SSR: August Book I Read

My goal this year was to read the Chronicles of Narnia by Christmas. As you might be able to tell, I'm off to a bit of a slow start. I did however, make a start I guess that means something. I read the first book in this wonderful series by C.S. Lewis just a few weeks ago and was floored by two things: creativity and imagery.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew

Summary: Digory and his friend Polly travel to the Wood between Worlds via Digory's half-crazy, magician man, uncle's yellow and green rings and end up in a world quite unlike the one they come from, called Charn. While there, Digory, as most young boys and girls would do, lets curiosity get to him. He frees the last ruler of Charn, Jadis, an evil queen. An insane adventure begins as the two children try to get rid of the queen and end up finding Aslan, a talking lion and creator of all things in Narnia but not all is well because the two children are not alone, the evil queen has come with them to the new land and threatens all the good things that Aslan has created.

After learning that Digory has brought Jadis to Narnia, Aslan sends him on a mission to get a magical apple. He uses the apple to grow a tree that will act as a shield of protection from Jadis for all the other peoples of Narnia. After seeing all that Aslan can do, Digory begs him to do something to save his mother, who is sick with an illness. From this new tree, Aslan gives Digory an apple so that he may go back home and give it to his mother. This apple is a special thing and it is hardly finished after curing Digory's mother, it grows into a beautiful tree and well, the rest is up to you to read.

Review:

I found this book charming and as I mentioned before, it was wonderfully filled with imagery and creativity. It left me wondering what would happen and at the same time revealed several worlds so completely it was like the book was really a movie playing itself out in my mind. Truly magnificent! Here's a quote from the book so you can begin to understand the richness of this text if you haven't read it.

"Things always work out according to their nature. She has won her heart's desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and she already begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it." -Aslan after Jadis has stolen an apple and eaten it for herself.

Recommendation:

There really isn't anyone I wouldn't recommend this book to. It can be a bit long winded for some really young children, but students in third grade and beyond could easily comprehend it. Beyond the imagery and creativeness, this book is frocked with morals from issues with stealing from others, to understanding how one person's actions can change the course of many other people's history. Truly a must read that I will definitely be reading again.

Best Book I Read In August: Aaron

"If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen."

Anges and the Hitman is the story of how Agnes, a food columnist, met Shane, a government sanctioned hitman, and the chaos that ensued. This story involves mob bosses, frying pans, bullet proof trucks, pink flamingoes, dognappers, and lots and lots of food. Best of all, with the exception of one person, everyone who didn’t die lived happily ever after.

If you look up “crazy” in the thesaurus all of the words you see there will also be words that perfectly describe Anges and the Hitman. In fact there’s only one word that I can think of that’s missing from that list, and that word is amazing. Crusie and Mayer, the two authors responsible for this amazing book, threw everything including the kitchen sink into this book and somehow managed to pull it off. This is one of those books that if you tried to explain it to someone who hadn’t read it they would just stare at you like you were a nut, but then once they read it they would look at you and say “I totally know what you were talking about before about Agnes throwing the raspberry sauce and the dognapper falling through the hidden door into the basement that nobody knew was there. That part was so funny.”

Yeah, it’s one of those types of books, but it’s also one of those books that you’ll keep going back to over and over because no mater how many types you’ve read it never ceases to surprise you.

-Aaron

Best Book I Read in August!

The best (and pretty much the only, man, being a college student is a total time suck!) book I read in August was the one, the only...

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl!!!! Here's the book's summery:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Sounds amazing, eh? Well, trust me, it is! For my review, I thought I'd do something a little different. To show my devotion for such an amazing book, I decided to express my feeling in the form of a letter. But, more specifically, a love letter. Enjoy! :)

Dear, Beautiful Creatures,

When we first met, it wasn't love at first sight. The first time I tried reading you, I only made it to chapter two and then gave up. Your summery intrigued me and I knew you were the kind of book I would love to read, but for some reason I wasn't feeling that...connection that a girl and a good book are supposed to feel, so, like a coward, I stopped returning your phone calls (a.k.a. returned you to the library) and hoped that I would eventually forget about you and move on.

But, alas, everywhere I looked, your name was mentioned and I just couldn't get you out of my head, people said you were amazing and fantastic and one of the best books they'd read in a long time, but I just couldn't understand their love for you.

Until...

A few weeks ago I happened to pay a visit to my public library and there you were, sitting all innocent-like on the shelf. I avoided your gaze for as long as I could until, unable to find anything else to read, I plucked you off the shelf, reread your summery for what seemed like the hundredth time and thought, "eh, why not?" And decided to take a chance and check you out to see what all the hubbub was about.

That same day, I took you home and began to read you...and I haven't stopped since.
Once I got past chapter one and began to get into the meat of the story, I was hooked. I fell in love with your luscious setting, your lovable characters and your romance, oh, your romance! And I also fell hard for your sweet and loyal leading man, Ethan and really identified with and felt for your strong-willed and feisty leading lady, Lena. Like Ethan and Lena, now I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. You are to me what other women's clutch purses and cell phones are to them, I have to have you with me wherever I go, or else I would cease to exist.

So thank you, Beautiful Creatures, for coming into my life. These past few weeks with you have been like a dream. You've taught me how to love again and how not to judge a book by its first chapter. I can't wait to read your sequel, Beautiful Darkness (I'm gearing up to write his love letter as we speak! :P)

~Ella

August Confessional: Bethany

I have never really done a confessional before so I'm super pumped to give it a try!

1. I have a huge tendency to trip over my own feet. It's an issue and my dorm this year has this 1/2 step to get into the building (really, it's silly. It's like it tried to become a step and then just quit halfway through) and I think it's going to kill me. I've already tripped over it countless times and I've only lived here for about 2 weeks. I think it has it out for me and my clumsiness. 
2. I have four calendars in my dorm room (that doesn't count my roomie's). Generally, they'll stay in August the entire year. I always think I'll remember to change them but alas, no. I'm hoping I'll make it to at least September this year (*OMG bangs head in embarrassment*, going to change two of the calendars so I can say I've made it to September). 
3. As of this year, I've been driving for 5 years (really just 4 'cause I didn't drive much when I was 16) and I've locked my keys in my car at least 6 times. Once while the car was running. (No, sadly I'm not joking)
4. I made mud pies two days ago. Well, technically it was because I needed to for a class (Soils Lab if you must know). But the confession part is that I really, quite thoroughly enjoyed myself. 
5. I don't know if I believe there are ghosts, but I've heard rumors that there's a certain transparent "Blue Lady" who walks the bell tower near my dorm and I maybe, might be making extra excuses to go take a stroll when it gets dark outside. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed my confessions I definitely enjoyed everyone elses'. Have a great weekend!

Sidenote: If you want a chance to win some awesome stuff check out my contest by clicking on the pic below!

My Turn: Confessions if a Teenage Slacker

So it's confessional time. This is going to be short and sweet cause I've got homework, the joys of senior year. *sarcasm*

I confess I almost forgot about this post.

I have only had eight hours of sleep in the past forty eight hours.

I am already behind in my assignments for school, am dropping one of my extra English classes, and am not ready for this again. Can we rewind to the beginning of August? Please?

I am having problems at work. Not that I don't love working in retail, seriously I love the chocolate store where I'm currently employed. But recent complications have lead to lots of extra, unnecessary stress. I don't even want to think about what's going to go down once I start applying to colleges. *gulp*

Am sleepy.

Avoiding my homework by writing this post.

Didn't write anything during the months of July, and August, talk about a break. You can throw bricks at me now. No it was not my intention I just couldn't write.

Am tired of being single and seeing all the happy couples walking around school/town center. Also the coupled off friends don't make it any easier, especially when one half is talking to you and then the other half comes over and the halves make a whole as they start to make out. Uh EW. I do not appreciate your PDA and hello I was just having a conversation here. Rude.

Am SO behind on betas. Like I'm surprised these guys are still talking to me, okay that far behind. I feel super guilty, it's on my mind all the time.

Am super tired.

Goodnight, I've got psych work to go finish, have a nice evening and well next month there will be some great juicy tidbits.

August Confessional: Aaron

1. I stayed up till two in the morning researching trig applications in physics just so that I could blow the two other tutors, who are both physics experts and never let me forget it, out of the water at work the next morning.

2. Every day I bring a travel mug with me to school, and I tell my students that it is full of tea. It's not, what it's actually full of is two cups worth of hot chocolate. Yeah, I'm a horrible role model.

3. My third graders are helping me do background research for this year’s NaNoWriMo novel, and it's so cute seeing them all crowded around the snake book I bring with me to school everyday studiously taking notes and telling each other how to spell the big words.

4. My mom has declared that she won’t let me in the house unless I bring down the directions and ingredients for three new recipes that will blow her friends way, so I’m in the process of tracking them down so that I can spend a fun filled weekend cooking for other people.

5. Instead of just going to the store and buying them I spent Sunday night making Pay Day candy bars for my host teacher's birthday.

6. My roommates give me a hard time because I bake a rich chocolaty dessert at least once a week, but I just smile and nod because I know the truth. The truth is I set side half to take to my host school, and by the next morning my roommates have eaten the rest. I'm lucky if I get the piece I've started hiding in the cupboard behind the potatoes.

-Aaron

Tuesday Comes Clean: August Confessional

Whoo, my dirty laundry sure has piled up! Here are my top 6 (random) confessions:

1. I may say that I love bad boys in books/T.V./movies (and I so do!), but in reality, all I really want is a nice guy, (like Will from Glee or Ned from Pushing Daisies! *Swoon*)

2. In addition to becoming a published YA author, my other dream is to live in an old (possibly haunted) farmhouse seeped in history, marry the man of my dreams and eventually become…a mommy. :)

3. Even though I’m now 21, I’d much rather drink a Shirley Temple (with extra cherries!) then an alcoholic beverage.

4. One of my earliest career choices was to play for the Yankees (thank god writing was always my top choice, lol!)

5. One time in high school, a friend and I watched Harry Potter movies 1-5 all in one day-In. A. Row. Let’s just say, by the end of the movie marathon, I was sick (but only temporarily, of course!) of The Boy Who Lived!

6. My "book baby" (aka my current WIP) is "due" on Halloween and I'm freaking out! Guess it's time to break out the chocolate! Any suggestions on how to get over a wicked case of firstdraftitus?

Until next time,
~Ella