The Blog of Complete Randomness...: 01/01/2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

4 out of 5 stars

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Camelia leads a good life, good grades, good friends and guys lined up wanting to date her, until one summer day when she almost gets run over by a car, saved only by a mysterious bystander that jumps in and pushes her out of the way. His eyes, the feeling of his hand on her bare skin and the electric rush she felt with he was with her will not leave her mind, but he jumped on his motorcycle and rode away as fast as he appeared. What happens when Ben, the new kid in school the first day of her Junior year, not only turns out to be her savior, but is also rumored to have murdered his girlfriend from his last school? Will Camelia stay away or let her gut feelings and desire pull her closer to him despite the strange happenings of threatening letters and someone breaking into her bedroom leaving messages? Or will she stick with what's safe and controlled as she always does, her sweet ex-boyfriend Matt? Are the threats real or a prank by her classmates playing a joke, what kind of danger is Camelia really in? How do you know who to trust?

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I read this book in 6 hrs this morning. I started it and I could not put it down til it was done! The suspense and questions unanswered kept to completely engaged. It is a somewhat typical basic storyline for a YA read... Attractive female protagonist falls for the mysterious and dangerous new guy in the school against all advice from her friends. Camelia was a great lead character with a good level head, not flaky and over emotional. I enjoyed following her throughout the story and seeing things as she saw them. I'm looking forward to starting Deadly Little Lies, book 2. I would definitely recommend this to any YA fan.

Friday, January 29, 2010

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

I give this book 3 stars because the first half is definitely a 2 and the second half is a 4.

Charlie wakes up to find himself strapped to a chair in a strange, scary room and hears voices talking in the hallway, talking about him. 'He's of no use to them anymore, Kill him.' He must break loose, he must get away. Charlie is just 17 and only yesterday was walking the hallways of his high school, talking to the girl he likes, Beth, and getting ready to show his karate skills to the entire Junior class, he is a Jr. Black belt and was asked by the principal to put on the performance. Now he's fighting for his life against people he's never seen before, in a place he's never been. How did he end up here and will he make it out alive to see Beth again?

In the first half (probably more than that) of The Last Thing I Remember I was definitely put off a little by the simple and sometimes cheesy conversations Charlie was having with friends and his Sensei. The use of the word Chucklehead several times was a little strange in dialogue between a 17 yr old and a 35 yr old. It was all a little too childish, not quite a teen read, maybe more a 7-12 yr old read because of how simple minded it all was. Good is good, bad is bad and Klaven was constantly reminding the reader of which people were which. In one instance, Charlie was escaping from prison as a murderer serving 25 years having been convicted of killing his best friend (which he does not remember doing and swears he never did) and while he's running away the police never shoot at him even once as Klaven writes that they are the "good" guys and would never try to hurt anyone. A little too idealistic for someone that is old enough to think for themselves.

This is a Young Adult Christian Fiction book and definitely holds true to that label. The story is pretty simple and straight forward. There is strong Faith and Patriotism held by the Protagonist, Charlie, and he stands firm in his beliefs. He waivers in his strength as time and torture go on and he questions things a few times, but never turns his back on his love for God, family and his country. This is a YA book that I actually WOULD allow my child to read. Suspenseful, good story and nothing inappropriate at all.

Overall it was a good read, you may need to push yourself through the first 1/2 of the book but worth it in the end. The second half of the book was good, with a few small annoyances that were overlooked because the story was moving much faster and really drew me in. It took me a week to read the first half of the book because it was just irritating, it took me one night to read the second half. Overall I enjoyed this book enough that I am reading the second book right now, The Long Way Home. I've read somewhere that there is a third installment due out in November.

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying is a story about a "perfect" world where nobody can lie, there's not even a word for it because it has never been done before. But one man discovers the art of little white lies and this begins the jouney...

I found this movie to be quite offensive. First of all, I do believe there is a huge difference between telling the truth and having diarrhea of the mouth, excuse my phrasing. The people in this movie go beyond just telling the truth, they speak every thought on their mind regardless of the feelings of those around them. Many of their statements could have just be left unsaid. That wasn't even the offensive part though... The biggest lie the main character tells in this movie is a lie that there is a Man in the Sky that controls everything and that when we die we will go to a good place where no one is ever sick or unhappy and we will see our friends and loved ones and we'll all live in beautiful mansions. He "cons" everyone else in the world into believing this story about the Man in the Sky and everyone is happier for believing there is something more out there when he knows the REAL truth which is there is nothing out there and when we die we are buried in the earth and our bodies rot... nothing more.

Ricky Gervais is very obviously an atheist and makes his opinions very clear in this movie in which he stars, directs and co-wrote. If you are a Christian, as I am, you will most likely find this movie to be offensive and indulgent on his part. It has a very clear agenda and delivers it's message with many pokes at Christianity. My recommendation is to skip this movie altogether, but if you must watch it then make sure your children are not around.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Teriyaki Marinade!!

I found the best Teriyaki Marinade recipe that can be used with any type of meat. I've used it to make Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin, Pork Loin Roast, Grilled Steak and both Chicken and Beef on a stick. Tonight we are having the Pork Loin Roast with Fried Rice and broccoli.

Marinade recipe:
5 Tbsp Low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pepper
1-1.5 lb meat

Combine first 6 ingredients in a gallon zipper bag. Add meat to the bag and refrigerate for 8 hrs or overnight. You can also add the meat and marinade together then freeze the meat, then when it thaws you have a perfectly marinated main dish ready for the oven.

For the Pork Loin... bake in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome is a novel about a small town in Maine that suddenly and unexplainably is surrounded by an invisible Dome that cannot be passed through. What do the people on the inside do when they are cut off from the world around them?

So.... Obviously this author is very famous and known for being a great writer. The writing is great and draws me into the story from the beginning but I had a problem that kept me from continuing the book to finish it... The dialogue. It takes place in a very small town with a group of people that have a very limited vocabulary which includes "tiddies" while referring to a woman's body parts. I don't like small town trashy talking when I'm IN a small town so I'd rather not read a 1000+ page novel with the same language in it when I can avoid it. I'm sure it's an interesting story, I was enjoying it but grew tired of the language and kind of figured it would only get worse. Sorry to all of you die hard King fans, just couldn't force myself to make it through this one

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Still stuck in Candor, FL

I JUST finished reading Candor about 5 hours ago. This is a book I had to let resonate for a few hours, I went through the entire spectrum of emotions and that was all AFTER I finished the last page!! Oh how I love this book now that the rawness has worn away and I can look back and appreciate the story (the ending in particular) with only a tinge of heartbreak left. I can tell this is going to be a book that will stay with me for days unless I start reading something new immediately!! LOVE IT!

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor, Florida is a model town, picture perfect right down to the teenagers who are exemplary citizens, the pride and joy of their parents... Now. People move to Candor for a specific service not available at most housing communities, mind control by subliminal messages.

Oscar Banks is the perfect son of the founder of Candor and he is the only thing in this tiny town that is not as perfect as it seems. Oscar has found a way around the brainwashing and has made it his mission to aid fellow teens, specifically ones with very deep pockets, in avoiding the 'Messages' and finding a way to escape the town for good. But what happens when Oscar meets Nia, the smart, sassy new girl in town with a big chip on her shoulder, is something that he never expected and leads down a path he hoped to never cross.

Candor was an absolute page turner, I had a hard time putting it down because I always wondered what was going to happen next. I loved that the protagonist is a teenage boy, giving us a different view than most other YA books that are written from the female perspective... and I can tell you Oscar's thoughts are that of the typical American teenage boy, whether he's surrounded by brainwashed robotic girls or not. Be ready for surprises when you read this intriguing first novel for Pam Bachorz.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

I give it 3.5 stars out of 5

Abbey's best friend Kristin is missing. Everyone else has moved on to believe she is dead and a funeral is underway, but Abbey won't lose faith that Kristin will be found alive. While at the funeral she meets the mysterious Caspian who is a couple of years older and seems to take an interest in Abbey's plight.

Based in the town of Sleepy Hollow and referencing the legend in the book you can guess where the title comes from. It was an enjoyable read knowing it is the first of a trilogy, without that knowledge I would have been terribly disappointed. I wonder if other reviewers that rated it more poorly just don't know there will be more to the story. If you enjoy the YA genre then you may find this to be a good read.

Language: mild to moderate language from the teens

Spiritual Elements: Moderate (can't expound without spoilers)

Sexual Content: None

My First Blog

So I have never done this before, although Facebook statuses can often turn into mini blogs, so please be patient with me as I figure things out! I am a 34 yr old mom of 4 kids proudly married for 16 yrs to an Air Force man. My children are 1, 5, 10, and 14 with my oldest being Darien who has Cerebral Palsy and is severely disabled... I'm sure I'll blog more about my children as time goes on, they are a constant source of stress and laughter all at once!

I love photography and scrapbooking, mostly I love pictures because they represent parts of our lives that we might otherwise forget if it wasn't frozen on a piece of paper forever. If you haven't used your camera lately then dig that sucker out and USE IT!! I really enjoy cooking and baking and trying new things, but I HATE (hate is a tough word too) cleaning afterwards.

So this blog is going to be so completely random I can't even describe it. I will post book reviews because I LOVE to read. I may blog about photo sessions if they are particularly enjoyable and the people involved approve. I know that there will be plenty of blogging about my rugrats, my constant entertainment

For the most part you will hear the inner workings of the brain of an Air Force Brat turned Air Force Wife with 4 kids, 2 dogs and lots of dust bunnies. Enjoy a few laughs at my expense, chances are I'm laughing right along with you!!

my people