The Hunger Games is book 1 in a YA trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. It is a dystopian story written about future North America after floods, war and famine. The continent is changed into one large super country called Panem that is made up of a large capital and 13 districts, each in a different area that produces a different resource used by the government to control all of the other districts. There was a rebellion in the history of Panem in which district 13 was completely destroyed, leaving 12 districts in fear of what could happen to them at any moment.
Katniss Everdeen is a 16 yr old girl that lives in district 12, the coal district. She has lived a hard life in the harshest district. Katniss lived through her father dying in a mine explosion and her mother turning catatonic after that while she still had a younger sister, Prim, to take care of. The worst is not even close to over to Katniss, though. The day of the reaping is coming. This is where the Capital chooses one boy, 18 and under, and one girl to become the Tributes from each district and these children must fight to the death in a man made arena. The sole survivor is crowned victor and lavished with gifts and food and a new home and their district is given food and oil for the entire year until the next reaping. Whose name gets called out at the reaping? You'll have to read to find out in this electrifying novel that kept me turning pages from beginning to end.
Suzanne Collins take a subject (children being required to kill to survive) that could be so repulsive and turns it into a heart stopping story where you can truly love the good guys and they choose to do what's right and good even in the worst of circumstances. This book is very well written and there is great development to the characters and relationships. I look forard to reading Catching Fire and Mockingjay, (books 2 and 3). I already own both and will start them immediately! So far this series tops my list of favorite YA books. Of course this trilogy is not suited for everyone. It is very dark and there are killings and fighting. Nothing extremely graphic, but enough that you get a really good picture in your head. I MUCH prefer this over the usual YA fare of romantic mush and teenage drama. Katniss is a perfect protagonist. She is incredibly smart and strong, very able bodied and doesn't let her emotions rule her. She has solid relationships and keeps herself in check. I love that Katniss is responsible, not just out of obligation but out of love for her sister and out of a knowledge that she must do what's right and what needs to be done.
I highly recommend the Hunger Games to any dystopian fans or to anyone looking for something new and exciting to read. The good news is the 3rd book was released in August so you can read the entire trilogy at once with no waiting!
my people
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
Truly has been enormous since before she even took her first breath. While pregnant her mother got so huge that the town was betting on the weight of the bouncing baby boy that would surely be coming any day now, some even bet there were twins. Once delivered, Truly's mother died and she was left in a home with an older sister that was as petite and beautiful as any girl could possibly dream to be and a father that blamed her for killing her mother. Obviously her life did not start out on the best note, and it didn't get any better for her either.
Tiffany Baker takes decades of time and weaves them together into a beautifully written novel centered on the life of Truly. She is a woman of great size, larger than the men in the town, and she has always been bigger from the beginning of her time. Her sister is embarrassed of her, her father doesn't know what to do with her and the rest of the town either avoids her or treats her terribly.
I found myself thinking about these people even when I was forced to put it down and return to real life for a bit. It was so well written and descriptive that I felt like I was living there with them. I can picture Amelia's farm and the cemetary and Robert Morgan's house with the Doctor's office attached. This was a phenomenal debut novel for Baker and I can't wait to see what else she may come out with in the future. The emotion that comes out of this is so amazing, I definitely recommend this one!
*******Spoilers*********
For my Christian friends and fellow readers... I want to put out a couple of things for those of you that may be a little more conservative in your reading choices than I am. One of the male main characters grows up feeling different. He would rather wear dresses and make up than play sports and be tough. In high school he begins a relationship with another boy and in the end of the book they move in together to live as a couple. The only thing in the book between then besides the basic info I just listed is a kiss in the attic one afternoon, there is no other mention of anything they do together besides love each other and treat each other well. Also, one of the older generations that are tied into the story has a woman that healed people using herbs and natural remedies and she is referred to as a 'witch' in the story because she uses alternative means of helping.
Tiffany Baker takes decades of time and weaves them together into a beautifully written novel centered on the life of Truly. She is a woman of great size, larger than the men in the town, and she has always been bigger from the beginning of her time. Her sister is embarrassed of her, her father doesn't know what to do with her and the rest of the town either avoids her or treats her terribly.
I found myself thinking about these people even when I was forced to put it down and return to real life for a bit. It was so well written and descriptive that I felt like I was living there with them. I can picture Amelia's farm and the cemetary and Robert Morgan's house with the Doctor's office attached. This was a phenomenal debut novel for Baker and I can't wait to see what else she may come out with in the future. The emotion that comes out of this is so amazing, I definitely recommend this one!
*******Spoilers*********
For my Christian friends and fellow readers... I want to put out a couple of things for those of you that may be a little more conservative in your reading choices than I am. One of the male main characters grows up feeling different. He would rather wear dresses and make up than play sports and be tough. In high school he begins a relationship with another boy and in the end of the book they move in together to live as a couple. The only thing in the book between then besides the basic info I just listed is a kiss in the attic one afternoon, there is no other mention of anything they do together besides love each other and treat each other well. Also, one of the older generations that are tied into the story has a woman that healed people using herbs and natural remedies and she is referred to as a 'witch' in the story because she uses alternative means of helping.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Linger is book 2 in a series by Maggie Stiefvater, book 1 is Shiver. Do not read this review unless you have already read Shiver as there will be spoilers in here for that book.
Linger is the continuing story of Sam and Grace. In the end of Shiver we see that Sam has turned back into a human and returned to Grace because of the 'cure' that they thought up of infecting Sam with bacterial meningitis to give him a high fever and "kill the wolf" within him. Now, Sam is back working full time at the book store, Grace is in school and still friends with Rachel but is closer to Isabel after all they have been through. Olivia is still lost to the woods as a wolf and presumed to have run away. New to the story are the newly infected wolves that Beck brought into the picture. Grace's parents have decided to become parents finally, but it may be too little too late for this family. Sam has now taken over Beck's role in his family and has to keep track of the pack and whoever may shift back to human form. He doesn't really want this responsibility but this is what he must do, especially with new shifters running loose like Cole St. Clair. People that are unpredictable and have nothing to lose are hard to control and teach rules to. Sam and Grace have their work cut out for them in this second installment that is filled with romance, suspense and plenty of new drama.
Ok, so one of my biggest concerns with Shiver was the lack of parental guidance and intervention in Grace's life. Circumstances come around that cause Mr and Mrs Brisbane to go into parental overkill in Linger and that turns out to be even more disasterous than no parents at all. Their change in parenting was sudden and extreme and although it fit the actions of the story it still irritated me that they would decide now, at 17 1/2 years old, that they would become parents to Grace.
Isabel is a much bigger part of the story this time which I really enjoyed. I like her attitude and I loved getting a little deeper into her mind. Cole is a very interesting addition, he added a lot of spunk to this book and so much personality too.
This book was very well written and Stiefvater did a wonderful job of introducing new characters into an already known storyline and having them meld right in like they always belonged there. It's hard to imagine Cole not being a part of the story now. This story goes a different direction than Shiver did. Shiver was so immersed in the love story between Sam and Grace and the desperation to keep Sam human. Linger continues the love between the two of them but builds on other areas and adds more points of view. Rather than back and forth between Sam and Grace, we are entertained by the minds of Isabel and Cole as well. I found myself flipping back every now and then to remember which character's mind I was reading through. It flowed well and didn't happen often. It actually really worked for me and I enjoyed the change of view in mid conversation to see first person from several views in one setting. Sounds complicated to read, but it really wasn't. Once again, just like Shiver, I'd rate this 3.5 stars for a regular read... 4 if you're a YA fan.
****SPOILERS******
Grace and Sam are still sleeping together in Grace's room when she gets very ill and screams out causing her parents to come in and find them together. Her parents become furious and decide to become parents and not only ground her but forbid her from seeing Sam ever again. She becomes extremely rebellious and speaks to them with complete disrespect (expected if you read Shiver you'll know) sneaks out of her house when they're gone and eventually runs away to live with Sam... which only lasts one night when she gets violently ill and goes to the hospital. Sam is always respectful of her parents and doesn't want her to go against them. Isabel is alone with Cole multiple times while he's naked after having just shifted and there are references to what she's thinking as she looks at him, nothing profane, just that he is a good looking fit guy. She tries, at one point, to seduce him but he refuses because she is a virgin and he will not make her regret more of her life later on. If you let your teen read Shiver then they can read Linger also, if anything there are a few extra lessons on integrity and compassion in this one.
Linger is the continuing story of Sam and Grace. In the end of Shiver we see that Sam has turned back into a human and returned to Grace because of the 'cure' that they thought up of infecting Sam with bacterial meningitis to give him a high fever and "kill the wolf" within him. Now, Sam is back working full time at the book store, Grace is in school and still friends with Rachel but is closer to Isabel after all they have been through. Olivia is still lost to the woods as a wolf and presumed to have run away. New to the story are the newly infected wolves that Beck brought into the picture. Grace's parents have decided to become parents finally, but it may be too little too late for this family. Sam has now taken over Beck's role in his family and has to keep track of the pack and whoever may shift back to human form. He doesn't really want this responsibility but this is what he must do, especially with new shifters running loose like Cole St. Clair. People that are unpredictable and have nothing to lose are hard to control and teach rules to. Sam and Grace have their work cut out for them in this second installment that is filled with romance, suspense and plenty of new drama.
Ok, so one of my biggest concerns with Shiver was the lack of parental guidance and intervention in Grace's life. Circumstances come around that cause Mr and Mrs Brisbane to go into parental overkill in Linger and that turns out to be even more disasterous than no parents at all. Their change in parenting was sudden and extreme and although it fit the actions of the story it still irritated me that they would decide now, at 17 1/2 years old, that they would become parents to Grace.
Isabel is a much bigger part of the story this time which I really enjoyed. I like her attitude and I loved getting a little deeper into her mind. Cole is a very interesting addition, he added a lot of spunk to this book and so much personality too.
This book was very well written and Stiefvater did a wonderful job of introducing new characters into an already known storyline and having them meld right in like they always belonged there. It's hard to imagine Cole not being a part of the story now. This story goes a different direction than Shiver did. Shiver was so immersed in the love story between Sam and Grace and the desperation to keep Sam human. Linger continues the love between the two of them but builds on other areas and adds more points of view. Rather than back and forth between Sam and Grace, we are entertained by the minds of Isabel and Cole as well. I found myself flipping back every now and then to remember which character's mind I was reading through. It flowed well and didn't happen often. It actually really worked for me and I enjoyed the change of view in mid conversation to see first person from several views in one setting. Sounds complicated to read, but it really wasn't. Once again, just like Shiver, I'd rate this 3.5 stars for a regular read... 4 if you're a YA fan.
****SPOILERS******
Grace and Sam are still sleeping together in Grace's room when she gets very ill and screams out causing her parents to come in and find them together. Her parents become furious and decide to become parents and not only ground her but forbid her from seeing Sam ever again. She becomes extremely rebellious and speaks to them with complete disrespect (expected if you read Shiver you'll know) sneaks out of her house when they're gone and eventually runs away to live with Sam... which only lasts one night when she gets violently ill and goes to the hospital. Sam is always respectful of her parents and doesn't want her to go against them. Isabel is alone with Cole multiple times while he's naked after having just shifted and there are references to what she's thinking as she looks at him, nothing profane, just that he is a good looking fit guy. She tries, at one point, to seduce him but he refuses because she is a virgin and he will not make her regret more of her life later on. If you let your teen read Shiver then they can read Linger also, if anything there are a few extra lessons on integrity and compassion in this one.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Shiver is a Young Adult supernatural romance novel written by Maggie Stiefvater. It is the story of Grace and Sam. Grace is a 17 yr old girl that lives with her parents who are rarely around so she is pretty much raising herself. Grace's home is on the edge of woods that are occupied by a pack of wolves. Many years earlier Grace was snatched from her tire swing by the wolves and nearly killed as they ripped and pulled at her but she was saved by one yellow eyed wolf that pushed the others away and pulled her to safety. For many years she sat out and watched her wolf as he came around watching her equally as fascinated. She knew these wolves were special but she didn't know just how special until she met Sam. Meeting Sam revealed a whole world to her that was thought to be fairy tale, a world of shape shifting... werewolves, as some might call it. Once infected with the disease a human would begin shifting into wolf form, mostly with cold weather, but randomly in the beginning. Sam and Grace have shared a bond and affection from the moment he saved her from the pack years before. But something baffles Sam... Grace was bit, many times over, and she never changed. Why? What was special about Grace that she remained human and held onto the life that Sam grieves every day. How long does Sam have in his human form before the cold of winter and the wolf take him over, maybe for good.
The story of Sam and Grace is sweet. Grace's parents are non-existent and even when they are around they are written to be scattered and the mom quite ditsy. Without giving away any of the story I can't really tell more but you will understand if you read it. I actually really enjoyed reading this as a light "fluff" read. Not much substance and the characters aren't very deep but I just loved the story of Sam and Grace in its simplicity. It can easily be read in a day and would be a good easy picnic or beach read.
I have purchased book two "Linger" (didn't know it was going to be a series when I got the first one) and hope to read it this week as well. I think that I might give this book 3.5 stars out of 5 (4 out of 5 if you're a YA fan).
***Spoilers***
As far as your teens reading it, there are no language issues. There is the situation with the parents and behind their back she speaks of them with little respect and feels a bit superior to them. I didn't care for the way the parents were written in, but I suppose there are parents out there that are just this way. Sam lives in Grace's home sleeping in Grace's bed with her for a couple of weeks without the parents knowing because they never even peek in her room at night to check on her when they get home. There is a lot of cuddling, touching, kissing and they do have sex in her room while her parents are out (which is always). They talk about how it was the right time and they used protection so that makes it perfect and good.
The story of Sam and Grace is sweet. Grace's parents are non-existent and even when they are around they are written to be scattered and the mom quite ditsy. Without giving away any of the story I can't really tell more but you will understand if you read it. I actually really enjoyed reading this as a light "fluff" read. Not much substance and the characters aren't very deep but I just loved the story of Sam and Grace in its simplicity. It can easily be read in a day and would be a good easy picnic or beach read.
I have purchased book two "Linger" (didn't know it was going to be a series when I got the first one) and hope to read it this week as well. I think that I might give this book 3.5 stars out of 5 (4 out of 5 if you're a YA fan).
***Spoilers***
As far as your teens reading it, there are no language issues. There is the situation with the parents and behind their back she speaks of them with little respect and feels a bit superior to them. I didn't care for the way the parents were written in, but I suppose there are parents out there that are just this way. Sam lives in Grace's home sleeping in Grace's bed with her for a couple of weeks without the parents knowing because they never even peek in her room at night to check on her when they get home. There is a lot of cuddling, touching, kissing and they do have sex in her room while her parents are out (which is always). They talk about how it was the right time and they used protection so that makes it perfect and good.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Merry Christmas to MOM!
So I went on a little shopping trip to Toys R Us today to take advantage of their deal on backpacks. Buy one for 12.99 or more and get a free lunch box. I had a $10 TRU gift card from when I purchased my Wii so after card and sale I got a cool Spiderman backpack and a groovy grown up looking lunch box (for Kara) for only $6.48. Then I went on to Target next door because how can you be that close to a Target and NOT go in?? LOL
I got $432.84 worth of toys and games for $121.56. There were many more things there like Chixos and Pixos and toys that I don't want in the house because of the baby and choking. I put a pretty good dent in our Christmas shopping for this year.
If any of you have Targets near you, you need to get there ASAP and see what you can find before the shelves are cleaned out by other bargain hunters. The store employees were still in the process of marking more down while I was there too.
Happy Shopping to you all! (shopping is always happy when you save 75%!
I have been reading on line about the great toy clearances going on there and here's what I found just this afternoon...
 |
| This is my bed the toys are filling up |
If any of you have Targets near you, you need to get there ASAP and see what you can find before the shelves are cleaned out by other bargain hunters. The store employees were still in the process of marking more down while I was there too.
Happy Shopping to you all! (shopping is always happy when you save 75%!
Friday, July 2, 2010
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
After years of having The Notebook at the top of my favorite movie list I decided to go ahead and read the book as a comparison. I have to say that If you've seen the movie, you don't really need to read the book. The ending is different and in a way I find the ending to the book slightly creepy in a weird, old people kinda way.
Allie and Noah lived a life that is definitely that of a love story, well, this is a love story. They were together, then separated by things beyond their control, then brought back together by randon circumstances only to find out they love eachother even more than when they were younger. Allie has to choose between Noah and Lon, between Love and Family, between her passion and her pride.
This movie still tops my favorites list and this is sadly one book that I will say... just watch the movie and read Water for Elephants instead.
Allie and Noah lived a life that is definitely that of a love story, well, this is a love story. They were together, then separated by things beyond their control, then brought back together by randon circumstances only to find out they love eachother even more than when they were younger. Allie has to choose between Noah and Lon, between Love and Family, between her passion and her pride.
This movie still tops my favorites list and this is sadly one book that I will say... just watch the movie and read Water for Elephants instead.
Couponing 101
A few months ago I decided to start couponing. Our grocery bill was getting out of control with 4 kids, 2 in diapers and I figured it was about time to fix the problem. I prefer to do most of my shopping at Smith's (a Kroger grocery store) that has the savings card and pays you back quarterly for shopping with them. I shop only using their sale flyer and plan our meals around what they are offering deals on. Snack foods for the kids are 100% sale items with coupons only. Fruits and veggies at Smith's are just fresher that other nearby grocery stores, especially the commissary which I try to avoid at all costs.
Last week I got $130 worth of groceries for $49. This week (pictured above) I got $89 worth of groceries for $25. You can see all that I got up above. I combined sale prices, store coupons and manufacturers coupons to end up getting some of the items almost for free. The TGIF Potato Skins (I got 2 bags) unded up being 19 cents per bag. The Barilla Piccolini was 39 cents. The Suave was free and the hot dogs were all 70 cents per pack for Ball Park and Oscar Mayer Premium. The A&W was 35 cents.
You get the picture. There are SO many coupons out there and it doesn't take much time to do and if you think of it as a job, like making money for yourself, you'll find that you start to enjoy it. I love my shopping trips (when I don't have kids with me, that is) because it fulfills my need to bargain hunt. I love leaving the store and seeing that I saved 2 and 3 times more than I actually spent. And... as much as the people behind me in line Hem and Hah while the cashier is scanning my dozens and dozens of coupons, they are always amazed in the end and comment on how they're jealous and wish they could do the same thing. Well... you can! You don't even have to have a newspaper subscription if you can't afford that (although if you can I do recommend it!). Every wednesday in my mailbox I get a Red Plum flyer that has tons of coupons in it, it's free and most people just throw it away. DON'T! There are also a few websites to go to for printable coupons which is where I save most of my money. Most stores accept printed coupons.
I am putting links to the websites at the bottom. The first 3 are the best ones. At Target.com you'll go all the way to the bottom of the screen and in small print one of the options is "coupons". Some of them are TARGET ONLY coupons and those are AWESOME because that means you can couple them together with a manufacturer coupon. For example: I had a coupon for $1 off 2 Eggo products and printable Target coupons for $1 off of 1 Eggo product. Eggo was on sale at Target for $1.75 a few weeks ago. That means I got 8 packs of Eggos for only 25 cents each box. With the Target coupons you can only use 1 per product per transaction. So... if you want to use multiple then you'll have to ring them all up separately.
At Kraft First Taste you register with them and you'll get GREAT coupons about once a month or so. Like $1.50 off Deli Select Lunch meat or $1.50 off 100 calorie cheese packs. You just have to register and wait.
When you are at coupons.com you can go back and print most of them at least twice. Once you have printed something it automatically gets moved to the back pages of the coupons and when you've printed the limit it lets you know.
Facebook is also a valuable resource for coupons. Many companies (Nabisco and Huggies are two) offer great coupons quite frequently when you "Like" them. Nabisco gives coupons for a free pack of cookies when you buy cookies and milk the first Monday of each month. Huggies gives $3 off one pack of Huggies and $2 off a pack of wipes at random times. There are several others out there, you've just got to keep your eyes peeled.
Check out Frugal Girls and Deal Seeking Mom on FB and "Like" them. They are invaluable in their tips and special offers. I don't just "like" them.... I LOVE them.
Coupons.com
Smart Source
Target printables
Eversave
Kraft
A valuable resource for online printable coupons is The Krazy Coupon Lady. She has compiled an entire database of every printable coupon available, organized alphabetically by brand. I LOVE IT! I go through the entire list about every other month to make sure I didn't miss anything, but I also look for a specific thing I might be shopping for and have often found a coupon for it! :)
The Krazy Coupon Lady
She is also on Facebook and if you "like" her then you will get all of her wonderful updates! I highly recommend her.
I hope this post has been helpful to you and Happy Couponing to you!!
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