Happy Spring Break! :]

For my spring break, I'm going to California with my band at school. We're taking a four-hour flight there tomorrow and it's going to be long so I decided to get a collection of books and magazines to take with me.
I'm taking three books from the Uglies series with me. I've read the first two but it was a long time ago so I've decided to read them again, along with the third. I'll read the fourth soon too.
I'm also bringing two magazines with me-Seventeen and Teen Vogue. I'm so excited for the trip! We're going to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Santa Monica Beach. It's going to be amazing!

Bookshelf Meme

Tell me about the book that has been on your shelf the longest...



Ah yes, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1: The Bad Beginning. I've had this book since it first came out. It's been one of my favorites since I read it. I read the entire series and loved every one of them. In fact, when I'd finished reading all of the books, I started over. I loved the books by Lemony Snicket.

Tell me about a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (i.e. a person, a place, a time, etc.)...



Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is a very relatable book to me because I absolutely adore shopping. I think a person can best express themself in the way that they dress. And I too must admit, that I have used shopping to help calm me in the past. It's always been a big hobby of mine. But my biggest downer about it is when I don't have any money :[ The book was originally my sister's that she bought at the airport once to read but I decided to take it and read it for myself. I fell in love with the book two pages into it!

Tell me about a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used book store, prize, etc.)...



Go Ask Alice may be one of the oddest books I've read but it's also on my list of favorites. I found it in my sister's bench she had in her room. It opened up to a bunch of clothes and one day while I was searching for some good hand-me-downs, I came across a whole assortment of things. Diaries, journals, pictures, and...this book. I didn't read it, I just put it on my shelf. But one day I decided to look on my shelf for a good book to read, and that book was just calling my name. I read it all within the course of an hour. The girl in the book got into some...interesting new hobbies. She explored a whole new world. The strange thing about the book is that it has no author. None. It's anonymous. That's what I like about the book because the author could really be anybody. In fact, some people relate to this book so much that...it could even be you. I highly recommend reading it.

Tell me about the most recent addition to your shelves...



I just happened to buy Specials by Scott Westerfield tonight. It's the third in the Uglies series. The books are quite addicting and I love every one of them. I've read the first two, Uglies and Pretties awhile back. But I never came along with reading the last two until tonight when I happened to walk by them at Barnes and Noble.

Tell me about a book that has been with you to the most places...



I would honestly have to say that the Bible has been with me the most places. I take it on vacation with me and keep it on my nightstand. I am a very devoted Christian and have been walking with Jesus since I was born. My current bible I own (one of many around my house; we probably have at least 20 of them around my house) has a dark brown binding and goldish-brown face to it. I go to my bible for all of the answers because....that's where I can find them.

Tell me about a bonus book that doesn't fit any of the above questions...



The Invention of Hugo Cabret is the longest book I've ever read...and looked at. It's a book written and illustrated by by Brian Selznick. It's 533 pages of detailed pictures and writings. I read the book in less than an hour because it was hard for me to put down. It was interesting to read because half of the book is written like a novel and half is followed along by pictures. I highly recommend reading it.

The Rules:

1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!

2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.

3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.

4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water...

5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.

I was tagged by Marie at Fireside Musings.

I'm tagging.....

-Noel
-Erin
-Traci

Musical Update: Week Two

Musical is going great! We've been working really hard to get all of the dances in for the first act. Act two begins after spring break, which is two weeks from now. I'm so excited! But let's not changed the subject. Anyway, musical rehearsal is usually on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We rehearse music from 2:45 to 4:15 and rehearse the dance and acting parts from 4:30 to around 6:00. It keeps me at school longer but I'm really beginning to get a sense of family from my cast I'm working with. I'll try to put up an update next week with pictures. Keep watching for more updates.

Musical Update: Week One

So musical rehearsals have begun for Brigadoon. In the German-written musical, in the small imaginary town of Brigadoon, not much ever changes. There is a miracle every hundred years and the miracle is coming up soon. Everybody in the musical (we have a cast of about 95 plus children once they start rehearsing with us) was assigned a family. I have a father, mother, and sister so far. I hope to have a child assigned to my family! I have to wear character shoes that are hard to adjust to, but I'm getting used to them. The girls have to wear the ones pictured to the left and the guys have to wear black shoes. The specialty dancers have to wear Irish dancing shoes (ouch!). I don't have a role, I'm just in the chorus. But I do have some scenes that I dance in. It's exciting. Also, we had to purchase very nice, professional makeup kits that will be used. So far, the musical is turning out pretty well. I've learned three whole songs and two dances. It's a lot of hard work but so much fun! Keep watching, I'll have more to come soon about the musical! I hope to have a weekly update of how the musical is going.

I'm Stuck

Hey guys! I could use some help in finding some books to read. Right now I'm going for fantasy but no series'. So if you have any ideas or suggestions, that'd be great :]

The Year the Swallows Came Early

Groovy said, "Today I saw Daddy being taken away in a police car to jail. I don't know what's going on. I'm sure it's all a big mistake. We need to help him."
"I know Groovy," she said finally.
"You know? How do you know?" Groovy replied.
"Because baby," she said, "I was the one who called the police."

So out of all of the books I've blogged about, I would definitely have to say this one was the best. The Year the Swallows Came Early is about a little girl, Elanor Robinson. Or more famously known as Groovy. Groovy's just a young girl, trying to figure out the world. Her father is put in jail, and her friend's mother, who she thought was long-gone, has returned. Groovy starts to listen to what a horoscope had told her,

to expect the unexpected.

Soon, everything around her begins to get turned upside down. What's happening to her? And to make things even more nuts, the swallows come early this season too. Her family is quickly falling apart? What will she do?


Groovy has a cooking notebook full of her recipes she's made with the help of her father. In the book, she makes chocolate-covered strawberries. So I decided to find myself a little recipe on how to make some. I found this recipe on the Food Network website. Copy and paste them into Word and make them for yourself!

Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions
Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.


I just finished making some and they were delicious. Very sweet, but delicious. Don't forget to check out these other blogs in the tour!
A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Buzz, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Novel Teen, Reading is My Superpower

Confessions of a Shopaholic

The book was good, as I expected it to be. City girl, Becky Bloomwood, is in it for a party. All her life, she'd grown up to believe that spending had a value and that money didn't grow on trees. But when she got older, she started spending like crazy and couldn't stop. Shopping became her sweet escape and she soon started to get in trouble with that one thing she absolutely adored-money. The name of one man made her get sick inside....Derek Smeath. He was out to get her, or so she thought. Smeath was out to make sure she paid her bills. Becky constantly made up excuses for everything to keep from paying. But she soon let it get to her. Ironicly enough, Becky started to work for a money-saving finances magazine, even though she can't afford to pay her own bills. Soon enough, she falls in love. But will she keep her job for the man that she loves or try to accomplish getting into her favorite magazine?

I liked thebook. To me, it was one that I couldn't put down as soon as I picked it up. The book seemed a little all over the place but it was a good book I'd highly recommend. I saw the movie last night. It was good for the most part, and I did happen to like it more. But the movie was filmed and set in New York, which I didn't understand. In the book, the story was set in London. Either way, the movie was really good and I would highly recommend seeing it.