Problem Fixed!/Fav's of 2011: Part III

Well, sorry for the interruption. The wifi in my house was down for most of last week (thank God I still have Internet on my phone! Check Pinterest, Facebook, and email are things that I need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and we barely had time to get to a Panera, and the only time that we were there I had to devote to school since my school is online.

RAT FARTS!!!

Anyway.

So, we still have no idea how that happened, but hopefully, it won't happen again, because if it does happen my blogging subscription newsfeed will be as high as it was when we finally got our wifi back (138! What the booty?!). I actually got my Internet back on Thursday, but since my writing schedule was already a little weird by incorporating these lists, I just decided to post this on the day I was going to post it last week: Tuesday.

Again, anyway.

my 5 fav books I'm looking forward to in 2011:

1. INSURGENT by Veronica Roth. OMG. OMG. o. m. g. Peter. Four. Tobias. Tris. OMG. OMG. OMG. What is it going to be like!?!??!?!?!?!??!!? I would include the synop, but it has some spoilers for those of you who haven't read it. :P Look at that beau-delish-sexy-opolis cover!

2. ENSHADOWED by Kelly Creagh. O_O I love Varen so much. I can't stand seeing him like this... well. If you read it, you'd know what I meant. Ugh, VAREN!!!!!! ISOBEL! I also can't post the synop of this 'cause it's got some major spoilers. Again, gorg-orific cover! I highly recommend the hardback of NEVERMORE, just because the paperback can't even contend with how beautiful it is. Seriously, it's so beautiful in hardback.

3. INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows. This one actually comes out in seven days, and if I had money, I know I'd buy it in a heartbeat. So, basically, I think we can all agree that this is the most GORGEOUS LITTLE THING cover-wise for 2012... so far. I was immediately lusting after this! But it also has a B.A. synop-

NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over a
nd over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

4. EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton. (Btw, love that name! It just sounds like an author's name!) This one actually came out today. It looks cool and I've heard really, really great wonderful reviews about it. The synop-

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

5. STRUCK by Jennifer Bosworth. This one didn't really grab my interest, but I read the synop anyway. I'm glad I did, too. This sounds like a pretty crazy (but REALLY GOOD) book. The synop-

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her

addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny.

Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

The good thing about reading books with all the other book junkies when they're first published, is that you have people to fanboy about them with. But the really, really, really terrible thing about it is that you have to WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK TO BE FREAKING PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!!! That's why I'm so ecstatic about INSURGENT and ENSHADOWED. Although I adored each one to death, I was so upset that I couldn't jump into another story with Tris, or with Isobel. I was like:

Well, that's all,

See ya tomorrow for a book review,

-Aaron

Fav's of 2011: Part II

Well, here's the next list: my 5 fav songs to write to in 2011:

1. COLDPLAY. Because, hey, they’re British. No, but really, Coldplay’s one of my all-time favorite bands in the history of life, the universe, and everything. They began the year talking about their new album, and their singles began sprinkling down from whatever platinum-record heaven they come from. Songs like “Paradise” from their new Mylo Xyloto are put on replay. I’m listening to “The Scientist” by them now. :) Also, another plus is that their music videos are typically pretty kick-A:

2. 2. FLORENCE + THE MACHINE. Oh, oh, oh. I adore Florence! Not only have I listened to the music from her first album so much, but she dropped a new album towards the end of the year, Ceremonials. It’s fantastic and wild and dark. It’s really wonderful. Her songs are just so exhilarating.

3. 3. SUFJAN STEVENS. Although my dear Sufjan hasn’t released any new albums this year, I feel like I’m listening to his songs for the first time every time. I’ve been listening to “The Owl and the Tanager”. His music is bittersweet, dreadfully beautiful, complete lyrics that make you smile because they’re so real. “Casimir Pulaski Day” is another of my favorites from him, which is about a boy falling in love with a girl with cancer, and dies on Casimir Pulaski Day. *sniffles* Also, “Chicago”:

4. 4. LYKKE LI. Most people haven’t heard of this Swedish pop singer. (She sings in English, don’t worry.) I didn’t either until I was listening to The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack (Shut up, shut up. It actually has good music on it), and she sang this ultra-depressing song about the possibility of a failing relationship. I was enthralled, lol. Anyway, she has this really good song called “I Follow Rivers”, which is my fav by her.

5. 5. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. I. Adore. Them. I need to go to one of their concerts this year if they come to my town. Anyway, chances are you’ve heard something from them, even if you didn’t know it. Benjamin Gibbard, the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist pairs fantastic music with really, really, really cool metaphors. For instance, “Brothers on a Hotel Bed” is about a relationship where it feels as awkward as brothers on a hotel bed. And “Marching Bands of Manhattan” has the wonderful chorus ‘Sorrow drops into your heart, through a pinhole. Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound. And while you debate half, empty your half full, it slowly rises. Your love is gonna drown.’ You could slap Robert Frost’s/Emily Dickinson’s/Edgar Allen Poe’s name on that an English class would believe it. Pure poetry! :D

See ya tomorrow!

-Aaron

Fav's of 2011: Part I

Alright, so..... My resolution to be better about blogging is already failing. I couldn't blog on Friday and yesterday was awful. So no.... Sorry.

Anyway, I'm making three lists for 2011/2012. 5 fav books of 2011 (whether published or not published in 2011), 5 fav songs to write to in 2011, and 5 fav books I'm looking forward to for 2012.

I'll do the first right now, the second tomorrow (Monday), and the third on Tuesday. This won't interfere with my weekly book review on Wednesday.

Well, the first is 5 fav books of 2011 (whether published or not published in 2011):

1. THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. Of course! Now anytime I hear people talk about it in public I'm like:

2. DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. Wow.... Just wow. That book was SO FREAKING GOOD. It was also the most violent book I've ever read (for those who've read it: really!??!?! A butter knife, Peter!?) I wanted to brutally murder the villain, which I think was the point, I wanted to hug the protagonist, and Tobias couldn't be more awesome... *sigh*, just brilliant awesomeness! Can't wait for her sequel, INSURGENT!

3. NEVERMORE by Kelly Creagh. This was an interesting read because it was advertised as this paranormal-filled novel with tons of Edgar Allen Poe creatures in it. But I thought most of it was more relationship and internal conflict, which I would typically hate. But Creagh's writing-style, paired with her wonderfully addictive characters just made me love. I cannot wait until August to find out what happens to Isobel and Varen next!

4. THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. Oh, this book was so, so, so, so, so, so, so good! It was so powerful and just a wonderful read.

5. HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick. This wasn't a light read, but it wasn't a heavy one. I really liked it-didn't worship it, but I really, really liked it. I don't know. There was just something about it that made me appreciate the characters and the uniqueness of it. :)

Happy Sunday!

-Aaron

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett + New Years Update

Well, first off, before I get to the review, hope y'all had a very merry Christmas and New Years! I got some awesome gifts for Christmas, including some liquid chalkboard (been wanting to have a chalkboard on my wall for awhile). So I painted it right away and now, I can't stop using it. *Sigh...* How I love thee chalkboard. I also spent some great time with some family that I don't typically get to see but once a year. And for New Year's Eve, I ended up going to some friends' house where we ate waffles around a bonfire and blew up stuff (and I'm not talking about fireworks).

Although I don't actually have any written New Years resolutions, and I didn't give it much thought, I've decided that I want to get better about my blog-posting. I need to post on schedule, and warn if I'm not going to be able to for whatever reason. I'm also going to finish my novel this year. Hopefully this spring-which would be pretty darn cool. And lastly, I'm going to start using more GIF's. I've begun stalking Tumblr, which is GIF galore. So, of course, this post is going to have several....

February 10th, 2009 - Amy Einhorn

Books/Putnam

Synopsis: Three ordinary women are about to take one

extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her

beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may

be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job.

Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless

come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because t

hey are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled

with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

Well, if you haven't heard about THE HELP, you might be dead. Not only have c

ritics and magazines and newspapers adored this book, but they adored the film adaption, too. But don't feel bad if you didn't know much about it. I only knew that it was about black maids. But it was much more than that.

So, basically this is how I got my hands on it, and what I thought of it-

I kept hearing about it. Kept hearing about it. Kept hearing about it. It was getting so much acclaim! It was gaining ground of awesomeness. But, see, I don't typically like historical fiction.

AT ALL. Oh, gosh. IT'S SO FREAKING BORING! Typically. And, I thought, no offense, but I think the whole 60's

African-American civil rights movement has been told in all the ways that it can.

I don't think I'm the only one that goes

...when historical fiction is mentioned. "But no!" my friends said. "It's awesome!" They were like:

And I just went:

But then several other friends who I really trust when choosing books told me to read it. "I hate historical fiction, too," they said, "but it's phenomenal."

So I borrowed it, and started reading. I was less than a chapter in when I realized that I was going to adore this book. The characters are so wonderful. I love how the point of view switches from Aibileen, the sweet, endearing maid, to Minny, the sassy maid, to Skeeter, the college grad who wants to write. And speaking about writing, this book's gorgeous in the prose department! Just listen to this, from the first page:

"But I ain't never seen a baby yell like Mae Mobley Leefolt. First day I walk in the door, there she be, red-hot and hollering with the colic, fighting that bottle like it's a rotten turnip."

I just love how it's written with that accent. But what I think I liked the most was that this time, the civil-rights story isn't told by a courageous man who wants to fight the government, or by a determined high-school sports coach that wants to integrate teams. It's told by women who can lose a whole lot. And they're fighting perfectly sweet looking ladies'-league members with new dresses and shiny cars. It shows the sinister side to what goes on during a polite summer game of bridge. It's literally one of my all time favorite books now. EVER. It's my favorite adult book.

When I finished it, I was like:

And when I see my friend who let me borrow the book next, I'm gonna be like:

Well, see ya on Friday! And hope you're having a good year so far!

-Aaron

INSURGENT Cover & 20 Things

Well, if you haven't seen it, then here it is. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The INSURGENT cover! *harps and angels singing*

Annnnnd boom goes the dynamite. (By the way, if you haven't seen that YouTube video, please search it now. Many minutes of laughs)

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love how they went with the style of the first cover, but with the Amity faction's symbol. So be-a-utiful! Wonderful! Fantastic! Splendid! Unicornerific!

If you haven't, please go buy DIVERGENT now. It's oh so amazing! It's literally one of my favorite books. You can find my review of it here.

Now that I've gotten out my cover love *wipes drool away*, I'm putting something that I thought would be fun into this post.

So now, without further ado, here are 20 things I have done in life:

1. Broke my head open

2. Had a Central Park snowball fight in New York City

3. Pulled a redneck and ate fried chicken on the roof with my brother on Fourth of July to watch the fireworks around my house

4. Cried for half an hour when I was five because my brother walked into the room wearing a skeleton costume

5. Wore a disguise for a day and fooled all of my merit badge teachers at a Boy Scout camp

6. Played hide 'n' seek in a storage facility until 2 A.M.

7. Fallen asleep walking

8. Finished three months of homework in a week

9. Read a 500 page book in a day

10. Got a giant bag of Krystals with some friends and ate them while watching a movie at the local drive in theater

11. Starred as a sheep in a play

12. Sat on a swing while staring up at a sky full of shooting stars

13. Spent a day with my best friend talking about fantasy worlds and magic

14. Cried while reading THE LAST SONG by Nicholas Sparks

15. Almost gotten frostbite

16. Gotten hypothermia

17. Stayed up until 5 A.M. writing

18. Almost fallen off of a mountain

19. Played against a bunch of kids half my age in a state piano competition

20. Ran out of cool, fun, and/or weird things to write about....

Well, buh-bye. I'm off to listen to some music and read LIFE OF PI.

d-_-b Head-phones-wearing emoticon. :D