Currently

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Enthralled by Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Caine, Ally Condie, Kimberly Derting, Kami Garcia, Claudia Gray, Melissa Marr, Jackson Pearce, Mary E. Pearson, Carrie Ryan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Margaret Stohl, Jessica Verday, and Rachel Vincent.

Pages this week: 498
Last Week: 216
Total: 3,719

Sentences of the Week:
3. "'No such luck.' My brother grinned at me over the rim of his paper coffee cup.'No matter how weird it gets from now on...we're in it together.'" -Enthralled

2. "Maybe the kiss worked. Maybe it broke the spell. But maybe the spell wasn't what I thought it was. I don't understand love, but I understand pain, I understand regret in a way I didn't only a few moment ago. And now I'm here, crying in front of a boy I barely know over the love that neither of us have. Our kinds are more alike than we think." -Enthralled

1."'So what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way no matter how hard your choice turns out to be, at least you can find comfort in knowing you're avoiding something even worse.'"- Starcrossed

I like thsi line becasue it makes a good point. I know sometimes we all have choices that can be really tough and neither option is any good. There are just some obstacles that can't be overcome easily and I have to say that choosing the lesser of the harder options will give you a comforting feeling. I think that by choosing what some might call the easy way your conscious is dealt with on a simpler more manageable level. Unfortunately, taking the easy way doesn't always give you the result you look for.

Starcrossed

I really enjoyed this book. Lately I have had an obsession with mythology and this fit the ticket. If you know your greek and roman mythology well then this story makes perfect sense. The main character Helen is pretty much the center of attention throughout the book. I thought it was cool how the author paralleled the abilities to a particular god or goddess. This book is kind of like Percy Jackson except it is more romance and there is a more complicated system. The characters of Helen and Lucas are what you might call the typical teenage couple. The only exception is that their lineage goes back thousands of years to Helen of Troy and the Trojan war. All of their world is controlled by the Furies or the three fates. There are 4 houses in total. House of Thebes which derives from Apollo, House of Atreus which are Aphrodite's daughters, House of Rome, and House of Athens. As we begin to get to know the relationship between the Delos family made up of Hector Jason and Ariadne the twins, Cassandra, the Oracle, Lucas, Castor, Noel, Pandora, and Pallas. The family is made up of cousins and brothers and sisters. I find it kind of humorous that all of the family has to move in order to discover Helen. Can't just send one messenger, have to send the whole clan. I thought that was funny. I think my favorite characters are Jason and Helen's best friend Claire. They are like the old married couple of the group. Non stop bickering anything that Claire does she is challenged by Jason at every cornor. We do not discover the true meaning behind this until close to the end, he has good intentions and that is to protect Claire from their kind, Demigods. So in a way it was expected, but it was adorable how they came together. I think there is that one person who gets on your nerves so bad that you kind of have to give in. I liked that part. Also, I thought it was neat that all of the characters names come from other stories in the ancestry. As the plot develops I kept asking myself, Who is Helen's mother? Where is she? What house is she from? Why does the Delos family recognize her face so well? What is the connection?? Well I found this aspect interesting and in my mind sort of hoped that is could be real. What would that be you ask? Well since the Furies control what goes on between the houses and controls history of each family, Faces of people past are portrayed in each generation. Another thing is that sometimes the children do not resemble their parents at all but rather the people they are supposed to role play as. Well I got the answers to all my question towards the end of the book. Turns out Helen's mother is Daphne Atreus. Head of the House of Atreus. She is one of the Daughters of Aphrodite. Each of the two where a necklace called a cestus which connects them. Turns out the romance I was hoping for between Lucas and Helen was doomed from the start. It only took an extremely long story of how Daphne dispised Ajax, Pandora's older brother and brother to Castor and Pallas, but after saving one another they fell in love. Turns out that was a problem for some of the family. Tantalus, the eldest of the family, did not approve of this and ultimately became and Outcast or a Kin-killer. Because of this he cannot make contact with the rest of the family without his sins being revealed to the rest of the family. Anyway Tantalus murdered Ajax and blamed Daphne for the death of his brother. So after thinking for many years that Jerry Hamilton had been her father turns out Ajax is her true father. Then things get even worse. The Delos family is split, There are the ones of whom we have met and know then there are the Hundered. They are what some might call a cult with only one desire, Immortality. They truely believed that they were the only house left and could finally achieve Atlantis and immortality. Boy, were they wrong. So there you have it back to square one. The story is extremely complicated and the ending kept you wondering what it is that Helen must do to end the Blood cycle, save the Rogues, and be able to accept herself as all one person. Cassandra, who belongs to the Furies, left this prophecy at the end,"'The Star-Crossed lovers are in warp and weft of the pattern, and my mothers are compelled to repeat it again and again. Symmetry must be maintained or the fabric of the universe will be ruined. All Four houses have been preserved this way.'" "'Four Houses and Three Heirs, the many voices continued to chant. 'The Star-Crossed lovershave preserved the bloodlines. And the Three shall raise Atlantis.'" "' The Desender must go down to those who cannot forgive and cannot forget. The Descender and her Shield will free the Three from their suffering as she will free the Houses from the cycle of blood for blood.'" Talk about erie and strange. It does keep you wondering and makes you crave more almost to the equivalent of chocolate! I cannot wait to read the next book!!!

Sentences of the Month/ Currently

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Pages this week: 216
Last Week: 958
Total: 3,221

Sentences of the Month:
5. "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

4.."I am whatever I am."
3."Donny glared at me,'Never trust a sneetch, little girl.'"

2."The last cobwebs clearing from her eyes, she decided that if Lucas was gay then she was going to have to get a sex change operation. He would be so worth it."

1."' Impossible, yes.' He admitted, after a few seconds. 'But interesting. Like you. And eternity is a long time. So if you have to spend it with someone, I could see wanting to spend it with someone impossible...but interesting.'"

This sentence is still my favorite and sticks with me all the time. When I think about my friends and the people I know I am usually reffered to as the one who is impossible. I relate very much to this line in Abandon because like John I too can be completely impossible, but at the same time I can act adn say thing different from most people. I have a unique style and sense to the world I see much like John's character.

My Favorite Claims:
1. In Todrick Hall's "I Wanna Be On Glee," Hall's plea to Glee creator Ryan Murphy shows Hall's inventiveness and artistic talents through the music video's cleverly pariodistic lyrics, assertive instrumentals, and effervescent choreography.

2.The use of motivational and inspiring words with the combination of the brotherhood seen in the images of the football game help to infer a sense of dedication and commitment that can only truly be seen on the football field.

3.[During her routine, Shawn Johnson displays powerful tumbling, gracefully swift dance, intense expression, and representative attire; which sets forth a confidently energetic, yet cheerful routine.]

4. Leonid Afremov's vibrant use of color, flowing appearance, and realistic, silky texture illustrates a feeling of whimsical relaxation and majestic euphoria.

5.

Close Readings: Pride of Cincinnati Summer of Love

Observe:
Music: Agressive, Energetic, Lyrical, Vibrant, Chaotic,Powerful

Choreography: Crazy, Colorful, Swift, Modern, Complimentary
     Rifle: Experienced, Rapid, Alive
     Flag: Melodic, Wild, Bright, Ecstatic,
     Dance: Confident, Admiring, Intense,

Space:Inventive, Open, Immense,

Facial Expression: Animated, Excited, Explosive, Passionate, Real

Claim: In Pride of Cincinnati's Summer of Love, the guard's vibrant, chaotic sound, complimentary choreography, and explosive, passionate expression create a outburst of colorful eccentricity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjYDUmmZ9_w

Currently (September 16th 2011)

The Books I have read:
Kisses from Hell by Kristin Cast, Richelle Mead, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, and Francesca Lia Block
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Pages this Week: 958
Last week: 695
Total: 3,004

Sentences of the Week:
3. "'When you put it that way--not many.' She smiled. 'Especially not girls. Great and noble has usually been reserved for men.'" -Dark Mirror

2. "' And Gentlemen in England now abed / Shall think themselves accursed they were not here.'" -Dark Mirror

1. "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." -Kisses from Hell

I liked this line because it really made you think about what is real to you. I guess you could say it made me realize that not everything is what is seems to be. I feel as though it is talking about desire though. How sometimes what we see is our dream finally coming to life or better yet coming true. Nothing is eveer as we imagine and I feel that this kind of appeals to everyone's life not just my own. I feel like it is talking about Innocence and how the very essence of reality is dreaming. I like this quote because it opens up tunnel vision and with the characters involved in this story it fits the mood created from the passion of Dani and Bram. It really expresses that noth everything is as it seems.

Dark Mirror

The best book I have read so far. The characters, the adventure, the mystery it was all just fantastic. The Book starts out in 1803 England with Lady Victoria Mansfield. All is going perfectly well she is set to be married to Edward Harford and live a life of complete bliss. That would have happened had her mother not discovered her floating above her bed after getting caught up in a dream. Turns out her mother's family had a wee bit of magic in the blood. At this time mages, commoners with magical abilities, were accepted only in the lower classes if you were an aristocrat it meant condemnation. Victoria continues to deny that there is anything wrong and in an act of desperation uses he magic to save her nephew. She is sent away to Lackland abbey where she discovers not all condemn magic but embrace it. She becomes one of the Irregulars and learns to control her powers. When the headquarters is raided she is swept away to WWII through Merlin's Mirror. I like the parallel the author uses in the book between Napoleon and Hitler. They both wanted to conquer the world and both failed to do so. I liked how she used Britian and  the "middle man" that stood in the way of success for both. That made it interesting. The story itself was really clever. I like how she used Dover Castle as the central idea for the story and how during Operation Dynamo there was perfect weather for evacuation which is where she claimed the idea for magic being responsible. That was really clever thinking. Also, I like how she parallels the Irregulars to the future government of England. Instead of it being divided by blood, gender, or family names they are all on an equal level. One in the same. Eventually that is what becomes of the English Government. I'm a history buff so this type of thing makes the story more interesting. Another thing that was different about this story was that the focus was on Tory as an individual and her struggles for identity. The story didn't focus on romance as much as it did self discovery and the journey of honesty. I liked that with each character something new was added to the group as a whole not just ability but the character development made it easier to relate too. I was surprised and cannot wait to read the sequel and find out what happens to Tory and her friends!!

Kisses from Hell

This book was really fun to read. You have so many characters to connect with and each tale has a different point to be made other that romance and vampires. HA! Each story is different. Different writing style, different place, different mood, different pretense all in one book. The one story I enjoyed the most was the second story titled Bring Me to Life written by Alyson Noel. The setting made me interested and craving more. This girl, Danika, starts out in a normal teenage hectic chaotic life and is swept away by her talent for art. When she arrives at the school all in not a seems. It is almost like a strange dream. She basically herself is thrown into a gothic romance. She is kind of the Rapunzel of all the stories. As she arrives, Danika, is locked in her room all the time only allowed to leave for dinner. Minus the fact that she does no have super long hair, she does share that in common with the princess. Another thing that was cool was she has a dream and each time she falls asleep new pieces are revealed. Because she is inspired and told to paint her dreams she does. Each time she picks up the brush she adds more to each picture. Later her destiny is revealed which is that she is the "savior" of the house and its masters. However she is torn between Lucian and Bram. We don't learn much about Lucian, he is kind of a mystery in short terms he basically wants Dani's soul to live forever. Bram on the other hand we know only what is given to us. In the short time we believe that he is another student of the art school and that is his mother is in a gothic band. No father, died. In the end though, we learn his brother is Lucian and that he is a vampire. Another thing we learn is that Danika is his lover,lily, from another time and in the end she becomes a vampire. "And they lived happily ever after" or so we think. Another short story told is titled "Above" by Kristin Cast. This one really makes you think. There are parts where you almost cannot distinguish between the two characters. They practically feed off of one another to survive. There are two "groups" Above and Below. If you have read the Ellen Hopkins books, this story is much like that style. When you read the story you get a creepy, skin-crawling, what the heck type vibe from the setting. The main character Rhena is not like the others Below. She does not live up to expectations nor does she look or act as her fellow people. She desperately wants to go Above She believes that if she goes there she will be wanted, loved, safe, and alive than in the hell-ish Below. While on the hunt, with the men, of the Others from Above she is taken captive. Discovered to be a woman Sol the man from Above, immediately falls in love with her. No surprise there. they each gain something neither has experienced before, emotion. In order to survive The people from Above must kill and devoure Below people. We do not discover they are vampires until this instance in the book where Sol is explaining the hunt to Rhena or Aurora. And in the end she is killed by a man from Below and Sol takes his vengence dying as well. In a way it is kind of like a vampyric Romeo and Juliet. Below is a hostile environment and Above seems to have a more peaceful enviornment with less focus on killing for survival. If I were to choose between the two I would definately rather live Above in the sunlight and music. Out of all 5 stories these were my favorites because they had an easy connection to me and were mysterious at the same time. These were less predictable and had contrasting imagery. Almost perfect.

Currently (September 9th 2011)

The book I have read:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Kisses from Hell by Kristin Cast, Richelle Mead, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, and Francesca Lia Block

Pages this week: 695
Last week: 337
Total Pages: 2,046

Sentences of the Week"
3. "When you've found someone good, you don't need to jump from person to person." -Kisses from Hell

2. "Her life, a puzzle. Pieces hidden. One found." -Kisses from Hell

1. "A house of mystery and history--filled with dark polished woods, antique rugs, large chandeliers, and bouquet after bouquet of those amazing red roses with long, thorny, stems--pretty much the opposite of what I'm used to." -Kisses from Hell

I really liked the description she gave of the house. I think we all have that desire to live in a different time period whether a decade ago or centuries ago and I felt this captured my tastes. I have had a facination with early periods in history like the 1500's to the 1900's. I am much like the character of this short story. I think in much imagination or even history you find the style intriguing. It almost like you feel a connection and I think that is what Danika is trying to describe. It gives you an artists feel toward this gothic castle. I love it. It is inticing.

Jane Eyre

Most of you by now have either heard of this book or had to read it at some point. Well I have completed this journey and to be quite honest I did  love this book. As first impressions go Jane and Edward do not exactly acquire the typical characteristics in novels. Jane is simple, plain, and in some ways a dry character. Mr. Rochester is forceful, troubled, and indecisive. The thing that makes me curious about these two is how well they seem to get along. My expectations were that of probably most people, Jane is not like many women of the time why is he intrigued by her? What makes her special? Well as peculiar as that is in a twisted way it makes sense. I think the fun part of the book was trying to figure out the french. That was a prject to translate. Adele is so adorable she is tentative and an avid learner but, she has that almost perfect innocence to her. I just like that about her character. You almost get the sense she will never grow up. Another thing that makes this book interesting is the dark imagery. In many of the places Jane encounters she describes the beauty of the land but, it is almost a sad description like there is longing. Almost like it is untouchable to her or anyone. It is interesting. You see a change in Jane when she grows fond of the "family" at Thornfield. You almost get the feeling she cares the most about Edward. Also, you get that feel that maybe she is disappointed even though he seems to be doing what is expected of hime. It is not until he returns from business when they are under the chesnut tree that all is revealed. It is interesteing to watch the development of the characters and their realtionship. It is sweet but at the same time completely expected. The thing I like about the entirety of the book is the fact that it is all supernatural based. It has theis mystery, suspense, and ghostly effect. I think is is cool. You do not exactly find that in many books today unless you specifically look for it. I think it is great when Jane just "happens" to find her family at the exact moment she is in most despair. It is almost too perfect a match. Jane has a much bigger role than can be described. Granted the book is about her but, she is almost a symbol herself and I think that anyone could relate to her a some point in her tale. I think when people read this book they give up too easily you have to really almost force yourself to read it to figure out what makes it a great book. I loved it. I thought it was brilliant. The bizarre romance adventure was beautifully written and is uncommon. It fit into my paranormal forte.

Currently

This week I have read:
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Pages this week: 337
Last week: 689
Total Pages: 1,351

Sentences of the week:

3. "Did ever anybody see such a picture of passion!" - Jane Eyre

2. "' I care about everyone,' I retorted. 'You said so once yourself. I am a very caring person.'" -Abandon

1. "' Impossible, yes.' He admitted, after a few seconds. 'But interesting. Like you. And eternity is a long time. So if you have to spend it with someone, I could see wanting to spend it with someone impossible...but interesting.'" -Abandon

I love this description of the relationship between Pierce and John. Mr. Smith pegged them both on the head. I like it because he makes a good point. In a relationship, you might be stuck with someone who you fins is unbearable and completely misunderstanding or "hard to read" but under the fascade is a unique and remarkable human being. And in this case, I think Pierce is starting to realize that about John. I can't really explain any better, but I love it. It makes sense to me.