(Audio)Book Tour Announcement!

I just wanted to announce that this blog is one of the stops in the Lethal Circuit audiobook tour!

Here's some info on the book! (It is an adult book!)

(Source)

From Best-selling Amazon author Lars Guignard comes the number-one turbo-charged, action spy thriller Lethal Circuit. 

A Chinese satellite is on a crash course with Earth.  

It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city. 

And that's the good news...


Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college graduate, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he's running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he'll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he'll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn't, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems.

Can Michael Chase team up with a beautiful but deadly MI6 agent to locate a lethal piece of Nazi technology that will save the world?



If you can't get enough of the action of Lee Child and Vince Flynn, the intrigue of Robert Ludlum, and the adventure of Clive Cussler and James Rollins, you are going to LOVE Lethal Circuit!

This tour is hosted by Candace, and it will stop here on November 21! There are still slots open, so if you're interested, head over to Candace's page!

TV Tuesday 8/27

Top Ten: Crime Shows/Procedurals

(Note: I didn't link to any of these shows because I'm busy and on vacation. :D 

Also, I thought I watched a lot more crime shows than I apparently do...these are almost all of them...(I only included ones I've watched regularly, so shows like Criminal Minds aren't on here))

1. Psych
   Seriously, if you're not watching this show, you should be (even though their upcoming season may be the last *sobs*).
   
   Psych isn't like most crime shows. It's almost always hilarious, but don't think that that doesn't mean that it'll also cause ALL THE FEELS because it (most likely) will.
2. NCIS:LA
   Sadly, I do have to say that at the present moment, NCIS:LA is better than NCIS, although I love both equally.
   
   The show is pretty well done, and all the characters are unique and interesting. Why do I think it's better than the original show? Because this one's still fresh and new(ish), at least compared to NCIS. The obvious future relationships aren't being dragged out forever. They're still coming up with great new storylines and plot/character arcs.
3. Elementary
   Yes, I like Elementary. Yes, I also like Sherlock.
   
   What I love about Elementary is it's fresh take on Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Lucy Liu is FANTASTIC as Joan Watson, and Sherlock and Watson have so much chemistry...but not that kind of chemistry. I like how well done their (platonic) relationship is. Yes, there are some aspects that I'm not as eager on, it's just doing so many things right. There's an incredibly diverse cast (though I wouldn't complain if there were more females), and all of their casting has been perfect thus far.
   
   (Also, their opening title sequence is awesome, and the writers are hilarious (if you follow them on Twitter). And this almost beat out NCIS:LA to the #2 spot, but.)
   

Something Strange and Deadly Discussion #4

This is the final week of the SS&D book club, and while I'm sad that it's over, it was loads of fun.

(Note: Excuse the lack of formatting of any kind. I can only use the Blogger app at the moment, so.)

This week's question is:

"'Eleanor, you have a choice,' [Jie] said softly. 'You always have a choice'" (p.166, Something Strange and Deadly).

How do you think this quote relates to the overall theme of Something Strange and Deadly? Do you think Eleanor behaves as if she has a choice at the start of the book? What about at the end of the book? And do other characters behave as if they have a choice or do some see themselves as victims of circumstance?

I think that even at the beginning, to an extent, Eleanor did act at times out of choice. For example, she should have told her mother the truth, but she decided not to. And in a way, she decided to be (or perhaps to not be) who society and her mother told her to be. She still wore her dresses and petticoats, and she still carried around her parasol. Maybe some of that wasn't her own choice, but she could have just rebeled against it. Then, she starts to lean towards choosing what she wants, rather than choosing to do what her mother wants. I think the shift is that she goes from choosing to be who society tells her to be to choosing to be who she wants to be, and that's where the difference lies.

In regards to the other characters, I think it depends. Jie clearly makes her own decisions and choices, no matter what others want her to do. Joseph, I think, makes decisions more based off of what's best for the Spirit-Hunters rather than what might be better and safer for himself. Daniel also chooses his own path, I believe, though I think that his past also influences and weighs down on his choices, which are often more limited. As for Elijah, I'm stuck on him. I think that in some aspects, everything was his choice, but at the same time, there's something about his situation that makes me think twice.

As for Eleanor's mother, I think she doesn't realize the choices that she has, at least until it's too late. She continues to confirm to society, not necessarily thinking about what's best for herself and for her family. But maybe it is, in a sense, her choice to do that. It's hard to say, but I think that she sees herself as having no choice. Then someone like Clarence, I believe, honestly had less of a choice or at least failed to act upon them the most. He sees himself as a victim. He doesn't see the choices that he can make, possibly except for when he hired some bodyguards.

I think that this question is more complex than it first seems because you have to think twice about what choices people can actively make, and I think that almost anything you do comes from a choice. A choice to conform to society. A choice not to. A choice to do what you want. A choice to not do that, perhaps because it's better for others or perhaps because you don't want to get in trouble. We all make choices, whether we're aware of it or not. And so, in the end, I think everyone has a choice, but that Jie might have meant to choose what you want. 

(So I realize now that I kind of moved in circles in this post, but I think we all make choices of some kind, but only a few characters in the book make choices that go with what they actually want, which is what I think Jie means. The characters that end up making their own choices are, in my opinion, Jie and Eleanor (at the end). The ones that clearly didn't were Mrs Fitt and Clarence. And the ones that are fuzzy and depend on your definition and interpretations are Daniel, Joseph, and Elijah.)

And a major thank you to Susan for doing this!!! 

Music Monday 8/26

So what have I been obsessed with all week (and pretty much the past month or so)?

SNOW PATROL. I knew some of their more well-known songs already, but I've listened to most of their albums now and just ahhh! They're so amazing, and I love their music. I have so many favorites, but I have to say that Chasing Cars is still one of my top favorites. But really, I just love all of their music.

Greetings From Canada!

Hello all!

I had drafted a Summary Saturday post, but I then lost my Internet connection and couldn't finish it and schedule it, so that didn't happen.

Anywho, I'm on vacation in Canada, so I'm not sure how often I can post. I have my Music Monday and TV Tuesday posts scheduled so at the very least you get that. I can't guarantee anything else, so I won't make a Set Up Sunday post.

Also, on a completely separate note, have any of you read Dash and Lily's Book of Dares? What'd you think of it?

And lastly, as an update, here's what I'm currently reading this week:

Reading-Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Listening-A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

No Post on...Friday? (aka GMA tomorrow!)

Hehe. I'm quite proud of that title. I know...it's lame. Sorry.

But anyway. I was going to post a review tomorrow (Friday), but I'm going to be really tired and worn out because I'm going to The Wanted in Central Park tomorrow morning (for Good Morning America), and I'll be up at around 3:30-ish. The Wanted are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, but I'm SO excited. I'm going with my best friend (she was the one that got me into them in the first place).

I'll try to make a post about it on Saturday, but I have auditions in the morning, and then I have to pack. So basically, I may or may not post anything for the next few days/weeks (unless I procrastinate or actually find time to write a review). Also, my friend and I may or may not be starting a writing project soon, so if that happens, I'll be sure to share!

Thanks for sticking around (those of you that actually read my posts :) ).

Talk About It Thursday: Strong Female Characters: What's Your Take?

This week's discussion is about the term "strong female characters." I'm going to admit that I used to say this a lot. "Wow, this character is such a well-written, strong female character!" or something along those lines. And it wasn't until reading THIS article that I really thought about the way SFC is used. Now, I'm trying to stay away from using that term. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a feminist. And yeah, I agree with the points made in the post. Both "strong" and "weak" female (and male) characters can be great. We should focus more on the way the author writes them. Are they convincing? Do they seem real? Do you feel some emotion toward them? These are the important things to think about. You can love a "strong" or "weak" character, whether they're female, male, or otherwise. We shouldn't have a separate category for them. That just deepens the split even more. I could go on and on about the article and the topic and feminism in general, but I won't.

What's your take on SFCs? Do you agree or disagree with the article (or somewhere in between)? How should we judge or divide characters, if at all?

Reader's Choice #1

Oh look, a new feature! Basically, I'll have this whenever I have a bunch of things to review, and I'm not sure which one to review first. So...you get to help me pick! So yes, I don't have many followers at all, but if you just happen to come across my blog, still feel free to pipe in! And if no one suggests one, then I'll just wait to see which one strikes me.

Choice #1
What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang (Book)

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

Choice #2
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Book)

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

Choice #3
The Impossible (Movie)

A British family on Christmas holiday at a beach resort in Thailand is torn apart when a deadly tsunami devastates the area. The film follows the seriously wounded Maria and her eldest son Lucas as they struggle to safety, not knowing whether Maria's husband and their two younger sons are dead or alive.

Choice #4
The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles (Album)

So which one would you like me to review next?

Review: Graceland Bundle: O-Mouth to Smoke Alarm (MILD SPOILERS)

This is long overdue, but this is my Graceland bundle! I won't go into as much detail about each episode (partially because there's so much going on that I have to read about episodes like O-Mouth to refresh my memory), and I'll rate it as best I can based on what I do recall (also, I'm going to try to stick away from mentioning the end of all these episodes because they're all so suspenseful and fulfill their task, and so there's not much else for me to say. Plus, I don't want to spoil anything. And lastly, I'm keeping all my shipping thoughts/reactions out of this).

Book Birthdays: 8/20/2013

Congratulations to all of the following authors, and have the happiest of book birthdays!

(For those that are unaware of what book birthdays are, it's the day when an author's book is finally published and released.)

1. ASYLUM by Madeleine Roux

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, a summer program for gifted students is more than a gift-it's a lifeline. No one else at his high school gets his weird academic fixations, but at the New Hampshire College Prep program, such quirks are practically required. Dan arrives to find that the usual summer housing has been quarantined, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline dorm-formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here...secrets that link the teens to the asylum's dark past. Because it turns out Brookline was no ordinary psych ward. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried. With haunting photographs and letters throughout, Asylum is an unforgettable journey into the dark recesses of the mind, blurring the lines between past and present, friendship and obsession, genius and insanity.

2. FLICKER & BURN by T.M. Goeglein

Sara Jane Rispoli is still searching for her missing family, but instead of fighting off a turncoat uncle and crooked cops, this time she finds herself on the run from creepy beings with red, pulsing eyes and pale white skin chasing her through the streets in ice cream trucks; they can only be described as Ice Cream Creatures. They're terrifying and hell bent on killing her, but they're also a link to her family, a clue to where they might be and who has them. While she battles these new pursuers, she's also discovering more about her own cold fury and more about the Chicago Outfit, how the past misdeeds--old murders and vendettas--might just be connected to her present and the disappearance of her family. But connecting the dots is tough and time-consuming and may finally be the undoing of her relationship with the handsome Max--who's now her boyfriend. But for his own safety, Sara Jane may have to end this relationship before it even really starts. Her pursuers who've shown her her mother's amputated finger and the head of the Chicago Outfit who's just whistled her in for a sit-down make a romance unthinkable. The only thing that matters is finding her family and keeping everyone she loves alive.

3. THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army. Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

4. JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman (Paperback Edition)

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Which one of these would you like to read?

(Personally, I'm really excited for The Bone Season, as well as Just One Day, which I have yet to read.)

Music Monday 8/19

I was actually going to go with a completely different song, but I changed my mind, so here we go!

I've recently gotten into musicals thanks to my roommate Haley from my week at Barnard. And so, when I realized that I had a new crush on someone (shhh, don't tell my parents), this song popped into my head. There's one line that particularly stuck out because I definitely relate to it ("Why are they only nice when they're unavailable?").

So without further ado, here's my pick for this week's Music Monday!

Introducing Set Up Sunday and Other Features

This was meant to be up yesterday, but I got home from volunteering and was just so exhausted, so I left it for today. My apologies!

Today, I'm going to introduce some features that are going to be implemented onto the blog! Although I list how often each will occur, they're always subject to change depending on my schedule and how busy I get once school starts. If a post comes out late, I'll explain that it was meant for another day and will label it as I would if it were on time.

Something Strange and Deadly Discussion #3

And we're back for week three!

This week's discussion question is:

Eleanor finds herself more and more intrigued by (perhaps even attracted to) Daniel Sheridan, the inventor of the Spirit-Hunters. What is it about him that appeals to her? And vice versa, what do you think attracts Daniel to Eleanor? Then there’s Clarence Wilcox, the seemingly perfect eligible bachelor. Why do you think Eleanor doesn’t like Clarence?

Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

(Photo Credit)

You've already heard of this book if you've been following some of my other posts, but now I'm writing my review for it!

I've had my eye on this book ever since I heard about due to the YAGB Tour, but I never actually sat down to read it. Oh how I wish I had read it sooner. I haven't gotten my hands on the sequel yet, but I'm excited to read it.

This month, Susan is hosting a SSaD book club, so if you'd like to join in, you can check it out here.

Review: You Knew Me When by Emily Liebert

(Photo Credit)

There's less than a month until the release of Emily Liebert's debut novel, You Knew Me When, so I've decided to (re)review it! If you follow me on Goodreads or on YouTube, you'll know that I've already reviewed this book.

Note: I received this as a Goodreads First-reads winner and (sadly) have not been paid to write a review for the book.

Something Strange and Deadly Discussion #2

So this is for week two of Susan Dennard's Strange and Deadly book discussion!

The question: Magic and ghostly elements frequent the Something Strange and Deadly series. Even though corpses do awaken from time to time and hauntings are hardly that uncommon, the people of Philadelphia seem determined to pretend the Dead are not a growing threat.

Do you think that’s part of human nature? To push on and ignore the danger at our door? Or do you think Philadelphia’s ignorance—or for that matter, any ignorance/false sense of safety in modern days as well—can be pinned on politicians? Can you think of any examples where something similar happened, but rather than the Dead, it was a natural disaster/growing crime rate/etc.?

Sea of Monsters Movie Review

(Photo Credit)

Before I start with this review I should make it clear that it's been a while since I've read the book, and I'm a bit fuzzy on the details of the events. There are also some minor spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the book.

So this movie was definitely a lot better than the first movie. It was much truer to the book, albeit some changes and differences (though these were much more manageable than in the first PJO film).

Review: The Civil Wars by The Civil Wars

(Photo Credit)

Firstly, I love The Civil Wars, and I'm pretty upset that they're not even speaking to one another yet. But anyway, this is my review for their new album.

Something Strange and Deadly Discussion #1

First, let me introduce what this is. Basically, I just recently finished reading Susan Dennard's Something Strange and Deadly, which I'm going to review soon. She's hosting a "book club" discussion in the month of August, so anything with a similar title to this one is related to that discussion. (If you'd like to join in, check it out here!)

Note: These posts may contain spoilers!

Review: Covert Affairs: Into The White

This episode is hands down one of my favorites from the show thus far.

First, the character interactions were so well acted and all of it was great. I've loved Joan since the beginning, and let me just say that Kari's performance in this episode is amazing. I love Joan even more now, and this episode really shows the audience how much she cares about her operatives. I also love that she's not afraid to prove that she's just as capable as any man in the CIA. She's not defined by Arthur, and I love how she stood up for herself. She's such a strong female character, much like Donna Paulsen on Suits, both of whom I love. The episode also showcases how Annie has changed. She knows that she can't go at it alone, and she's not afraid to cause some tensions because she knows that it's the right thing to do.  Auggie and Arthur's scenes, especially together, were extremely well done as well.