Bleh... studying

Finals are coming up next week, so I'll be off this blog until next Friday the 21st. Sorry... see you then!

Blizzard

I discovered this poem in the January edition of Cricket Magazine and just wanted to share:

Above and around us
the white dragon howls,
hoarse and hollow.

Ice-claws click
at the windows.
We cower inside.

Sudden silence.

The monster sprawls
across our lawn;
the dragon drowses.

Our boots crunch
on mounded shoulders,
crush diamond scales.

Winter's spell:
now we
breathe out dragon-steam.

-by Sandi Leibowitz

The Butt Book

by Artie Bennett, illustrated by Mike Lester

The Butt Book is a fun, cute picture book for little kids... all about butts. Funny without being crude or inappropriate, this book uses colorful pictures and great rhymes to entice young readers, for example:

Patches found on baboon rumps
help them when they sit on stumps.

On their butts, skunks have a gland
that sprays a stink no one can stand.

So it's educational as well as entertaining! I also learned a few new synonyms that I never knew before. :)

I can see how this irresistible book would encourage reluctant young readers to pick up books and read more. However much we deny it, this is the type of stuff that little kids love and find hilarious, and if it results in more books in their hands, awesome! I would definitely recommend this to younger children, and even teens and adults will probably get a kick out of it.

(pdf provided by author)

Interviews and Guest Posts

Author Interviews
Ingrid Law (Savvy)
Janet Lee Carey (The Dragons of Noor)
Lauren Mechling (Dream Life)
Lorie Ann Grover
R.J. Anderson (Wayfarer)
Shannon Hale (Calamity Jack)

Blogger Interviews
Cate (Sparrow Review)
Danielle (Seeking Neverland - now blogs at Sesquipedalian)

Interviews of Me
Notes from the Nerdette
Sparrow Review

Guest Posts
L.M. Preston on Trusting In Yourself

Happy New Year!

As 2010 comes to a close, I would like to thank all my readers, everyone who has ever visited this blog and left a comment, sent me an email, etc. Your support and encouragement motivate me to keep on blogging. You guys are the best!

Happy New Year!

Favorite Books of 2010

This year, I read a total of 92 new books, and I just wanted to highlight some of my best reads this year. I had trouble narrowing the list down, but here are my top favorites (in no particular order):

Books Published in 2010:

Heist Society (Ally Carter)
Mystery, adventure, history, art, and thievery come together in this book for a fast-paced and exciting read.

A Conspiracy of Kings (Megan Whalen Turner)
I've always loved the wittiness and clever twists of the Attolia series, and this newest release did not disappoint.

Perchance to Dream (Lisa Mantchev)
Shakespeare, magic, legends, costumes, mischievous fairies, and lovely words... what more could you ask for? I adore this series (and the covers are amazing as well!).

Scarlett Fever (Maureen Johnson)
Maureen Johnson's writing is so much fun to read. Her characters are so endearing and hilarious, making this a great feel-good book.

Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
Although I despised the ending (I'll always be Team Gale!) and was very disappointed in Katniss at the end, this was such an anticipated, mind-boggling, EPIC read that I had to put it in.

The Dragons of Noor (Janet Lee Carey)
Rich in storytelling and magic, Janet Lee Carey's new book is imaginative and original - a must read for anyone who likes fantasy!

The Heart is Not a Size (Beth Kephart)
I actually read this last year, but it's still one of my favorite books. I enjoyed reading about Juarez and the surprising strength of the people there, and this book was written in a simple yet touching manner.

Dangerous Neighbors (Beth Kephart)
Can you tell by now how much I love Beth Kephart and her writing? :D Dangerous Neighbors is a wonderful showcase of her amazing writing talent, and the story kept me reading until the very end.

The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan)
Although this book was a bit of a letdown after the Percy Jackson series, it was still nice to reconnect with the characters and dig deeper into the history and mythology of the Greek gods. And the ending.... all I can say is that I can't wait for the next book!

Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)
A great prequel to the Mortal Instrument series with well-developed characters and a unique story. I would recommend reading City of Bones/Ashes/Glass first though.

Books Read This Year (but not published in 2010)

Study series (Maria V. Snyder)
This is one of my favorite series - it's so full of adventure and exciting escapades and magic that I could never put the books down!

City of Glass (Cassandra Clare)
Thrilling and suspenseful... I don't know how Cassandra Clare does it every time. :)

Leviathan (Scott Westerfeld)
Before reading this book, I barely knew anything about WWI, and I hadn't read anything in the steampunk genre. Leviathan was surprisingly interesting and informative at the same time, and I loved all of the drawings that accompanied the story.

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia/Rescuing Seneca Crane (Susan Runholt)
I discovered this series through another blogger and immediately got hooked! The characters are great and so much fun to read about, and the stories are exciting as well. These books are perfect middle grade mysteries for the average sixth or seventh grader.

Clockwork Angel

by Cassandra Clare

I can't believe I didn't read this book until now! Clockwork Angel is just as good as the Mortal Instruments series. Set a few centuries ago in Victorian London, it follows the story of sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray, who arrives from New York and is immediately wrapped up in the wild and violent world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Even worse, an unknown figure known as the Magister is after her.

I didn't think I would like this book much, but I was proven wrong! It was so exciting to get back into the Shadowhunters' world, with a series of new and old characters. The characters were great - way too close to the characters in the Mortal Instruments, but still fun to read about. The plot was great as well, with some nice twists near the end.

My favorite part was seeing the parallels between the two series and having those aha moments when something I read in one of the Mortal Instruments books was finally explained or referred to. Overall, Clockwork Angel was a great start to the Infernal Devices series... can't wait to read more!

Merry Christmas!

CSN Stores Giveaway WINNER!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the CSN Stores giveaway this time! I used a random number generator to pick the winner, who is...

Amber Gi!

Congrats, Amber! I've already sent you an email. If I don't get a response back in 48 hours, then I'll pick another winner.

elapsed moon

I wrote these two poems a few weeks ago. The first one was written when the moon was just rising, blurry and yellowy, and the second one was written about an hour later, when the moon was much higher in the sky and clear and white. Enjoy! :)

I.
the sky holds its breath
in anticipation of the coming snow,
tonight's stage prepared:
frosty cold air stagnant and muffling
while northern winds dance, frenzied,
among the upcoming performers

the moon a blurred pastel smudge
the color of yellow diamonds,
edges gray and foggy.

II.
moon of purest white,
like a diamond inlaid in a
stone of cold winds and
clouds of indigo blue.
all hardened edges and
rims of amber gold,
light reaching to all four
corners of the sky.

the night quietly waits,
and below, the cries
of a child and the
slamming of car doors
sound oddly out of place.

Tangled

On Sunday, I went to go see the new Disney movie "Tangled" with my mom. I loved it! The story was the perfect mix of adventure, comedy, drama, and romance. All of the characters were so endearing and fun, the songs were wonderful, and the animation was perfect. I really liked all of the scenery in the movie. I also liked the fresh take on the classic Rapunzel story - the writers managed to maintain the original idea and feel while adding in a lot of great enhancements.

If you haven't seen it yet, I would definitely recommend going! It's in 3D too, which is always a plus for me. :)

winter dance

It snowed a little while ago, and while watching snowflakes fall outside the window, I wrote this poem:

snowflakes giggle and
chase each other,
following gusts of wind and
swooping through the air,
performing their own ballet.

the choreographer is displeased.
they calm down and tumble quietly
to the snow-softened earth.

the music strikes up again.
frenzied, the winds roll
nimbly in the sky,
snowflakes spinning
around
caught up in their own
winter dance.

Another CSN Stores Giveaway!

For those of you who aren't familiar with CSN Stores, it's an online store that sells a variety of products, from children's luggage to rugs to stationery. If you're looking for holiday presents, CSN Stores is a great option to get all of your shopping done. I just hosted a CSN gift certificate giveaway, and I've received the chance to host another one!

More info:

• One person will win a $65 gift certificate to use at any of the CSN Stores!
• Open only to US and Canadian residents (sorry!), and the gift certificate will not cover international fees to Canada.
• Giveaway ends on Friday, December 10th, 2010.

Because this is a bigger giveaway than the last one, and because it's the holidays, I decided to add in the opportunity to earn extra entries! I want to thank all of my followers and everyone who has supported me so far on this blog. So here's how that will work:

• +1 for simply filling out the form below and entering the giveaway.
• +2 for being a follower of this blog, Book Crumbs
• +1 for every time you link to this giveaway in a blog post, tweet, blog sidebar, etc. (So for example, if you link to this giveaway twice, you will get 2 extra entries.)

To enter, please fill out the form below. After the 10th, I'll randomly select a winner. Good luck!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in Imax yesterday! I have to congratulate the director for finally sticking close to the book! I was glad that there were no big changes to the story, and the minor changes fit well and weren't awkward or weird at all.

One thing that disappointed me was how much sitting around there was. I know that most of the first half of the book was just sitting around and going from forest to forest, but I'd hoped that they would add more action in the movie. The action scenes were few and far between, and they were quite short and abrupt as well. Most of the movie focused on the emotional trauma and difficulties that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going through. The only reason why I wasn't bored was that I knew what was going to happen next, so I could eagerly anticipate it.

I didn't like the casting for Yaxley at all (he was blond, I thought he should have had darker hair and a sharper face), the guy who played Mundungus Fletcher was weird and totally unexpected, but he still kind of worked. The casting for Bathilda Bagshot was spot on and even creepier than I imagined! The scene with her in Godric's Hollow was awesome.

Also, the scene where Dobby dies was so sad! I thought the dialogue in that part was absolutely perfect, especially what Dobby says right before he dies.

I thought that the decision to portray the Tale of the Three Brothers as a creepy animation was a great one - the animation definitely served its purpose and enhanced the story so much!

For those who have watched the movie, I also LOVED the scene with Hermione and Greyback, when she can see him and he can smell her perfume, but not see her due to the protective enchantments! Amazing!

One word of caution for people who are planning to see it - if you haven't read the books, then the movie is probably going to be confusing and/or boring (at least, that's what I think). The storyline can get complicated at times - before the movie, I was trying to explain the story to my dad and it took forever because I had to keep backtracking and explaining side stories of why this character would do this and how Horcruxes are different from Hallows, etc. I know that if I hadn't read the books, I would have had a tough time understanding what was going on. Especially since sometimes, with their British accents (as wonderful as they may be), the actors can be a bit hard to understand, and sometimes they swallowed the words at the end of their sentences.

Overall, though, HP7 Part 1 was a good, dark, and tense buildup to the last movie, which I can't wait to see!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you and your family a very happy holiday weekend. :-)