Check the Label

I was looking at the labels to my posts the other day, analyzing the trends. Here is what I have discovered:

I am not Sick much.

I talk about God twice as much as I am sick.

There have been three Holidays since I started blogging, and three holiday posts. Right on.

Although Writing is my life, I post about Pictures exactly four times more often than about Characters.

The label "Hott Guys" appears slightly more often than the label "Thinking." Hmm.

I have posted six times more about someone else's book than about my own.

But I was relieved to see that there are more Book posts than Movie posts.

The number of posts on Friends is nearly double the number on Family.

I have managed to refrain thus far from creating a "Brothers" label.

There is only one post concerning Work, School, or Shopping. Lawl. I'm lazy.

I talk about Books twice as often as I talk about Reading. How does that work exactly?

The second largest label is "Random."

And I talk about myself more than anything.

Sometimes, I wonder...

Yep. I just wonder. I guess I should slap this post with a Thinking label. Or a Label label.

You know what, I'm gonna label this post with everything >:D

~Stephanie

My Blog Has Been Dug

So, Jay awarded me, like an embarrassingly long time ago >.< And I'm just now officially accepting it. *sigh* Sometimes I'm not that great. But anyway, Jay Digs My Blog.


So he gave me that ^

Now all I have to do to be officially Dug is thank Jay {...thanks, Jay XD} and tell you three random facts about myself, which shouldn't be hard because most facts I would share with you would be pretty random anyway.

1. I cannot stand spit.
2. I leave the blinds on my middle window open all the time. {Even when I'm changing, which is really bad discretion when I think about it.}
3. I used to be terrified of becoming autistic.

Now, I must pass on this award to three blogs that I Dig.

Beauty Like a Kaleidoscope
A Collection of Reflections
Almost by Not Quite

The end :D Thanks, Jay!

~Stephanie

Ten Years

What can happen in ten years?

You can get your ears pierced.
You can move.
You can invent 3D movies.
You can make 10 new friends.
You can outgrow a passport.
You can learn to cook.
You can invent Facebook.
You can forget your kindergarten enemy.
You can forget how mad you were that one time.
You can forget what that shirt looked like.
You can forget the disagreement with your sister.

But there are some things you cannot forget.

September 11, 2001.

Smoke.
Fire.
Fear.
Silence.

Great, loud, looming, shocked silence.

Unity.
Tears.
Tragedy.
Unison.

Breathing.
Whispering.
Wailing.
Balking.

Grandmas calling.
Mommas crying.
Children wondering.

What happened? What was so great? So terrible? What had happened that was so big the whole world stopped to watch?

There are lots of ways to say it; each one makes your stomach clench, your mind flinch, your heart squeeze.

Nine-eleven. 9-11. September 11. The World Trade Center. The Twin Towers.

It's funny trying to remember a time before it happened. It's funny because we will never forget what happened, but we've already forgotten what it was like before.

Remember when middle-eastern people didn't look scary?
Remember when you could walk right onto an airplane without checking bags?
Remember when the word "terrorism" was foreign?
Remember when America felt like the safest place in the world?

I was seven when it happened; I barely remember those things. But I do remember. What's sad is the kids I know who don't.

The nine-year-old girl I babysit can’t remember a time before Nine-Eleven. She doesn't remember when middle-eastern people were just people. She doesn't remember not having extensive airplane security. She doesn't remember not knowing what "terrorism" is. She doesn't remember thinking that America was invincible.

It's been ten years. America is growing again, in some good directions, and in some bad, but she is growing. That's the only thing she can do. People may try to strike her down, but the values she stands for--Freedom, Equality, Bravery, Honor, Justice--will endure forever, as long as the people defend them.

And that's what we will do. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to derail us, we will stand strong for our God-given rights and for WHAT is right. We will remember not only Nine-Eleven, but everything before that, everything our founding fathers stood for.

On this anniversary of the great American tragedy, don't just remember the Twin Towers. Remember why they were destroyed, and uphold those values all the stronger.

In ten years, a lot can happen, but some things you never forget.

And some of those things you never should.

~Stephanie

Book Review: City of Bones

Title: The City of Bones {The Mortal Instruments Trilogy}
Author: Cassandra Clare
Stars: 4.5
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: In this dark, modern fantasy, Clare brings together love, excitement, magic, sarcasm and even some fascinating Biblical aspects.
Back-of-the-Book: “When Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in NYC, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with odd markings. This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons—and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It’s also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. Within 24 hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…”

I Say: Bleck; the back of the book is so misleadingly generic. The Mortal Instruments trilogy is in my top three all-time favorites, and you guys KNOW how picky I am.

Basically, the story is about demon hunters, who are descendents of the antediluvian {look it up} Nephilim. They get their power from Marks {semi-permanent Shadowhunter tattoos}, which are like the Mark that protected Cain in the Bible. However, although there are Biblical aspects sprinkled in, the books are by no means “Christian.”

In this expertly-crafted trilogy, Cassandra Clare weaves together humor, adventure, love, magic, and did I mention HUMOR? Clare is a GENIUS with humor. I laughed out loud more often than when reading any other series.

Her characters are—for the most part—great, especially Jace, the dark hero, and Simon, the sarcastic best friend. Their lines and personalities are all their own; they’re one-of-a-kind and wonderful.

I do have problems with Clary, the main character, and Isabelle, another featured individual because of my issues with overly badass girls.

I really love the unpredictability of this series. I’m good at seeing what’s coming, but never in a million years did I see the twists and turns Clare put in.

I Liked:
- The hilarity
- The unpredictability
- The lack of loose ends {I hate it when things don’t add up.}
- It realistically references the Bible a ton, which adds a whole new dimension to the story.

I Didn’t Like:
- Sometimes it feels a bit disorganized, but Clare always brings it back in, so rest assured.
- NOTE: While I think Clare should have stopped after completing this trilogy, she’s writing a second trilogy about the same characters. So far, I do not like it. So my review here goes for the original three books, not the new set of Mortal Instruments.

Audience: There’s sensuality, and one character is gay, so if that bothers you…heads up. Clare keeps it interesting while keeping it balanced nicely between PG and PG-13 XD

I think everyone should read The Mortal Instruments. Chances are you’ll love it, and if you don’t, at least you’ll know what hit you when the epic movie comes out.

~Stephanie

Books To Read/Actually Finish

Taken straight out of my Omni Liber 5.

1. "A Tale of Two Castles" - Gail Carson Levine

I love Levine. She wrote "Ella Enchanted," "The Two Princesses of Bamarre," and hilariously redid a bunch of classic fairy tales. I started "A Tale of Two Castles" while in Europe, and to be honest it's a little young for me, so I haven't gotten into it enough to finish it yet.

2. "The Magicians" - Lev Grossman

This is basically a grown-up version of "Harry Potter," but so far it's pretty good. I like Grossman's writing style and it's definitely entertaining. However, his world of magic isn't actually appealing to me, although it's DEFINITElY more believable and realistic.

3. "The Shadow of the Wind" - Carlos Zafon

This is a fascinating, sort of dark book I started last spring. I kept getting bogged down and still haven't finished it though.

4. "Wither" - Lauren DeStefano

I read Sam's pre-release description of this book last winter and fell in love with the idea of this book. I've seen it several times, but somehow it hasn't yet made it home with me.

5. "Retribution" - Sherrilyn Kenyon

I saw it at the bookstore and it sounded interesting. That's pretty much all it takes for me.

6. "Catch 22" - Joseph Heller

It's a classic. And it's supposed to be good. Ergo, it's on the list.

7. "A Brave New World"

My friend had to read this for school and she brought it to church one week. I read the back aaaand it sounded interesting XD

8. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" {etc.}

I saw this book three years ago at a bookstore in Asheville, NC. It's stuck with me all this time, and now it's suddenly really popular with the movies and everything. But I still have not actually read it.

9. "Marks of Cain" - Tom Knox

I saw this at the bookstore and the back was fascinating. I wanna read it.

10. "Comedy in a Minor Key" - Hans Keilson

The title alone is pretty awesome, right? XD {I love minor keys.} Apparently it sounded good, but reading the description on Amazon is like "What..." So. Whatever. It's on the list.

11. "I Am Number Four" - Pittacus Lore

Saw the movie. {And Pettyfer is hottt stuffff.} But it always pisses me off when people ooh and aah over a movie that they haven't read the original BOOK to. I do not want to be "that person," so I'm trying to read the original book.

12. "Imaginary Girls" - Nova Ren Suma

It just...sounds really intriguing.

13. "Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover" - Ally Carter

This is the third book in the Gallagher Girl series. I read the first two when I was like 13 and loved them, now I feel obligated to finish the series. {Not that the books aren't good. They are. I'm just kind of over the whole thing at this point.}

14. "Only the Good Spy Young" - Ally Carter

See above.

15. "Sapphique" - Catherine Fisher

This is the sequel to "Incarceron," which I read earlier this year. Again, I didn't super enjoy "Incarceron," but I believe in finishing a series once I start it.

16. "Cleopatra's Moon" - Vicky Alvear Shecter

One thing you for sure need to know about me: I have an obsession with Cleopatra. Sure, it comes and goes, but constantly lurking in the back of my mind is this fascination with the clever Egyptian queen who gave birth to Greek-Roman-Egyptian children. Anything about her FASCINATES me. I can never read enough about her. So, I wanna read this book. {The book "Cleopatra's Daughter" is really good if you also like this sort of thing. Just btw.}

17 "The Sweet Far Thing" - Libba Bray

I thought this was called "That Sweet Fair Thing" for like two years. Anyway, Bray wrote these two books called "A Great and Terrible Beauty" and "Rebel Angels," both of which I have read, neither of which I enjoyed. I think I was too young for them. The sensuality creeped me the heck out. But, AGAIN, I am now bound by the Law of Series to read this book.

18. The "Pendragon" books 8, 9 and 10 -D.J. MacHale

It's a series thing. Although this books are pretty a'ight. I think I'd like them more if I'd started them younger.

19. "Cascade" - Lisa T. Bergren

The back of the book sounded cool.

20. "The Forgotten Locket" - Lisa Mangum

I don't remember why I want to read this. But, hey, it's on the list. So there ya go.

21. "Steel" - Carrie Vaugn

The cover on Amazon looks terrible, kind of reminds me of a cheesy, badly-written, trashy, medieval sex flick, so I'm wondering what drew me to this. And honestly, the description sounds generic as heck. But we'll see. Eventually.

22. "HIVE" -

My friend is letting me borrow this book. So I kind of, like, HAVE to read it or I'm a bad friend.

23. "Daddy" -

It's on our bookshelf {we have like 2000 books, and that's not an exaggeration} and my dad says it's good. So I'll prolly read it sometime maybe.

24. "Paradise Lost" by John Milton

I love this book a lot. It just takes time to read, which I don't always have. But I LOVE "Paradise Lost" and one of these days I'm actually going to finish it.

25. "Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare

It comes out on December 6 of this year, and I am SO FREAKING EXCITED. {If you plan to read this book, email me first so I can tell you to read these other books first or it will RUIN EVERYTHING.}

~Stephanie

Book Review: Tex

Title: “Tex”
Author: S.E. Hinton
Stars: 5
Less-Than-500-Word Review in Short: “Tex” is a heartwarming story with a tight, yet extremely unpredictable plot line; absolutely phenomenal characters; humor; and great insight into peoples’ lives.

Back-of-the-Book: “Easygoing and reckless Tex likes everyone and everything, especially his horse, Negrito, and Johnny Collins’s blue-eyed sister, Jamie. Life with his older brother, Mason, would be just about perfect if only Mace would stop complaining about Pop, who hasn’t been home in five months. While Mason worries about paying the bills and getting a basketball scholarship—his ticker out of Oklahoma—Tex just seems to attract trouble. Can he find a way to keep things together when everything seems to be falling apart?”

I Say: As with most books, this back-of-the-book description hardly does the story justice. I’ve read all of S.E. Hinton’s books except for “Star Runner”, and this one is my very favorite. S.E. Hinton always has the kind of characters that MUST exist out there somewhere and her plots are gripping. However, sometimes she lets her characters play a bigger role than the actual story, which can make for a loosey-goosey plotline.

In “Tex,” she finally found the secret combination of incredible characters AND a tight storyline.

You know how…

…with some books, you can read the whole thing and not “feel” the characters? By page 14 of “Tex,” I felt I’d known him since kindergarten.

…some books are good, but it’s not a big deal when you have to put it down? I left dinner to finish “Tex.”

…when authors try to do “heartwarming,” it’s cheesy? With “Tex,” some things were so sweet that I actually aww’d out loud, and yet it wasn’t forced or cheesy at all. It was like Hinton didn’t want to draw your attention to the aww-aspect. To be honest, you don’t even think about the fact that Hinton wrote the book. It’s written from Tex’s point of view, and you really believe it’s him telling the story.

…some book plots are more or less original, but you can still see everything coming? “Tex” is so realistic, yet so personal, that I felt I was watching real life, where absolutely anything goes. “Tex” is one of the most unpredictable book I’ve ever read, but the plot was still well-planned. Sometimes when authors go for “unpredictable,” the story ends up ridiculous, filled with SHOCKING CLIMAX after SHOCKING CLIMAX. “Tex” wasn’t like that.

I Liked:
- Tex has an older brother
- Deep characters
- Unpredictable
- Realistic situations

I Didn’t Like:
- I’m normally very critical, but I can’t think of anything I just “didn’t like” about “Tex.” I can’t even pull the “I-Didn’t-Like-That-It-Had-To-End” card because I thought Hinton ended it at a perfect place.

Audience: I think anyone could love this book. Just about any stereotype I can think of has a good chance of getting into it. (If you read it and hate it, lemme know.) I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under 12 or 13 (depending on the kid), just for the drug references and some situations.

Read "Tex." I give you a 99.9% guarantee you won't be sorry.

Books I've Read This Year

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

1 star

I had heard of it and decided to give it a shot. There went 4 hours of my life I'll never get back. This book majorly sucked.

2. Tex by S. E. Hinton

5 stars

I love S.E. Hinton and decided to check out Tex. Best book decision ever. This book is absolute gold. It's definitely one of the best things I've ever read. {I'm reviewing it tomorrow, so stick around.}

3. Incarceron by

3 stars

Pretty interesting read. The concept of a mechanical prison with artificial intelligence is fascinating, but it's not 100% well-executed IMO. It's sometimes difficult for the reader to catch on.

4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

3 and a half stars

I liked this book a lot, but nothing about it stands out. It's a good, well-told story, but a little forgettable and I didn't quite "get" the ending.

5. No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt

3 and a half stars

This Great Depression-themed book had been sitting on my shelf for years, and I'd just never gotten around to it. I ended up liking it more than I thought {probably because there's a lot of older-brother-little-brother stuff}, but I probably won't read it again.

6. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

3 stars

The beginning of this book left me in awe; the style was absolutely beautiful; I would read sentences over again just because I liked them. But then the story got too long, and really strange, and the "big secret" it promises isn't really as exciting as I expected. It's interesting though.

7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

Everyone is reading this books nowadays, and they deserve the publicity. Collins created a gripping and unique story line with leap-off-the-page-real characters. The trilogy is for SURE worth reading, so it's weird that they aren't some of my favorite books. I really can't put my finger on why.

8. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

This is the sequel to Hunger Games, and it's basically just as good. In the beginning I feared it would just be a nitty-grittier repeat of the first book, but Collins saved it. It's quite good.

9. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

3 stars

This is the beginning to the second trilogy of "Mortal Instruments" books. If you think that sounds confusing, it's because it is. I wish Cassandra Clare had just stopped with the original trilogy, because they were absolutely FANTASTICALLY AWESOME and I hate it when writers take things too far. In City of Fallen Angels, I feel like Clare has lost touch with her characters {especially my beloved Jace!}, so the book is just eh. But read them anyway. 'Cause deep down I think they still rock.

10. Guys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti by

This book is kinda cool. It's just informational basically, about how girls and guys think differently. I just skimmed the book and got what I want out of it. You should too.

11. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

4 stars

This is the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I sobbed, which is pretty much rare for me. Actually, I'm pretty sure this book made me cry harder than any other book ever. It was great. Just GREAT.

12. Fortune by Erica Spindler

2 stars

I was bored at our beach house, it was on the shelf. It's a pretty strange, sensual, sadistic story. I really liked pieces of it because the main character has an older brother-like figure, but mostly it just made me feel dirty and the writing wasn't even good.

13. Divergent by Veronica Roth

3 stars

This was a pretty cool book. Good ideas, pretty well-done. For some reason I didn't really "connect" to the story, but it might just be me. Maybe if I read it again I'd like it more.

14. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

4 stars

I seriously liked this book a lot. It's engaging, extremely well-written, thought-provoking and real. I liked the characters and the setting and the whole thing was just super well-done. Definitely recommend it.

15 Theogony by Hesiod

4 stars

A really fascinating read XD Nothing like ancient literature to spice up your bookshelf. I actually love Greek literature, and this was no different. Hesiod has a way with words, and learning where all the gods came from is just really cool to me.

~Stephanie