Creative Blog Award

Just wanted to share my first blog award with everyone!  It was given to me by Deirdra Eden Coppel @  A Story Book World.  The name of the award is 'The Creative Blog Award.'  Deirdra draws all of the images on her award buttons, and as I scrolled through them, they were all beautiful.  This one is a particular favortie of mine, nevertheless.

    

'Plague' by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

It’s been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE. They’ve survived hunger. They’ve survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.
But enemies in the FAYZ don’t just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they’ll escape - or even survive - life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

SPOILER ALERT!

My Take:

It took me a while, but I've finally got the review of the fourth book in the addicting Gone series up and Adam. Despite my nasty review of the third book, it is impossible for Michael Grant to ever let a devoted reader down. I found Plague to be very pleasing in the sense of tying up a couple loose ends. That was my biggest problem with the third book, Lies, that I felt so bad for these kids, on their own, starving, and killing each other. And Grant never cut them a break! My power went out for an hour today, and I was pretty miserable. It's just hard for me to wrap my mind around their situation, is all. Anyway, this review is on the fourth book. Not the third. :)

Still, the situation remains quite the same. They've got 'plenty' of food, or more like edible mutated animals and cabbage. The FAYZ kids' current dilemma is of water and the fact that they have basically none of it. There is a lake where they have previously been retrieving their fresh water from in a water truck. But remember, there is no fuel!! So how is a water truck supposed to run with no fuel? Besides, it wouldn't matter anyway, because the lake has about 6 inches left. For about 300 or so kids. Because of the severe lack of drinking water, Sam, Dekka, and Jack set out on foot to find the 'half-lake' that was cut in half by the barrier at the far end of the FAYZ.

Caine, Diane, and Penny are still living the life on the movie stars' island they inhabited in the third book. 'Living the life.' They are so better well off than the FAYZ kids, yet even on a secluded island the controversy continues.

This book is fast-paced and obsessive. I would recommend it to anyone who can take having their nose stuck in a book 24/7.

Rate: 9 out of 10

P!nky

Word Wednesday!

Yeah, I know the name is cheesy, but I just had to share this. :]

Don't ask me why, but I was looking up the definition of words that sound kinda weird, don't make any sense.  So, I looked up the word 'nerd.'  When I typed it into dictionary.com, it came up with two definitions.  1. a stupid, irritating, inneffectual, or unattractive person.  2.
an intelligent, but single-minded person, obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit.

All the while, I'm thinking 'stereotype alert!!'  First of all, who says nerds are unattractive?  Someone's been watching too much TV! Just saying. :]

Anyways, after that, I looked it up on Wikipedia and found something real neat-this is the main reason I wanted to use this word.  You know where the word 'nerd' originated?  I'm sure you all know Dr. Seuss.  Well, HE actually created the word!  In his book If I Ran the Zoo from 1950, in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker, too" for his imaginary zoo.  By the early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United States and even as far as Scotland. At some point, the word took on connotations of bookishness and social ineptitude.

An alternate spelling, as nurd, also began to appear in the mid-1960s or early '70s.  Author Phillip Dick claimed to have invented the phrase in 1973, but it's first documented use was in a 1965 student publication at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute.  But what really made the slang word 'nerd' popular was the sitcom Happy Days from the 70s.

P!nky

Best Twilight Quotes of All Time!

Ok, so I was browsing the web, and came across this handy little collection of quotes. Everyone loves Twilight, right? If so, these should be really familiar to you. Well, check out these quotes and comment, telling me which one is your favorite! :]

1. “If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I’m not ashamed of it.”
-Edward Cullen

2. "And So the lion fell in love with the lamb.
What a stupid lamb.
What a sick masochistic lion."
-Edward & Bella

3. "But if you ever bring her back damaged again - and I don’t care whose fault it is; I don’t care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head - if you return her to me in less that perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, mongrel?"  -Edward Cullen

4. "About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn’t know how potent that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." - Bella Swan

5. Alice:”I’ll play you for it. Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
Edward:”Why don’t you just tell me who wins?”
Alice:”I do. Excellent.” -Alice and Edward Cullen

I think I know which one will win, but we'll just see if I'm right! :] Personally, being a die-hard Team Jacob fan, I think there should have been a Jacob quote. What team are you on? Jacob, Edward, or Switzerland?

P!nky

Prince Harry becomes Comic Book Character!?

It was announced on July 28th that Prince Harry of Great Britain is being made into a comic book character by Bluewater Productions.  Random news from P!nky?  Well, yes, but because of Bluewater Production's recent comic book: 'The Royals: Prince Williams and Kate Middleton,' and their breathtaking marriage in April, I thought it was rather appropiate.

Harry, who is third in line to the throne, joins other well-known figures, including pop stars Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and soccer player David Beckham, to have his life story adapted by Bluewater into a comic book.  Two formats are set to be released on August 24 at comic book stores and online outlets.  A 32-page comic and a special collector's graphic novel.  What do you think? Would Prince Harry make a good comic book character?

 

P!nky

Lies by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.
It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.
As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

My Take:

Michael Grant blessed the world of literature with yet another masterpiece.  Despite my enthusiastic review of the sequel in the series, Hunger, Lies was not quite what I had had in mind for the threequel.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great book, just a bit disappointing in my opinion.  I guess it's like, after a while you start feeling SO sorry for these kids.  And things never get better, they only continue to get worse, more problems emerge.  The predicaments that we thought were solved come back to bite them.  And the cheerful bits from the first two books have almost completely disintigrated.  The romance in the books are basically gone, which I can understand, because they, like I said earlier, have so many things to deal with!  As I'm reading it, I'm just like 'These poor kids!! Cut 'em some slack, will ya?'  BUT, despite the fact that it was a little too dank and disturbing, it is impossible to ignore Michael Grant's obvious talent. 


Sam Temple is walking around town at 2am, checking to make sure chaos hasn't broke out in the unpredictable place called the FAYZ.  He spots a mutant named Orsay Pettijohn on the beach, surrounded by kids who are looking at her as if it is storytime and she is their mother.  Orsay has been spreading rumors about how to get out of the prison they are trapped in.  But her theory is a bit scary.   


The Human Crew, Zil's 'gang' is still at it, and they are taking it to the extreme.  Which is much too far for Sam to allow.  Even worse, they set half of Perdido Beach on fire to help Caine, of all people.  Without getting into too much detail, lets just say there is some island where two adult movie stars lived before the coming of the FAYZ.  Movie stars are rich, you know, with junk food, yachts, mansions and helicopters.  And foster kids under the age of fifteen.  This is surprising to the reader-to find out that while our regular FAYZ kids back at Perdido Beach are surviving off of fish, squirrels, and cabbage, there are five kids living on some fancy island stuffing themselves with ice cream and Cheerios.  You can imagine how the mainland characters felt when they found out.


I would so recommend this book-after you read the first two, that is.  Even though it wasn't my favorite of the series, you never know, you might really enjoy it.  It is very fast-paced, but not quite as much as Gone and Hunger.  However, I am ecstatic about reading the fourth one. 


Rate: 6 out of 10

P!nky

  

Hunger by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

It’s been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared.
Gone.
Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.
Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It’s the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.
But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.
The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

My Take:

The name of this sequel says it all.  Hunger for food, hunger for power, hunger for love.  The kids of the FAYZ have been struggling for survival for months now, and just as things seem to be getting moderately better, they take a turn for the worst.  You see, they plant cabbages and go fishing for food, and have meetings, and choose leaders, but they just can't get cut a break!  

At the start of the book, Sam Temple, Edilio Escobar (my favorite character!) and a new character named E.Z. are arriving at the cabbage field to collect the day's supply.  E.Z. was one of the only kids to willingly pick cabbages in Hunger. He was a victim of the Zekes, getting killed while trying to pick a cabbage. Sam then burned his body, not wanting to carry the body back to his little brothers.  The Zekes are mutated, territorial worms with razor-sharp teeth that made the cabbage patch their home.  This serves as a problem to Sam and the others, because, even though the zekes are carnivorous and do not consume the cabbages, humans are unable to pick cabbages, which is one of their main food supplies.  

On the other hand, the thing called the Darkness, or the 'gaiaphage' is lurking in an old mine shaft outside of town, and is beginning to stir up trouble.  Remember Drake, the enraged psycho who hangs around with Caine?  Him and the Darkness are good pals.  And you thought Drake was scary enough!

I would definitely say this is my favorite of the four books in the series so far.  The action never stops! There isn't one slow part in the entire book.  So, if you don't enjoy obsessing over amazing books and having your eyes glued to a page for hours, this book is SO not for you.

Rate: 10 out of 10

P!nky

Friday Following & Hopping #57

TGIF! Happy Friday to everyone! Hope you have big vacation plans before the summer is over.

Thanks for stopping by my blog for this handy little thing called Follow Friday (which is hosted by the mother of all bloggers, Parajunkee).  Comment and leave your blogs link, or just say hi, and I'll be sure to follow you back! :] 

I'm new to Friday Following, as well as the blogging world.  My creative little blogging name is P!nky, I love to read, just recently more than in the past, and I especially love to make new friends. (with awesome taste in books! ;))  I am out of town a lot, but I always make sure to schedule posts whenever I can! You might or might not recognize me from my guest posts on my sister's blog, Kat from A Myriad of Books.  I suppose that's what got me interested in blogging, her success and commitment to it.  

This weeks FF blogger is: Hands and Home

Question of the week:
Q. Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

My Answer: This is too easy for me-The Bible!  It did all of those things-influenced my life, turned me from an average to avid reader, helped me deal with particulary difficult situations, and brings me comfort!  What more could a girl ask for?  

P!nky

 

      

Gone by Michael Grant

Synopsis:

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else... 

My Take:

In a phrase, this book pretty much 'roxsox'.   The nonstop action, suspense, cliffhangers, and even a little romance helps this book appeal to every type of audience.  Even so, it is not for the faint-hearted.  However addictive the novel can be, I was on the verge of tears several times throughout.  I would never describe it as a cheerful book, although there are several happy parts that will keep the book from being too disturbing.    
Most people would describe the beginning of Gone as guilty of starting off a bit too slow.  This is probably because all of the characters are in shock from the disappearance of everyone over the age of fifteen.  The big disappearance actually happened before the book even began.  On the first page, it describes the main character, Sam Temple, in his classroom right after his teacher has vanished.  He glances around the room, looking at his classmates, and notices how a couple students are missing as well.  This is because they were already fifteen years old.  Sam, being fourteen himself, and now considered an elder in the town of Perdido Beach-- "Fallout Alley"--, the only place affected by the strange disappearance, naturally takes charge.  Being a hunky surfer dude and the guy who saved two dozen kids' lives in a horrific school bus accident, he is immediately looked to for guidance by toddlers and teens alike.  Along with his new girlfriend, nicknamed 'Astrid the Genius', and his surfing partner/best friend, he does everything possible to keep the delicate situation under control. 
This turns out to be harder than it sounds.  With the cell phones and internet down, and a strange reflective barrier surrounding the entire city and forests beyond that hurts to the touch, Sam has a big responsibility on his hands.  And things get especially difficult when the students from Coates Academy, the rich kids' private school outside of town, make an entrance and claim the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) as their own. 


I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action-filled series that you can't stop reading once you start.  Is it possible to compare this book to another?  No, not really!  It is so unlike any novel I've ever read, but in it's own exciting, unique way!

Rate: 9 out of 10

P!nky

Hunger Games Update!!

The Hunger Games, a series cherished by millions, is becoming a major motion picture on March 23, 2011.  But all true fans know that.  I may be a bit behind on the latest buzz, but I would like to share the official poster for the Hunger Games that was revealed on July 19th.  I KNOW, I am SO behind on this, but, hey if I had had a blog on July 19th, this would have been big news. Anyway, here it is:

Yeah, pretty awesome, right?  A flaming mockinjay is an excellent representative to display all the action in this movie, while using the logo of Katniss in the process.  My favorite part is where it quotes the famous Effie Trinket at the top: 'May the odds be ever in your favor!' And, of course, the release date at the bottom. ( 
In other terms of Hunger Games obsession, my sister and I are attempting to write a fan fiction of the series.  We've fiddled with a few ideas, but we're not absolutely sure of how
 exactly the plot should be.  Any ideas? Oh, and J-14 Magazine and MissLiterati.com have teamed up to run a contest where you write an alternate ending to ‘The Hunger Games’.  I am not doing this (the deadline is on Friday) and I'm not sure about my sister.  But you can find more details at http://www.hungergames.org/.

Ok, this is too cool.  Just some fun stuff.

101 Sign that you're obsessed with the Hunger Games

1. Whenever you hear the word Games you think, The Hunger Games!
2. You’ve automatically started capitalizing the G in Games
3. You’re starting to spell capital Capitol, and capitalizing it
4. You’re now saying OMGale, WTFinnick, and Shut the Peeta Bread Up
5. Primroses have automatically became one of your favorite flowers
6. You no longer think of water plants. You think Katniss.
7. You no longer spell it pita bread. It’s always Peeta bread.
8. When you see a body of water, you think District 4!
9. When you see a forest you think District 7 or District 11!
10. You have Rue’s Lullaby and The Hanging Tree memorized
11. You sing those two songs like every day
12. Kiss the Rain is now one of your favorite songs
13. You can name at least three Hunger Games fansites
14. You are a member of at least one fansite
15. You have automatically started writing in present tense and can’t stop
16. Adobe Garamond Pro (the Hunger Games font) is now one of your favorite fonts
17. You screamed when you finished Catching Fire
18. You screamed when you got Mockingjay
19. You didn’t sleep at all on the fateful night of August 24th, 2010
20. You have read each Hunger Games book at least five times
21. You have persuaded, or tried to persuade, everyone you know to read THG
22. You scream in shock when people say they haven’t read the Hunger Games
23. You read Gregor the Overlander, or want to, simply because it’s written by Suzanne Collins
24. You can barely hold it together when you read past tense books
25. When you do read past tense books, you’re afraid you’ll lose your present tense power
26. For Halloween you considered dressing up as a Hunger Games character
27. You have the Hunger Games items on your wishlist
28. You’re paranoid about your copies of the Hunger Games
29. You’ve actually spent time figuring out the district locations
30. You’ve been wondering on the history of Panem
31. You actually translated Panem, the word
32. You’re quoting the Hunger Games 24/7
33. You know at least five translated names by heart
34. When you go to the mountain range you look for a specific flower called Rue
35. You wanted to learn piano just so you could play Kiss the Rain
36. You tried composing a tune for The Hanging Tree
37. You did The Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay for your book report
38. Everyone who hasn’t read the book thinks you’re crazy about it
39. You dream about The Hunger Games
40. You’re fiercely defensive of “Pita bread it awesome”
41. You ordered pita bread for the fun of it
42. When you eat berries, you think of Foxface and wonder if you’ll die…
43. You’ve wondered what you’ll do if you’re in the Hunger Games
44. When you read a non-HG book and someone dies, you scan the page for the cannon shot
45. When you find that there is no cannon shot, you think, well, he/she isn’t dead. I’ll just move on.
46. When you read other books, you think, The Hunger Games is better than this.
47. You believe that The Hunger Games should be required reading for all teens
48. You were so happy when you finally found someone who could talk The Hunger Games with you
49. For every team name you make, it has the term alliance in it
50. When people ask you what city you’re from, you have to prevent yourself from saying District something
51. You make connections between real life and The Hunger Games
52. You cried when your library didn’t have THG in it
53. You cried when THG didn’t make a book award
54. You cried when THG didn’t make the Silver Birch/Red Maple award
55. You have to refrain yourself from saying To Kill a Mockingjay
56. You can’t think Mockingbird anymore. It’s Mockingjay.
57. You call people who talk a lot Jabberjays
58. You’ve matched people you know to characters from the Hunger Games
59. You have a Hunger Games desktop picture
60. When you see a primrose you think of Prim
61. When you see roses you think of Snow
62. During the winter, you’ve stomped around in the snow yelling, Down with Snow!
63. When Mockingjay finished, you went to search fanfiction to keep yourself entertained
64. You’re wondering why your Language Arts teacher hasn’t read The Hunger Games
65. Whenever you hear the words The Hunger Games you automatically try and find why that’s being said
66. When you read The Hunger Games, you wondered how you could’ve missed such a brilliant book like that
67. When Microsoft Word claimed that Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, and some other Hunger Games terms weren’t words, you freaked
68. When Word auto-corrected muttation to mutation, you freaked
69. You have read more than thirty Hunger Games fanfics
70. You have written at least three Hunger Games fanfics
71. You tell people that present tense is better than past tense
72. You were scared that the movie was going to ruin the book before you rememebered that Suzanne Collins is going to write the screenplay!
73. You actually took time to look up actors for the movie
74. You’ve named your pets Hunger Games names (or at least want to)
75. Your Mii characters are Hunger Games characters
76. You’ve designed an arena
77. You’ve designed Quarter Quells
78. The Hunger Games goes with you wherever you go
79. You now love orange and green
80. Want to go to Panama because it sounds like Panem
81. You love sugar cubes
82. You say, “Team Edward? Don’t you mean Peeta?”
83. You say, “Team Jacob? Don’t you mean Gale?”
84. You daydream about THG
85. Your dream is to meet Suzanne Collins, or to meet her again
86. You know everything there is to know about THG
87. You play the “And may the odds… be ever in your favor!” berry game
88. You call people Katniss and Peeta by accident
89. You’ve made dozens of predictions for future books
90. When you finished Mockingjay, you pleaded for more
91. You know Suzanne Collins’s email address by heart
92. You’re planning to write a book one day, in present tense, because you want to be just like SC
93. You want Scholastic to publish your book
94. When you knew there was such thing as a Hunger Games fansite, you screamed
95. You have Hunger Games fanart hung up in your room
96. You can name over 50 characters at the top of your head
97. You can name over 5 Hunger Games fansites
98. You want to, or already do, take archery lessons
99. You now think singing isn’t a bad talent after all
100. You quote the books left and right
101. WHEN YOU CALL YOURSELF A TRUE AND LOYAL JABBERJAY AT HEART!

Obviously Awkward...

Hi there bloggers of the world, I'm P!nky, and yes, the exclamamtion mark IS vital to my name.  I decided to start a blog because I have always been fascinated by my sister, Kat from http://www.amyriadofbooks.com/ and her blogging experiences.  In some way, I feel a bit like I am copying her success by doing this, although I am sure she has no problem with it, whatsoever.  You might or might not recognize my name from some guest posts on her blog; I believe I reviewed 'Schooled' by Gordon Korman, and 'Gone' by Michael Grant, both amazingly wonderful books.  I haven't done a guest review in quite a while, because I have been finishing out the 'Gone' series, from which I mentioned earlier.  I'll probably do a few book reviews here and there, because I tend to go through stages where I just flat out quite reading for a month or so at a time.   

So basically, this blog is just gonna be me going on about random things, and reviewing movies, books, restaurants, etc.  I have tried to start blogs in the past, but I always end up forgetting my darn password after a week or two.  So, this time, I have it written down where I will never forget it!   I cant promise that I can make a post as often as I'd like (I have an extremely busy schedule) but I'l try to do one once a week or so.  Mostly, I am out of town playing softball, my passion, every couple days.  I'm a shopaholic, and if I had a million dollars, (the big question!!) I would probably go on a wild shopping spree, buying clothes and softball equipment, and give the rest to ASPCA because their commercials are so dang sad.  I guess you could call me an artistic person, although it mostly seems like every once in a while, I'll accidently create a masterpiece, and the rest looks like crap. 

So, I guess I'll just shut up and stop passing out information to the stalking bloggers out there.  If you're not already following her, please check out my sister, Kat's, blog http://www.amyriadofbooks.blogspot.com/ You won't be disappointed, I promise. :]

P!nky