High Summer Readathon -- Day 2 Update

Time Read Today: 1 hour 54 minutes

Total Time Read: 4 hours 52 minutes

Pages Read Today: 245 of Last Sacrifice and 40 of Son of Neptune

Total Pages Read: 591

Total Books Read: 0.8

Comments: So close to the end of Last Sacrifice and it's so good!

TBR Pile:

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead -- In progress
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan -- in progress

High Summer Readathon -- Day 1 Update

Time Read Today: 2 hours 58 minutes

Total Time Read: 2 hours 58 minutes

Pages Read Today: 306

Total Pages Read:306

Total Books Read: 0.5

Comments: I got in some good reading time in the morning and this evening before bed. The boys hold my attention during the day, so I think this will be my pattern for the week. I am excited to finish the Vampire Academy series. I should be able to do it tomorrow. And then move on to other books.

TBR Pile:

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead -- In progress
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (bedtime read for boys, forgot to add)

Music Monday -- 2004

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: 2004

Book: Persepolis: The Story of a Return

Music Selections:

Third Day "Wire" -- I was obsessed with this band for awhile. And this is my favorite song of theirs.
Green Day "Holiday" -- Green Day at the height of their creativity. Their current album just doesn't compete to American Idiot.
Jason Mraz "You and I Both" -- Love this song to pieces. I definitely don't like everything Mraz does, but this song is just lovely.

High Summer Readathon -- Starting Line

Goals:

Read at least 5 books
Review all books read
Read at least 15 hours this week

TBR Pile (in the order I want to tackle):

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Title: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2010

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 490

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires

How I Got It: Library Loan

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.
She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Such twists and turns. I really really really like this series. And I don't care what anyone says, this isn't like Twilight at all. Rose is a strong character. Bella was just weak willed. Comparisons aside, I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. Just when I thought everything was fixed, another incident blew up Rose's world. At this point, I am really concerned for Rose and her future (especially with the last few chapters). I am excited about her future with Adrian, even if I loved Dmitri. This is a love triangle I can get behind. With all the loose ends, I hope the last book gives us some answers.

Vampire Academy

The Sunday Salon #19

High Summer Readathon at Seasons of Reading starts tomorrow!!! Have you signed up? Get on over there and get going. I'll be posting my goals early tomorrow morning and then diving into the reading. Hopefully I will knock out one of my reading challenges during.

Listening To: Alex Clare -- god I love his voice!

Book finished: The Sweet Far Thing; 12th Night; Carole's Christmas; Blood Promise

Reading: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead -- the last book renewed my interest in the series. I am sure I'll be speeding through this one and the last book.

On the Nightstand: Last Sacrifice; Hater; Dogblood; Restoring Grace; Jemima J; The Wizard of Oz

MakingLists: Shopping lists; To do lists; Job Lists

Crafting: The boys and I did a scavenger hunt around the apartment complex this week. I used one of my favorite stamps sets to crate cute clue cards with classic typewriters. The boys just didn't fully appreciate my craftsmanship.

I also squeezed in organizing my crafting area on Saturday and make a few cards. For the two floral ones, I used the new Stampin' Up 2012-2014 in colors and a sheet of some random paper that cordinated perfectly. For the red and blue card, I wanted to try out a border punch I purchased months ago, but never tried. I love the art deco feel to the pattern. I need to figure out some other ways to work that in.

Watching: The boys and I almost finished series 2 of Doctor Who on our DW marathon day. I did finally finish Weeds S7. Crazy cliffhanger, like always. And I picked up some girly movies at the library while J was away. See I'm a super considerate girlfriend who doesn't make him watch my sappy love movies.

Wondering: What to do about dinners next week? I really really really hate cooking. But we need to eat. Must figure out meal plan.

Shopping Scores: Amanda Palmer just released her fall concert tour dates and she's coming to SF in September. I really really want to go. The tickets just went on sale. So now I'm off to get the credit card and buy me entrance to an outrageous night with Amanda Palmer!

From Nature: Chilly temps on the coast meant no beach trip this week. It's been beautiful here (like always). I hope the coast warms up a bit. I know the boys would love to head back to the beach before they go back.

Project: I'm try to finish planning the summer (only 2 1/2 weeks until the boys go back) and think about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plane tickets are already outrageous!

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razor Bill 2010

Genre: YA Vampires

Pages: 512

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Vampires

How I Got It: Library Loan

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them . . . including Dimitri.He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

This volume was a nice change a pace. We got out of St. Vladmir's and into new foreign territory. We also got to meet some new people (good and bad). This book has renewed my interest in the series. For the first 1/3 of the book, I was wavering about my commitment to reading the series. But things quickly become interest and I reinvested. I've decided that Lissa is growing on me, Adrian is really growing on me, and we need to see more of Christian. On to book five...

Vampire Academy

Sunnyvale Summer Week 5

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. Sunday:

Sunnyvale Golfland -- We played the east course, Tiki's something or other. It's definitely easier than the Knight's Quest, but still fun. We rounded out our visit with a bit of arcade time. Golfland is on for one more visit sometime next week.

Monday:

Chilling at home

Tuesday:

Great America -- This time we hit up the water park (no pics as I was having too much fun in the water). The weather was perfect: 88 degrees and sunny in Santa Clara. After the water park, we hit up some of our favorite rides and played a few carnival games. We each won a Domo! After spending another 7 hours at the park, we were all exhausted. GA is on our list for one more time this summer, probably next week.

Wednesday:

Doctor Who marathon -- Who can say no to the Doctor, especially David Tennant's Doctor? We got through almost the entire second series. We'll definitely be into the third series before they go back to Indiana.

Thursday:

Scavenger Hunt -- I made little card clues and scattered them about the complex. The boys had to figure out each clue to reach the next one. At the end, they had to rearrange the secret letters to spell out their prize...
Hunt Prize: Tutti Frutti -- To which A was super excited and N decided he didn't want any. How can you say no to frozen yogurt? A got his usual, chocolate with chocolate chips and m&ms. I got peach with oreo cookie crumbles. Yummy!
Pool

Friday:

Library visit -- Picked up some Pokemon comics and a movie for tonight, 9.
Pool day
Little Caesars -- As I wasn't feeling so great today, I caved and we went and picked up Little Caesars. The boys' favorite pizza. At $5 a pizza, it's definitely in the budget.

Saturday:

Pool
Mythbusters
Pick up J at airport

Starting goals:

Getting a library card (for the boys) and weekly trips √
Sky High √
Great America √
Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco √
Alcatraz
Scavenger hunt/photo scavenger hunt √
San Jose Giants baseball game
Beach trip √
Exploratorium in San Francisco
Summer camps √
Most likely daily pool visits √
Get together with an old friend and her kids
Possible bike rides

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Title: The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle #3)

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Delacorte Books 2009

Genre: YA

Pages: 848

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA; Mount TBR; Semi-Charmed -- trilogy

How I Got It: I own it!

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

Overall I really did like this series. I liked Gemma's growth. I liked the world of the Realms, especially the Winterlands. I loved some of the side characters, Kartik, Brigid, Nightwing, Mother Elena, the Gorgon. I fell into the story just as quickly as Gemma fell into visions. I liked that Tom finally saw his sister for she is. I loved that Gemma didn't end up as a corseted prim beauty.

However, I was left with some issues. *spoilers ahead*

Kartik and Gemma -- The ending left me wanting something different. I don't always need the happily ever after, but this was too bleak and hopeless. And Gemma seemed okay with it! I just couldn't take that.
Felicity -- I never liked her. Even after knowing her secret, I still didn't like her. She has no excuse to treat others as she did. Gemma started to stand up to her, but at that point Felicity had already been given power.
Circe -- So was she bad or good? She seemed to redeem herself in the end, but did she. Gemma gave her the spot on the boat. So does that mean that Gemma can never cross over when she dies? I don't think Circe deserved what Gemma gave her.

I have a few issues with the ending. And I think the third book got a bit convuluted with so many red herrings. But I still really enjoyed this trilogy. I feel like I need to read more of Bray's novels. I've heard some good things.

Gemma Doyle

12th Night and Carole's Christmas by Anne Glynn (mini reviews)

Title: 12th Night and Carole's Christmas

Author: Anthology and Anne Glynn

Genre: Erotica

Pages: 227; 42

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romance; Mount TBR

How I Got It: free iBook download

Two short reviews for two short reads. The first, 12th Night, was an anthology of 12 holiday themed erotic stories. Some were okay, but a few were truly horrid. And the other novella, Carole's Christmas, was a pretty tepid retelling of A Christmas Story. But in this time the ghosts are sexual encounters of Carole's past, present, and future boyfriends. It felt very use and throw away to me. And none of the guys were attractive in any sense. I grabbed these two free iBook downloads as quick bedtime reads. I've found that short stories or novellas are the way to go before bed. However, both of my picks were dull. I wasn't turned on by either of them. The submission was too much. The graphic sex with no set-up was too much. The lackluster men were too much. The weak, sex-focused women were too much. I really need to get back to reading historical romances. At least with those I get a story, however contrived and silly. It's still a story.

Once Upon a Readathon 3 - Day 3 Final Update

Time Read Today: 1 hour 44 minutes

Total Time Read: 5 hour 40 minutes

Pages Read Today: 54 (Twelfth Night), 42 (Carole's Christmas) and 172 (The Sweet Far Thing)

Total Pages Read: 810

Comments: Somehow I forgot to post this last night, so here you go. I definitely fell short of all my goals. However, I think I did some respectable reading for the many interruptions. I'll be reviewing the books read as soon as possible.

TBR Pile (in the order I want to tackle):

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (66% finished)
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Addition -- ~~Twelfth Night anthology~~
Addition -- ~~Carole's Christmas~~

Quote Wednesday -- Montaigne, Socrates, and Fried

The value of life lies not in the length of days but in the use of them. -- Montaigne The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be. -- Socrates

It is no sin to attempt and fail. The only sin is not to make the attempt. -- Suellen Fried

Some wise words to start off this hump day. I especially love the first quote from Montaigne. This summer I am all about taking advantage of the days given. The boys and I are constantly on the move, spending as much time together as we can.

Once Upon a Readathon 3 - Day 2 Update

Time Read Today: 2 hours 6 minutes

Total Time Read: 3 hour 56 minutes

Pages Read Today: 73 (Twelfth Night) and 227 (The Sweet Far Thing)

Total Pages Read: 542

Comments: As I thought, I didn't get much reading time today. We spent almost 7 hours at Great America. We have a season pass, but had yet to check out the waterpark side. An 88 degree day was perfect for that, but not so perfect for my reading. I'm sure I'll read some before bed...

TBR Pile (in the order I want to tackle):

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Addition -- Twelfth Night anthology

Once Upon a Readathon 3 - Day 1 Update

Time Read Today: 1 hour 50 minutes

Total Time Read: 1 hour 50 minutes

Pages Read Today: 100 (Twelfth Night) and 142 (The Sweet Far Thing)

Total Pages Read: 242

Comments: Before going to bed last night (it was after midnight), I started Twelfth Night, a collection of 12 sexy holiday stories. I've found that I do better reading short stories before bed. Dove into The Sweet Far Thing sitting at the pool. I'm sure I'll read a bit before bed, but I'm cutting it off now for the update.

Mini Challenge: From IBBookBlogging

Question 1:What is your favorite cover that has been revealed this summer and why? Post a link or picture of the cover if you want.

Hmm... such choices this year. I'm going to go with Siege by Rhiannon Frater. Besides the fact that it's part of a trilogy about zombies, the cover has a great contrast going on with shadows and fire. Plus, I just received the entire trilogy in the mail. Can't wait to get to them...

Question 2:Do you rely on the cover to help you choose whether you want to read a book or not?

Yes, I do. I'll admit it, I'm a bit of book snob. I really bad cover can turn me off to reading the book. Dynamic covers draw me to books.

TBR Pile (in the order I want to tackle):

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Addition -- Twelfth Night anthology

Music Monday -- 1990

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: 1990

Book: Unknown

Music Selections:

Janet Jackson "Escapade"
Wilson Phillips "Hold On"
New Kids on the Block "Step by Step"

Once Upon a Readathon 3 - Starting Line

Goals:

Read 5 books
Review all books read
Start working on cleaning up broken links on blog

TBR Pile (in the order I want to tackle):

A Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Hater by David Moody
Dog Blood by David Moody
Jemima J by Jane Green
Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
The Wizard of Oz by Baum
Mythology by Edith Hamilton

The Sunday Salon #18

Book finished: Persepolis 1; Persepolis 2; Sandman Vol. 4; Sandman Vol. 5; Adrianna's Fairy Tales; Rebel Angels; Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

Reading: Mythology by Edith Hamilton

On the Nightstand: Rest of the Vampire Academy series; A Sweet Far Thing; Hater and Dog Blood by David Moody

MakingLists: The usual... grocery, general to-dos

Listening To: New music borrowed from the library. Alkaline Trio, Howie Day, Coldplay, Brandon Flowers, and Glee Soundtracks

Around the house: My goodness we have a mess in this house. There's just living bits everywhere. Thankfully I started on the cleaning. It's getting better slowly.

Farmer's Market Finds: A quick visit had me snapping up some beautiful nectarines, a ham and cheese croissant, and a blueberry custard danish. On the way back to the house, I finally visited the other coffee house on Murphy Street for a peach smoothie.

Watching: Way too many episodes of Mythbusters (the boys' favorite show right now)

Wondering: How am I going to participate in Once Upon a Readathon this week with everything going on?

Shopping Scores: I found a cute summery top on the Target clearance rack. Only $6, I couldn't resist.

Project: I took on two crazy large projects this week. I am going back through my blog fixing broken links (mostly images). And I started to go through my various TBR lists (computer and notebook) to consolidate. I might just be crazy this week.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

Title: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (A Magic Shop Book #1)

Author: Bruce Coville

Publisher: Sandpiper 2007

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Pages: 176

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA; Mount TBR

How I Got It: I own it!

In this entertaining fantasy readers will soon realize that things are not always as they seem. Jeremy Thatcher is plagued with all of the problems of a 12-year-old plus a few extra. He is pursued by Mary Lou Hutton, whom he detests, and is constantly put down by his art teacher for reasons he does not understand. One afternoon, in an effort to escape Mary Lou, Jeremy runs through alleys, side streets, and byways and finds himself in a part of town he has never seen before. He enters a small magic shop where he purchases a strange egg. A dragon that only Jeremy and Mary Lou can see enters the picture. The book is filled with scenes that will bring laughter and near tears to readers. Jeremy and his friends are believable characters; their actions and reactions are typical of the children's age. Once again, Coville offers a fantasy that younger readers can handle easily, and one in which dragons really exist for a little while.

The boys and I picked this up as an in between our Riordan books. And I have to say that this was great. I remember reading Coville's books in the 90s. This is a newer series, but just as good. The boys loved the magical twist on the story and the dragons. I think dragons are the boys' new favorite creatures. After finishing, they quickly inquired as to if they are other Magic Shop books. We own three of the five and are on the lookout for the other two.

Magic Shop

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Jennifer Murdley's Toad
Goblins in the Castle
The Monster's Ring
The Skull of Truth
Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
Charlie Eggleston's Talking Skull
The Vampire's Tood
The Mask of Eamonn Tiyado

Sunnyvale Summer Week 4

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:

Chilling at home

Monday:

Chilling at home -- three days in a row, but it felt so nice

Tuesday:

Winchester Mystery House -- It's only about 15 minutes away from our house. I had previously visited 6 years ago on vacation. I thought the boys would enjoy it after our interesting visit to Fallingwater. We did the mansion tour and the behind-the-scenes tour. I love examining all the of the different rooms and gardens. I love that house! I think the boys enjoyed our time.

Wednesday: Fourth of July!

Fireworks in Cupertino -- We didn't want to fight the crowds to get to the bay, so we decided to head about 15 minutes south to Cupertino. We sat in a nice park with our picnic blanket, card games, and snacks. The fireworks were great. And the best part was that we got home in 30 minutes.

Thursday:

Running errands without the car -- The boys and I took a nice walk to the bank and then to Target.
Lunch at Gumbas -- We grabbed a pizza at the Italian restaurant two blocks from the house. Yummy!

Friday:

Pool afternoon
Movie -- We ventured out to see The Amazing Spiderman.

Saturday:

Library visit -- We grabbed some great books and movies.
Dropped J off at SFO -- He's flying to Romania for a week for a business trip. While the cat's away, the mice will play. Not really... But I will miss him.

Starting goals:

Getting a library card (for the boys) and weekly trips √
Sky High √
Great America √
Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco √
Alcatraz
Scavenger hunt/photo scavenger hunt
San Jose Giants baseball game?
Beach trip √
Exploratorium in San Francisco
Summer camps √
Most likely daily pool visits √
Get together with an old friend and her kids
Possible bike rides

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle #2)

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Delacorte Books 2006

Genre: YA

Pages: 592

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; YA; Semi-Charmed Challenge -- Trilogy read

How I Got It: I own it!

Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy—spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Lord Denby. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify—visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.The lure is strong, and soon Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world that Gemma takes them to. To the girls' great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.But all is not well in the realms—or out. Kartik is back, desperately insisting to Gemma that she must bind the magic, lest colossal disaster befall her. Gemma is willing to comply, for this would bring her face-to-face with her late mother's greatest friend, now Gemma's foe—Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task. . . .

I think this was a much stronger book than A Great and Terrible Beauty. We finally see Gemma beginning to grow up and find her own identity. I hated that she bowed to so many others in the first book. Her defiance as the Priestess is awesome. Ann is still annoying as ever and Felicity is still as conceited as ever. I loved seeing the changes in the Realm after the destruction of the Runes. Plus we get to meet some great new characters. The Gorgon was most definitely my favorite. And the mystery of who Circe is pushed the story along at a great pace. My only complaint: I want more Kartik!

Gemma Doyle