Text and Java

Photo snagged from myfashionlife.com (thanks) 1. Blog at least twice a week. 2. Join IMM over at Story Siren . 3. Post more program/craft ideas (can you believe I have summer planned already?) This was the main reason I started this blog. Think of how much more we can do with the sharing of ideas instead of thinking up two new fresh programs on our own each month. 4. Host some giveaways. 5. Go to BEA. 6. Read 85 books. (I know this is low, but with Grad. school, I have to go easy on myself). 7. In an effort to remain in contact with the great people I have met while blogging, I promise not to lurk, but to post comments on some of the blogs I visit everyday. You cannot imagine how many mornings I sit here with my coffee, reading and nodding my head to whatever I'm reading-as if the blogger can tell I'm agreeing with him or her. I must admit, I don't always comment because I am lazy. On one blog, who shall remain nameless, I have to comment and then load the page like nine...

Best of 2010 : "Best Books I Read in 2010" I love lists. I have them all over the house. I leave them behind when I go to the store. However, this year's list took me forever. It led to arguments, crossing titles out, penciling them back in.... As of right now, I've read 106 books, but I have a few weeks to go until the end of 2010. I am pretty confident that I am not going to stumble on anything world-shaking, so I made the list now. Usually I get the books down to five, but this year I can't. Let me say two things: This was the year of the zombie. I have never read so many zombie and zombie related stories in one year before. Two, this year adult fiction sucked. I know they rolled out with titles from the same-old authors and did not take too many chances with new writers and I think it led to a really sad year. I am not surprised to see a rise in YA titles being checked out by adults at my library. So, you can watch the video above for a more thrilling list, o...

How nice is it to read my email and find out that not only had I won the lottery in the UK, I can rent my textbooks online, that my Secret Santa had sent me an egiftcard to my favorite online retailer. What!!!! How great is that!!!!! Thank you very much, Secret Santa. I know exactly which books I will be buying with that gift card. You have made my 2011 very special. However, because you are anonymous, I will now send out my thanks and love to the entire internet by putting my forehead to the monitor. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!! Did you feel my love?

The Cellar will be published in May of 2011. Meredith and Heather Willis are sisters dealing with the recent death of their father, and with the new kid who has moved in next door. Check it out on goodreads . Or read my review, and then decide whether you want to bother or not. What is good about this book... hmmm. Well, there exists this genre of horror for people who don't like horror. This is one of them. The Cellar reads about one level up from a Goosebumps story, so this is not a real horror story. So, there is the good. Now, everything else. To begin, the dialog. The characters in this book talk exactly like an old person thinks teens should sound like. Example, "Maybe it's his cologne. Eau de hunk."... "Maybe I should try some. Think they sell that at Hollister?"(egalley pg 117). An actual line from pg 157: "He would have his forever bride." And, because they are teen girls, Heather and Meredith say "Oh, my God" every other line on...

What a nice surprise this book was. I picked up the sequel from netgalley, and lucked out when the library had the first one. I am crazy busy this holiday season, but I managed to get this one read because it is a sweet, short read. Here's the goodreads link . Charlotte Silver is the daughter of paranormal "dis-provers" (my word). Think Ghost Hunters who debunk locations that claim to be haunted. On the deepest level, this is a family story. On the surface it is not one, but TWO ghost stories. Charlotte just wants to be normal, but the dead have decided to communicate with her-whether she is listening or not. This is also a new girl at school story, a coming of age tale, and I know this sounds way heavier than it actually is. Past Midnight is a great beach read (or standing in line to buy holiday presents read). I loved Charlotte's voice. I thought she was really realistic and down to earth. She handles some of the ghost incidents way more calmly than I would have, b...

"Is falling in love with someone's story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?" pg 196. I found this quote summed up the entire story for me. Don't get me wrong, Matched is good. The writing is excellent, the world building above par, and Cassia is a unique character. This is just one of those books that, the entire time you read it, you cannot help but compare it to similar books. The port in the house (so the Officials monitor everything)? 1984 . The memorization of banned literature? Fahrenheit 451 . I felt this book was a lovesong to dystopian literature. That is fine, cause I love dystopian lit! But I will repeat here, as I have said before, dystopia lit only works if the society exists is SO awful it is worth rebelling against. For example, people are drugged, mindless cogs in a machine (Brave New World), people will be killed for going against the government and are watched 24/7 (1984), or the children in the society will be forced to...

Just mailed off my presents to my Santee!!! Hee hee!!! I did it today as I will be way too busy on Monday. I did screw up though, I meant to put my business card in the box, and forgot (I got distracted tearing through the house looking for packing tape). Well, at least she will know my first name and the state I'm from. Hopefully, she'll post that she got it and I can leave a comment that it is from me, textnjava. Something has been on my mind all day. I read the Ten Truths about blogging this morning (from the gang over at Stacked -but I got there through Abbythelibrarian who I read everyday. It is a list of truths about blogging and I know I've only been doing this for two years, but what are people stealing? Their reviews? Their ideas? I'm confused. If I post something, I hope someone uses it (especially craft ideas). For my reviews, I hope people are not cutting and pasting them into their own reviews, but I expect a fair amount of sharing of opinions. I expect...