Jimmy's Stars

Well, there is a blog tour going on right about now. All the participants read http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0374337039'Jimmy's Stars', by Mary Ann Rodman. So, today, tomorrow, and Wednesday check out these blogs to see what we all thought about the book.

01 Charger,
A Childhood of Dreams,
A Christian Worldview of Fiction,
A Mom Speaks,
All About Children's Books,
Becky's Book Reviews,
Book Review Maniac,
By the Book Reviews,
Dolce Bellezza,
Fireside Musings,(You are already here : ) )
Homeschool Buzz,
Looking Glass Reviews,
Maggie Reads,
Maw Books,
Small World Reads,
The Friendly Book Nook,
The Hidden Side of a Leaf

If you come back here tomorrow, you can read an interview I had with Mary Ann.

Beauty

I loved this book. I don't know how many times I have said I loved a book, but I really mean it this time. The only picture in the book is the cover art, yet there were times where I could see what was happening. Not all the time, but a good majority of it.

Beauty is a retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast'. The story line itself is the same. While reading, I was asked why I was reading it if I already knew how it ended. The answer is simple. A) I love reading, so why not read it? B) Besides, Robin paints a new light on everything. Reasons for why they lived where they did, why beauty went home after months of living with the Beast... the feelings were strong.

I have heard that books tasted good. No, people did not rip out pages and eat them, but the words were well chose, the sentences well structured, the characters were not flat, but had substance... I believe Beauty is a desert... maybe even chocolate.


(stop by on monday for the 'Jimmy's Stars' tour)

Blogger Updated

Well, Blogger has updated once again. If you go to the 'layout' of your blog, you will notice that you can now 'add a gadget.' If you click on that link, it brings you to this new window with all kinds of cool gadgets. You can have a list of blogs you like that tells you when the blog was last updated, what the title of the last post was and more. You can have a Van Gogh Painting of the day, you could have a sideshow, useless knowledge... there are over 45,000 choices. Check it out!

Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson is back! I really liked this book, it followed The Lightning Thief well, I think. It was written in the same style, in the same speed, and was not better or worse than the book before it. Percy almost made it through an entire year of school without getting expelled. He thinks it was too good to be true, and he was right. Monsters find him and get him kicked out on the last day. The only reason Percy was alive was because a friend of his, Tyson, saved his life. Annabeth finds them and tells them that they need to get going, Camp Half Blood awaits. The camp is going through some problems- monsters can get in, and have attacked the camp more than once already. Percy figures out how to save the camp, but will he be allowed to do so? Will he be able so save Grover, too? Who is Tyson anyway?

The Stormbreaker

Stormbreaker is the first book in the Alex Rider series. Alex Rider is an orphan who is in the care of his uncle, Ian Rider, and the housekeeper, Jack. Alex finds out in the first paragraphs of the book that his uncle was killed in a car accident. The police say he would have lived if he had been wearing his seat belt. That bugs Alex, because he knew that his uncle wore a seat belt at all times. It was one of the only rules Ian had for Alex- no matter how short the ride, wear a seat belt. He is pretty sure Ian did not die in a car accident. But why would the police lie about a banker’s death? Then, there are the strange people at his uncle's funeral, and the truck that took away everything that belonged to Ian. Alex knows something is up, and he is determined to find out how his uncle died. And that leads to many more questions that Alex feels need answers.

Does curiosity kill the cat?
You will have to read the book to find out.
Oh, and after you have read the book, watch the movie.

The Prophet of Yonwood

well, I was a little confused at first, I wanted to know where Doon and Lina were. This book is set before the other two. A 'prequel', if you will.

this is the beginning of the Barns and Noble summary:

It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . . As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?

so, Nikki tries to find 'trouble spots' so that the city will be rid of all 'bad people'. But, are they really doing things that are bad? Nikki isn't sure. Will looking for these people end up causing too much trouble? Who will Nikki grow up to be?

Why I'm Gone

well, I've been meaning to make this post for a while, but kept putting it off... so here I am, Saturday and five AM getting ready to go. where? I am going on a Missions Trip to Arizona this week (it is going to be so fun!) Any way, they will have NO computers (and hardy any phone service, ), so that means that I will not be here for about a week. I will post some pictures when I get back!

The Lightning Thief

Percy is this twelve year old boy who has had some problems. He has reading problems, ADHD, and something always happens to get him kicked out of school. He knows something is not right when he overhears some conversations, and finds out who his best friend really is, and where he comes from. To escape from Minotaurs, the Friendly ones, and goodness knows what else; Percy is forced to stay at camp Half-Blood.

Soon it is evident that something is wrong. It is up to Percy, Grover, and Annabeth to find who stole Zeus's lightning bolt and return it in less than ten days. It did not seem too hard at first, but mythical creatures continue popping up and delaying the quest, will there be enough time?

This novel was very well written. Although it dealt with mythology and the Olympian gods, I did not find it too difficult to believe. Sometimes a reader comes across a book that is good, but nothing seems probable in any way. The Lightning Thief was not one of those. I cannot wait to read the rest in the series.