my successes and failures. So here goes...

Total Challenges: 1/25 4%

Total Spots: 325/696 46.7%

Individual Challenge Progress:

Goodreads 88/175 50%
Semi-Charmed Summer 7/14 50%
Zombies 14/24 58.3%
Young Adult 6/12 50%
Fantasy 6/10 60%
Vampires 5/10 50%
Romance 5/10 50%
Telling Tales (fairy tales) 4/10 40%
Historical Fiction 4/10 40%
Graphic Novels 14/20 70%
Shakespeare 3/12 25% **
SciFi 2/5 40%
Outlander series 0/5 0% **
Mixing It Up 8/16 50%
Back to the Classics 2/9 22%
Harry Potter series 5/7 71.4% *
Fables 4/5 80% **
Read Your Name 23/23 100% *
A to Z 20/26 76.9% *
What's in a Name? 5 3/6 50%
Library 33/37 88.2%
Mount TBR 38/150 25.3%
Dewey Decimal System 7/41 17.1%
Book2Movie 8/20 40%
MyYears 15/30 50%
Color Coded 1/9 11.1%**

*Successes: I finished the Read Your Name Challenge using all 23 letters of my full name. One done... many to go. I'm almost done with the Harry Potter, Fables, and A to Z Challenges.

**Failures (Needs Improvement): I really need to get moving on a couple of the challenges (Shakespeare and Outlander). I had also hoped to finish the Fables Challenges by now, but it got shoved on the back burner. Definitely by September...

I'm pretty happy with a total spot percentage of 46.7%. Close to halfway done...

Quote Wednesday -- Moore

After all, there is but one race--humanity. -- George Moore

Something to ponder today...

Top Ten Tuesday -- Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

I love these quarterly TTT posts. It forces me to list my top reads for the season. I do so love being organized.

1. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman -- J has been bugging me about this series for just about forever. I promised I would read them this summer. And we have this uber pretty box set...

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows -- I have only two more books to finish my series reread. I'm so close! And once I finish these, I will have another reading challenge completed for 2012.

3. Mythology by Edith Hamilton -- I think this one has been on my list since high school. Twelve long years it has languished on my TBR list. I think this summer is its time to shine.

4. The Lost Hero and Neptune's Sun by Rick Riordan -- The boys and I have been reading The Lost Hero since last summer. To be fair, they only live with me during summer and school breaks. Thanksgiving and spring break we didn't get any reading done with traveling and family events. We're getting close to the end of Lost Hero and they already can't wait to read Son of Neptune. The third book will probably be read next summer.

5. The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman -- Another "why did it take me this long to read these?" series... First three volumes are completed, I'm hoping to finish the others this summer.

6. Rebel Angels and A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray -- I've had these series for absolutely forever. Finished the first one a few months ago and really ned to complete the series this summer. I'm looking forward to these.

7. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead -- I got the first one from the library on a whim and now I'm hooked. I currently have 2, 3, and 4 sitting in the ottoman to read. I hope to finish the entire series this summer.

8. Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi -- Really looking forward to these.

9. Fairy tale retellings -- I've been grabbing a few of these from the stacks at the library. I want to continue the trend throughout the summer...

10. Lots of romance from Susan Wiggs, Nora Roberts, Julia London, Paula Quinn and others -- I love me some light and fluffy romance during the summer. Definite pool and beach reads!

11. Finish the Semi-Charmed Summer Challenge -- I need to read 7 more books including the Gemma Doyle trilogy, 2012 World Book Night selection, book or movie based on book from 1982 (possibly Blade Runner?), School read (Mythology), "Ugly" in title, and a random pick from library/bookstore. I think it's doable.

Music Monday -- 1992

As part of my ongoing celebration for my 30th birthday, I am highlighting some popular songs from throughout my years. Songs were picked based off of a list of Grammy award winners and Billboard Top 100. Then, I chose my favorites to highlight.

Year: 1992

Book: Unknown

Music Selections:

En Vogue "Free Your Mind" -- You don't know how many times I sang this one in front of the mirror.
Billy Joel "The River of Dreams" -- Don't know why I am so fond of this song, but I am.
Mr. Big "To Be with You" -- Another great sing along song.
Madonna "This Used to be My Playground" -- I adored the movie and loved the song.
The Heights "How Do You Talk to an Angel" -- A cheesy 90210 associated song.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

Title: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Author: Nathaniel Philbrick

Publisher: Penguin 2006

Genre: U.S. History Nonfiction

Pages: 463

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Dewey -- 970s; My Years -- 2006

How I Got It: I own it!

Nathaniel Philbrick became an internationally renowned author with his National Book Award-winning In the Heart of the Sea, hailed as "spellbinding" by Time magazine. In Mayflower, Philbrick casts his spell once again, giving us a fresh and extraordinarily vivid account of our most sacred national myth: the voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth Colony. From the Mayflower's arduous Atlantic crossing to the eruption of King Philip's War between colonists and natives decades later, Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims a fifty-five-year epic, at once tragic and heroic, that still resonates with us today.

It felt so good to get back to reading history books. And this one is beautifully written! Philbrick creates an engaging narrative that hits all sides of the history of the Pilgrim settlement. My favorite side of the story was all the politics. We get Pilgrims and Strangers, we get Pilgrims and various native groups, we get native groups and other native groups, we get Pilgrims and Puritans. All sides with their own agendas, needs, and wants. Although it took me a while to read this one, but it was worth it. Philbrick's narrative is so dense that it took me a couple of times to rereading paragraphs to digest all the information. But I didn't mind because it was well-constructed. A definite read for a comprehensive history of the Pilgrims and their history and impact on American history.

The Sunday Salon #15

Listening To: Still in the Gs. However the boys and I have been rocking the Pandora Mumford and Sons channel all week. They're really getting into it.

Book finished: Vampire Academy; The Boys Vol. 11; Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

Reading: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

On the Nightstand: The Sandman series; His Dark Materials trilogy; HP 6; Vampire Academy series

MakingLists: Of what the boys want to do this summer. We've got most of the major things tentatively scheduled, including two weeks of summer camps (magic, engineering, and animation).

Farmer's Market Finds: I convinced the boys to go with me to the farmer's market this week. We got popcorn, potatoes, cherries, chocolate croissants, apple strudel, pretzels (German style soft), Quiche (for J and me), and fresh squeezed lemonade. Yummy!

Watching: Chuck S5; The Daily Show; Stargate SG1 and Atlantis; Monty Python and Mythbusters with the boys. Thinking about starting the boys on the new series of Doctor Who...

From Nature: Gorgeous weather although yesterday it got a bit hot (90 degrees!). Thankfully we spent a lot of time in the pool to combat the heat.

Shopping Scores: Bought things for the boys (bathroom decor). Plus we got another box of wine in the mail (like we need more wine). And J ordered a new MacBook for himself.

Project: Adjusting our schedules for the boys. Planning out future trips. The usual...

Sunnyvale Summer Week 1

The boys are here! Now on to the fun. I thought it would be a easier to do a week in review for all of our summer adventures. Week one in the past: Tuesday:

Boys arrive -- After the usual nastiness of air flight, the boys arrived two hours after their scheduled time. We were going to do a ton of errands, but they were a bit exhausted. So we grabbed some Wendy's on the way back to the apartment.
Pool visit -- Right away the boys wanted to jump into the pool, so of course we did it.
Target -- The boys got new towels, a subway map shower curtain, and some pool toys.

Wednesday:

Donuts -- We walked across the street to get donuts. The boys can't believe that we can get fresh donuts across the street. Yum! Yum! And they are huge.
Pool -- I think that the pool is going to be a daily adventure.
Bookstore -- We visited the small local bookstore, Bookasaurus (kids) and Leigh's Favorite Books (adult,) two blocks away.
Frozen Yogurt -- Boys were hesitant about frozen yogurt ("Is it ice cream?" "No, but similar"), but I won them over at Trutti Frutti. N had chocolate with chocolate chips and gummi bears, A had chocolate with chocolate chips and m&ms, and I had green apple and french vanilla with mini peanut butter cups. They already want to go again...

Thursday:

Sunnyvale Library -- I can't believe how excited the boys were to go to the library. They got their own library cards and proceeded to grab books left and right. They even asked for specific books that we had to look up on the catalog. We put some of those books on hold for the coming weeks. In the end, they each checked out around 10 books. One was read in the car and another partway read waiting for lunch. I'd say they are pretty happy. We will be visiting the library on a weekly basis.
Sunnyvale Community Center -- We had to go get our household id to sign up for summer classes. Five minutes and everything was set.
Sky High -- A huge warehouse filled with trampolines. A little boy's dream. After passing it about three times and searching for a parking place, we arrived for our hour long visit. I only bought an hour and thank goodness. The boys really enjoyed their time, but an hour was the limit.
Pool -- Third day in a row. But this time the boys met a few boys their age that actually live in the complex. We found out which apartment. The boys are determined to play with these kids every day now. We'll see... Although I am glad they found some kids to place with.

Friday:

Pool -- Of course.
Rock Band -- The boys are now obsessed with Rock Band. We had to have J show us how to set up everything. We then played for almost two hours. This may become a daily occurrence.
Lots of cleaning and laundry -- Actually got the boys to help me take out all the trash and clean the house. They did it without too much fuss.
Lots of reading -- The boys really got into reading their library books. I didn't want to interrupt, so we all read for over any hour.

Saturday:

Farmer's Market -- The boys were excited to get some fresh lemonade, kettle corn, and baked goods (mystery roll for A and pretzels for the rest of us). Yum!
Rock Band -- More and more playing

Starting goals:

Getting a library card (for the boys) and weekly trips; summer reading program √
Sky High -- trampoline bounce place √
Great America -- only 10 minutes from the house!
Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco
Alcatraz -- J wants to go with, so this will be a vacation day or weekend trip
Scavenger hunt/photo scavenger hunt -- I want to do one of these but haven't even started thinking about the clues
San Jose Giants baseball game?
Beach trip -- possibly Santa Cruz
Exploratorium in San Francisco
Summer camps -- need to get a Sunnyvale account to sign them up -- Signed up!
Most likely daily pool visits √
Get together with an old friend and her kids -- possibly at the Santa Cruz boardwalk or in Fresno (her town)
Possible bike rides -- if they can get better at riding