tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75616526926972890692024-02-25T01:47:25.615-05:00Epic (Chocolate) FantasyBooks and chocolate: the best possible combination of things there isKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.comBlogger371125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-76568229835041980402013-04-16T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-16T00:00:13.044-04:00Top Ten (Spoiler-Free) Quotes of 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>, and features lists on different bookish topics. Today is a "rewind" day, so I chose quotes, and then refined it to "spoiler-free quotes of 2012" because otherwise there are too many to choose from. Some are insightful, some are inspiring, and some are just plain funny.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD955MKN-kZgxZ-V02ncpIKcbgur8kwoBE1nWGVKSHls30mvOpEwuYI9p7x_Pdf5z2b-5l162ZsATgEQbSqr9rL3NnPwJT3rIyM2gUkfU1VYrDoIkRwh9-e-N5aLsWGRMqmkQgUpx8W4SA/s1600/ColdDays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD955MKN-kZgxZ-V02ncpIKcbgur8kwoBE1nWGVKSHls30mvOpEwuYI9p7x_Pdf5z2b-5l162ZsATgEQbSqr9rL3NnPwJT3rIyM2gUkfU1VYrDoIkRwh9-e-N5aLsWGRMqmkQgUpx8W4SA/s200/ColdDays.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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“Perhaps you have brain damage.”<br />
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“It would not shock me in the least,” I said.<br />
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“Would you like me to cut open your skull and check, my lord?” she asked.<br />
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Someone that short should not be that disturbing. “I . . . No. No, but thank you for the offer.”<br />
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“It is my duty to serve,” Lacuna intoned.<br />
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My life, Hell’s bells.<br />
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-<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12216302-cold-days?ac=1" target="_blank">Cold Days</a></i> by Jim Butcher</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaezvsrqGTKzJQ3pFIZJdo3K5jIrBL39-iAq7hFKQEDYyopGq4HIwFTjOhzz_h0c_qgrdj4BWSagtbuCfw46Br_b9iSM90lq8hxX6WEvZwkam-JorRxdRC-ShCQsAubnuwhi_YnjouJDF/s1600/Unspoken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaezvsrqGTKzJQ3pFIZJdo3K5jIrBL39-iAq7hFKQEDYyopGq4HIwFTjOhzz_h0c_qgrdj4BWSagtbuCfw46Br_b9iSM90lq8hxX6WEvZwkam-JorRxdRC-ShCQsAubnuwhi_YnjouJDF/s200/Unspoken.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
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“Hark,” he said, his tone very dry. “What stone through yonder window breaks?”<br />
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Kami yelled up at him, “It is the east, and Juliet is a jerk!”<br />
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Jared abandoned Shakespeare and demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”<br />
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“Throwing a pebble,” said Kami defensively. “Uh… and I’ll pay for the window.”<br />
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Jared vanished and Kami was ready to start shouting again, when he reemerged with the pebble clenched in his fist. “This isn’t a pebble! This is a rock.”<br />
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“It’s possible that your behaviour has inspired some negative feelings that caused me to pick a slightly overlarge pebble,” Kami admitted.<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken?ac=1" target="_blank">Unspoken</a></i> by Sarah Rees Brennan</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJksmhsRkONY3Rlyvc7OwKE20aqm3o6AMkQW6X6d6Ycy0HQinqxoc_SYc6DYQ2XZk0_Ckh9rA7OS5_7e6RIwcoP2LVnyUsKKsPqlH99H-PrL0TKUyr7Tgi_5J6R63HGStplwi1N-mPTl5/s1600/TheRavenBoys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJksmhsRkONY3Rlyvc7OwKE20aqm3o6AMkQW6X6d6Ycy0HQinqxoc_SYc6DYQ2XZk0_Ckh9rA7OS5_7e6RIwcoP2LVnyUsKKsPqlH99H-PrL0TKUyr7Tgi_5J6R63HGStplwi1N-mPTl5/s200/TheRavenBoys.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“How do you feel about helicopters?"<br />
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There was a long pause. "How do you mean? Ethically?"<br />
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"As a mode of transportation."<br />
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"Faster than camels, but less sustainable.”<br />
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-<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13449693-the-raven-boys?ac=1" target="_blank">The Raven Boys</a></i> by Maggie Stiefvater</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh8KtHXlxOZUU-MQIBDsx0x7dYHS8RiciFH-cbb6wvYqijNNwGdp1Ztr89bjCx5mC1O5gR6M5nfqLJhD5EQ-5-MP_DuPIo7TUnCKJReORI0jrCJP9F83g2lPVpTcBM6oK-ayTLY1bvd2Y/s1600/AshesOfHonor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh8KtHXlxOZUU-MQIBDsx0x7dYHS8RiciFH-cbb6wvYqijNNwGdp1Ztr89bjCx5mC1O5gR6M5nfqLJhD5EQ-5-MP_DuPIo7TUnCKJReORI0jrCJP9F83g2lPVpTcBM6oK-ayTLY1bvd2Y/s200/AshesOfHonor.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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“No walking! No standing, no bending, no moving, no accessing the Shadow Roads,nothing. You don't swim for an hour after eating, you don't swan around like an idiot for an hour after narrowly avoiding death."<br />
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"Toby does," said Quentin.<br />
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"Toby is genetically predisposed to swan around like an idiot," Jin shot back. "Now sit.”<br />
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-<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10184345-ashes-of-honor?ac=1" target="_blank">Ashes of Honor</a></i> by Seanan McGuire</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7pWhiaXr_A1-4V8Zy8C_vmKqdOkAzkeGTxJtVTZzPuCun2xakX7YSQU7-a6IACyTprZvPHIDexIgrx5GI7_oxuHZqJw1QwggBwYk5r_Y79psV2MXje5dIUaA4fvLtujGQ_vldtjC0cy9/s1600/Insurgent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7pWhiaXr_A1-4V8Zy8C_vmKqdOkAzkeGTxJtVTZzPuCun2xakX7YSQU7-a6IACyTprZvPHIDexIgrx5GI7_oxuHZqJw1QwggBwYk5r_Y79psV2MXje5dIUaA4fvLtujGQ_vldtjC0cy9/s200/Insurgent.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.”<br />
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-<i><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-insurgent-by-veronica-roth.html" target="_blank">Insurgent</a></i> by Veronica Roth</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIV4JeCfjUXpfth8Pj78QbD0AaXBm1z7RQGPdEubpzJQ0ycqVAuXWGr4745f2LpazubxfmUURVzwSEg4XVtio7mAkECIGkQwJNaFClQVI8HcK9wD2h81jrG_R9En6Bs4dqAz0NX-OwGNG/s1600/TheFaultInOurStars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIV4JeCfjUXpfth8Pj78QbD0AaXBm1z7RQGPdEubpzJQ0ycqVAuXWGr4745f2LpazubxfmUURVzwSEg4XVtio7mAkECIGkQwJNaFClQVI8HcK9wD2h81jrG_R9En6Bs4dqAz0NX-OwGNG/s200/TheFaultInOurStars.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/04/thoughts-fault-in-our-stars-by-john.html" target="_blank">The Fault in Our Stars</a></i> by John Green</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ-6EicvM6OZS7284IEwuwQQ7e1_DP6xQMjvuZU7Xgs79zcfvk7lph6RKtw4Wb07gSx5L-GeNY4t3NUBnn9sVHBg5bDE5mgASwJW4mGVKLBk8a2BnhDftaEMhUS2FfbHKJr5TZaUD0Iio/s1600/TheBookofBloodandShadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ-6EicvM6OZS7284IEwuwQQ7e1_DP6xQMjvuZU7Xgs79zcfvk7lph6RKtw4Wb07gSx5L-GeNY4t3NUBnn9sVHBg5bDE5mgASwJW4mGVKLBk8a2BnhDftaEMhUS2FfbHKJr5TZaUD0Iio/s200/TheBookofBloodandShadow.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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“I believed in happily ever after as much as anyone, because Jane Austen, Prince Charming, and Hugh Grant promised me it could happen.<br />
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But maybe that particular delusion was universal.”<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-book-of-blood-and-shadow-by.html" target="_blank">The Book of Blood and Shadow</a></i> by Robin Wasserman</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs9tLGBTP6X6SBshZD6yqcw4BxZxrZrCnn7W6oaLpE3ISs41auPUKMiWIiJ7mYhvsAcBAR_n9xi0_jA8wtJas9dG93u7JyPWrneoXNeI0upiGektyOrGmcc6kS3ClLAXK73fMM78SnQZ4/s1600/Partials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs9tLGBTP6X6SBshZD6yqcw4BxZxrZrCnn7W6oaLpE3ISs41auPUKMiWIiJ7mYhvsAcBAR_n9xi0_jA8wtJas9dG93u7JyPWrneoXNeI0upiGektyOrGmcc6kS3ClLAXK73fMM78SnQZ4/s200/Partials.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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“There are some things more important than ourselves - more important than the limits of the present, and the whims of the now. There is a future to build and protect. And if we're going to make that future as reality, we have to stop fighting among ourselves. We have to end dissent whenever we find it. We have to trust one another again.”<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/02/partials-by-dan-wells.html" target="_blank">Partials</a></i> by Dan Wells</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7WaaCVmAO_VzBwwgy4CBy6JMDXpu1492eOg8InwtYZtxr4uxLNmpEmnR2quzAVoSreckGA1p0s_rLFNrNnJFqYhW8y_X0-PPT1QKOl2HM7aXymg83teaerIsugVQbxMmCxoepzg4lW3V/s1600/Blackout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7WaaCVmAO_VzBwwgy4CBy6JMDXpu1492eOg8InwtYZtxr4uxLNmpEmnR2quzAVoSreckGA1p0s_rLFNrNnJFqYhW8y_X0-PPT1QKOl2HM7aXymg83teaerIsugVQbxMmCxoepzg4lW3V/s200/Blackout.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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“Given a choice between life and death, choose life. Given a choice between right and wrong, choose what's right. And given a choice between a terrible truth and a beautiful lie, choose the truth every time.”<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11806716-blackout?ac=1" target="_blank">Blackout</a></i> by Mira Grant</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiithrB9e-Up5kNGNOrH4TeesJ5-0flRQjIopxspqgi55LI0b57QS-YFvTUfmPrVNlY9n_5AMDYsqGAg8QbECBieUJOqV4ZavjHCbtQrqEm2Pg1u8UnyBCol0YZfS6iALmlBbjy6aw-Bss/s1600/GunmetalMagic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiithrB9e-Up5kNGNOrH4TeesJ5-0flRQjIopxspqgi55LI0b57QS-YFvTUfmPrVNlY9n_5AMDYsqGAg8QbECBieUJOqV4ZavjHCbtQrqEm2Pg1u8UnyBCol0YZfS6iALmlBbjy6aw-Bss/s200/GunmetalMagic.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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“Did those nice church ladies come by again?"<br />
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He nodded. "I asked them if a man died and then the woman remarried, and then the three of them met in heaven, would it be a sin for them to have a threesome, since they were all married in God's eyes. And they decided they were late to be somewhere else.”<br />
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<i>-<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12288282-gunmetal-magic?ac=1" target="_blank">Gunmetal Magic</a></i> by Ilona Andrews</blockquote>
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What are your favorite quotes? And what did you pick for today's topic? Leave a link to your post at the end of your comment so I can check it out!</div>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-85784523372146072042013-04-09T00:49:00.000-04:002013-04-09T00:49:03.524-04:00Top Ten Tuesday | Books Before the Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>, and features lists on different bookish topics. Today's category:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books I Read Before I Was a Blogger</span></b><br />
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I have a tendency to harp on about my old favorites, so long-time readers will certainly have heard these before. But I can never turn down the chance to proselytize about my favorite books, so here you are!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYQnEhg6BdVsjOUuq7gubsnwXS8ZCEKQFc9psViTBNo8hFA1wUmdzLQtKSlzAbfV4SbyEaapWeHG958xJzkuhQt9D-LqqEokDhPVvyj0tMgrjr9sgs3_vSfsRNDVof3ayWaREO5dhWe5q/s1600/Sunshine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYQnEhg6BdVsjOUuq7gubsnwXS8ZCEKQFc9psViTBNo8hFA1wUmdzLQtKSlzAbfV4SbyEaapWeHG958xJzkuhQt9D-LqqEokDhPVvyj0tMgrjr9sgs3_vSfsRNDVof3ayWaREO5dhWe5q/s200/Sunshine.jpg" width="116" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8088.Sunshine?ac=1" target="_blank">Sunshine</a></i> by Robin McKinley: one of my most worn-out comfort reads<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4345498-magic-strikes?ac=1" target="_blank">Magic Strikes</a></i> by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #3): probably my favorite book in one of my favorite UF series<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104101.The_Lions_of_al_Rassan?ac=1" target="_blank">The Lions of Al-Rassan</a></i> by Guy Gavriel Kay: possibly my all-time favorite book<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127455.The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora?ac=1" target="_blank">The Lies of Locke Lamora</a></i> by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastard #1): hilarious, disturbing, suspenseful, exciting. Just an amazing book.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind?ac=1" target="_blank">The Name of the Wind</a></i> by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1): another funny and intense fantasy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPYNQY_N8c-CTOekH5-r5Enhr9RQvRZoxxccZVmNP2gssPkEr_8Uku9hv5-lvtbVL9DgwXz6bdz36VSchU8KH8OAmS6ojfOBfMkE5TyfZveym5rNg1dqZ9dyvbMYFrO9Y8HIV8B1GAwaO/s1600/Goblet+of+Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPYNQY_N8c-CTOekH5-r5Enhr9RQvRZoxxccZVmNP2gssPkEr_8Uku9hv5-lvtbVL9DgwXz6bdz36VSchU8KH8OAmS6ojfOBfMkE5TyfZveym5rNg1dqZ9dyvbMYFrO9Y8HIV8B1GAwaO/s200/Goblet+of+Fire.jpg" width="133" /></a><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/375802.Ender_s_Game?ac=1" target="_blank">Ender's Game</a></i> by Orson Scott Card: a mainstay of science fiction<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931171-mercury-falls?ac=1" target="_blank">Mercury Falls</a></i> by Robert Kroese (Mercury #1): a funny and clever story of the Apocalypse<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112750.Darkfever?ac=1" target="_blank">Fever</a></i> series by Karen Marie Moning: unbelievably gripping. I've never really thought of them as separate books (except when waiting for <i>Shadowfever</i>).<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/346087.Captain_s_Fury" target="_blank">Captain's Fury</a></i> by Jim Butcher (Codex Alera #4): best book of a great epic fantasy series<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire?ac=1" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a></i> by J.K. Rowling: definitely my favorite HP book<br />
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What are your old favorites?<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-7862109031065813082013-04-02T11:10:00.000-04:002013-04-02T11:10:26.779-04:00Review | River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk69VyuDPix7SDGf9DhJghnNq111Lywg11h6ccGxzU_VF_ehwVcyGumuYMQthy9pDAPDuDYHQWwrHPz1Nz8gXIr8F5UDVuoIHJjL3bMqoJ7rypndytdBVbTmGHYnFajFQI280XwdhxpITR/s1600/RiverOfStars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk69VyuDPix7SDGf9DhJghnNq111Lywg11h6ccGxzU_VF_ehwVcyGumuYMQthy9pDAPDuDYHQWwrHPz1Nz8gXIr8F5UDVuoIHJjL3bMqoJ7rypndytdBVbTmGHYnFajFQI280XwdhxpITR/s320/RiverOfStars.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754888-river-of-stars" target="_blank">River of Stars</a></i><br />
Guy Gavriel Kay<br />
Published 2 April 2013 by Roc (Penguin)<br />
Historical fantasy<br />
4 stars<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In his critically acclaimed novel <i>Under Heaven</i>, Guy Gavriel Kay told a vivid and powerful story inspired by China’s Tang Dynasty. Now, the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author revisits that invented setting four centuries later with an epic of prideful emperors, battling courtiers, bandits and soldiers, nomadic invasions, and a woman battling in her own way, to find a new place for women in the world – a world inspired this time by the glittering, decadent Song Dynasty.<br />
<br />
Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate of Kitai. That moment on a lonely road changed his life—in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles towards the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north.<br />
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Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has.<br />
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In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.</blockquote>
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<b>Bite-Sized Review</b></div>
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Guy Gavriel Kay has a wonderful way with words that is as beautiful in this book as in any of his others. With sweeping themes and characters that are painfully easy to fall in love with, <i>River of Stars</i> is a masterpiece.</div>
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<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked) </div>
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-I have loved all of GGK's books, and in every case, one of my favorite things about them is the writing. GGK is an absolutely brilliant writer -- there's really no one better. So even the slower parts of the book are a pleasure to read and filled with meaning.</div>
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-In addition to being a spectacular wordsmith, GGK has the ability to bring broad themes to life. The pages of his books are filled with love and war, how things long past can affect the present, what duty people have to their rulers, and the difficulty of certain choices. It's especially brilliant because the conclusions the reader draws from the story seem completely natural and not forced at all, as they sometimes are in other books.</div>
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-It is heart-breakingly easy to fall in love with GGK's characters. In <i>River of Stars</i>, my favorites were Daiyan and Shan, who were both unorthodox and startlingly clever.<br />
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-GGK puts a lot of effort into making his novels historically genuine (which isn't necessarily the same as historically accurate), and it really shows. Especially after reading certain other books, it's really nice to see that much attention to detail in making so many aspects of the characters' lives fit into Song China.<br />
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-I loved the ending, though not everyone will.<br />
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<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)<br />
-The only negative thing I have to say about <i>River of Stars</i> is that the first half was sort of slow. The plot didn't really start until the second half. Of course, I still enjoyed the first half, but I would have preferred if it had been condensed a bit.<br />
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<b>Notes</b><br />
<i>River of Stars</i> takes place about 400 years after <i>Under Heaven</i>. While it's probably helpful to have read <i>Under Heaven</i>, it's not at all necessary. I read <i>Under Heaven </i>several years ago, when it first came out, and have forgotten most of what happened, but I had no trouble at all following <i>River of Stars</i>.<br />
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<b>Recommended for</b><br />
Fans of historical fantasy, beautiful writing, and wonderful characters. People who have enjoyed the works of Brandon Sanderson and Neil Gaiman will probably like <i>River of Stars</i> as well.</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-65335913780154805492013-03-22T21:10:00.000-04:002013-03-22T21:10:45.563-04:00Friday Favorites | Drinks<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the month, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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This Friday's topic is:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Drinks</span></b><br />
<br />
It's getting harder to come up with weekly topic ideas, so you're going to see a slight change in Friday Favorites; instead of every week, it will be the first Friday of every month.<br />
<br />
But anyway, drinks. I wasn't really thinking alcoholic or non-alcoholic when I came up with the topic, so I'm going to do both.<br />
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Dr. Pepper: sadly not readily available in Korea<br />
Coffee: the drink of the gods<br />
Blue Moon: with an orange slice. Also not readily available in Korea.<br />
Any Hefeweisen: German beer. It really doesn't get much better.<br />
Cabernet sauvignon: or any red wine, really<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9uaiZGqp1aMiCDvUCp3F7EgUCG7Y1uL3p2_-ZLk8R09_utnh4PWQpa-7ZuuIcfS04fflnbHKn2NYkSVs_KPvDqiRF7Ljho0OPy9IrAtPsp8IHz3nMyhOGqh_-zJvFZCap-8_nfGviKy4/s1600/coffee.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9uaiZGqp1aMiCDvUCp3F7EgUCG7Y1uL3p2_-ZLk8R09_utnh4PWQpa-7ZuuIcfS04fflnbHKn2NYkSVs_KPvDqiRF7Ljho0OPy9IrAtPsp8IHz3nMyhOGqh_-zJvFZCap-8_nfGviKy4/s320/coffee.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What do you like to drink? Leave a comment or a link so I can stop by! Don't forget to come back for April's topic, <b>quotes</b>.</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-25087054620085651712013-03-20T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-20T00:00:07.252-04:00Waiting on Wednesday | Quintana of Charyn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYNEg4HRV9tbOtashNWr39ht2W1-IYLexluaOfqU76xdhn3Q5c1doi2gd3nbh_UzEjdEn_S8uNQ09RCcmDDA1HDEl7BijZfREH4DKvr3FHGsXqCBaHrWTTa76LzKga-qlWH5hBbPYx1U-/s1600/WaitingOnWednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYNEg4HRV9tbOtashNWr39ht2W1-IYLexluaOfqU76xdhn3Q5c1doi2gd3nbh_UzEjdEn_S8uNQ09RCcmDDA1HDEl7BijZfREH4DKvr3FHGsXqCBaHrWTTa76LzKga-qlWH5hBbPYx1U-/s320/WaitingOnWednesday.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking the Spine</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb_NyHXvuCj-y5dI54dYQwQJxh8unpU8mPdzfEVoLv5L18of5RDVyMAtmuEuYyTMhV-AHg-mnTcyT0-DlmnkLp98Vpxw71dGYR5tPa1j5tYOGQKA9JaBzn9pDvcRheHCG3dD3Ywv2cw_2/s1600/QuintanaOfCharyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb_NyHXvuCj-y5dI54dYQwQJxh8unpU8mPdzfEVoLv5L18of5RDVyMAtmuEuYyTMhV-AHg-mnTcyT0-DlmnkLp98Vpxw71dGYR5tPa1j5tYOGQKA9JaBzn9pDvcRheHCG3dD3Ywv2cw_2/s200/QuintanaOfCharyn.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754483-quintana-of-charyn" target="_blank">Quintana of Charyn</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Melina Marchetta</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lumatere Chronicles #3</div>
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Expected publication: 23 April 2013</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Candlewick Press</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child’s right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face-to-face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other. The complex tangle of bloodlines, politics, and love introduced in <i>Finnikin of the Rock</i> and <i>Froi of the Exiles </i>coalesce into an engrossing climax in this final volume.</blockquote>
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I wasn't a huge fan of <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4932435-finnikin-of-the-rock" target="_blank">Finnikin of the Rock</a></i>, but <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10165727-froi-of-the-exiles" target="_blank">Froi of the Exiles</a></i> was amazing, and I can't wait for <i>Quintana</i>. I'm so jealous of the Australians who already have this one! (Don't tell me anything, okay?)</div>
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And as I was looking up the release date, I happened to see that <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2999475-jellicoe-road" target="_blank">Jellicoe Road</a> </i>is only <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jellicoe-Road-ebook/dp/B003D20RQ4/ref=sr_1_3" target="_blank">$1.99 for Kindle</a>! If you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out.</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-30237195246062139692013-03-19T10:40:00.001-04:002013-03-19T10:40:49.083-04:00Review | Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DBaoZTvx8meG-AVpMnqUZOO2roZ3FtiZnVXdPK5NIuKs9lV_LiX2bihjPBjVLch-rkKPaxkHA90RTjraoVWfLW6_S0x7aXjpU4KTb_hSRQ9qHHnTEDBzztzyCbE39db6lkW_r6N4Qngm/s1600/Midnight+Blue-Light+Special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DBaoZTvx8meG-AVpMnqUZOO2roZ3FtiZnVXdPK5NIuKs9lV_LiX2bihjPBjVLch-rkKPaxkHA90RTjraoVWfLW6_S0x7aXjpU4KTb_hSRQ9qHHnTEDBzztzyCbE39db6lkW_r6N4Qngm/s320/Midnight+Blue-Light+Special.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13501633-midnight-blue-light-special?ac=1" target="_blank">Midnight Blue-Light Special</a></i><br />
Seanan McGuire<br />
InCryptid #2<br />
Published 5 March 2013 by DAW (Penguin)<br />
Urban fantasy<br />
4 stars<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...<br />
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But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.<br />
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Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done. It's a midnight blue-light special, and the sale of the day is on betrayal, deceit...and carnage.</blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<b>Bite-Sized Review</b><br />
One of the best books I've read this year, <i>Midnight Blue-Light Special</i> is an excellent followup to <i>Discount Armageddon</i>, filled with excitement, danger, suspense, romance, and the religious ecstasy of Aeslin mice. HAIL!<br />
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<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked)<br />
-<i>MBLS</i> has what I consider a perfect balance of action, romance, humor, suspense, and all the other things that make a book great. The romance is more background, but intertwines well with the actual plot. Parts of the book are absolutely hilarious, nail-biting-inducing, and heart-breaking.<br />
<br />
-The world has enough that's familiar to avoid being too descriptive in world-building, but is creative enough to seem different from anything you might have seen before. Plus the idea of being a cryptozoologist is pretty awesome.<br />
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-<i>MBLS</i>'s cast of characters is diverse and relatable. Verity, a cryptozoologist-cum-ballroom-dancer, has a fun voice to read, and it's distinct from Sarah, the telepathic mathematician who narrates for part of the the book. The supporting characters are also unique and fascinating, which is a huge part of what makes this series special.<br />
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<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)<br />
-I'm rarely a fan of sudden point of view changes. Granted, I didn't hate this one, and I did like seeing things from Sarah's perspective, but it still didn't seem entirely necessary to me. So while the perspective shift isn't awful, it isn't my favorite either.<br />
<br />
-I have to wait a whole year to read the next book...<br />
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<b>Recommended for</b><br />
People...who like good stories. You will probably enjoy InCryptid if you like Diana Rowland, Ilona Andrews, and Jim Butcher.<br />
<br />
<b>Quality: </b>Excellent<br />
<b>Enjoyability:</b> ExcellentKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-7064395018125557502013-03-15T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-15T00:00:09.334-04:00Friday Favorites | Animals<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This Friday's topic is:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Animals</span></b><br />
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I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like animals (although knowing people, I'm sure there's somebody who hates every conceivable form of life). But they're so cute and fuzzy and murder-y! What's not to love?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteTMCjNmZnP-C_Dtzsdrb6pniUTFg7SW7Rb4ZNR8uNbaophaRHhJE2o3RJPDyjVRbT4AGUitcl4q-OZ5FaOdoelddQbzkL6sCz0npRGXn5RtA28VanuGUj-7RpD6pW8DkmKXjxTZeuTZo/s1600/dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteTMCjNmZnP-C_Dtzsdrb6pniUTFg7SW7Rb4ZNR8uNbaophaRHhJE2o3RJPDyjVRbT4AGUitcl4q-OZ5FaOdoelddQbzkL6sCz0npRGXn5RtA28VanuGUj-7RpD6pW8DkmKXjxTZeuTZo/s200/dogs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Dogs: awwww. Don't you want one of your very own?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEutXqt1HAcn-7eNqBrzh4zH4-wzu-ipT0JTKVWZXY98l062D93zOyOC2cara6YU_HPCFkxJr3kLqLOG5Rlsr0y5VS-WSxeIdsH823G9wiyBO6tqG2O_7x8rQOz-2Af8h6Tfl3wtIx_Y9a/s1600/tigers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEutXqt1HAcn-7eNqBrzh4zH4-wzu-ipT0JTKVWZXY98l062D93zOyOC2cara6YU_HPCFkxJr3kLqLOG5Rlsr0y5VS-WSxeIdsH823G9wiyBO6tqG2O_7x8rQOz-2Af8h6Tfl3wtIx_Y9a/s200/tigers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tigers: I can't be the only person who wanted a pet tiger after seeing <i>Aladdin</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPgBVpZshWYCuhKiajNGbcMYZf2UgAmDhkFGW9gGE57ScX5eQcNYObZUUH7NydxKTZJgX1TOssXmmkRjkZDpBSo-fe3ExrYq0AaTnw8lTWF_3AXob7XeATIFxvv_vdeyBFMp_W6RBRnGx/s1600/Maiasaura_BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPgBVpZshWYCuhKiajNGbcMYZf2UgAmDhkFGW9gGE57ScX5eQcNYObZUUH7NydxKTZJgX1TOssXmmkRjkZDpBSo-fe3ExrYq0AaTnw8lTWF_3AXob7XeATIFxvv_vdeyBFMp_W6RBRnGx/s320/Maiasaura_BW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maiasaura: Because dinosaurs are animals too.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aptenodytes_forsteri_-Snow_Hill_Island,_Antarctica_-adults_and_juvenile-8.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLAuJGpsF7mLV7r0b1KIFMl8UazI6RzigxLjMi_yfRYl7lEw6pfdDNm6cVmu48Zkq0ZfMQcR1TXubCuO3xREV8HwCPJ88g8txzMy7aDtc5dy7VypLJP-_Z5L-F5xfNftWW17SCSf-gCBU/s200/penguin.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>
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Penguins: They're adorably awkward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYmEYMpdbfuNlgm36SyWVtAOSkXd_Uw8n29sGmrzqj8uumHzB0bOcfl1CvJgmc2ZRpGdlapgVF88bM4KfAIWbdJinxphqXJu6Of-kKajETMqinizrVwVX3xFKjc-8bLp8Po3HxMCh-sNw/s1600/platypus_662_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYmEYMpdbfuNlgm36SyWVtAOSkXd_Uw8n29sGmrzqj8uumHzB0bOcfl1CvJgmc2ZRpGdlapgVF88bM4KfAIWbdJinxphqXJu6Of-kKajETMqinizrVwVX3xFKjc-8bLp8Po3HxMCh-sNw/s200/platypus_662_600x450.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Platypus: An egg-laying, venomous, otter-flippered, duck-billed, beaver-tailed mammal? Sure, why not?</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-31469500813456584812013-03-12T11:17:00.002-04:002013-03-12T11:17:47.246-04:00Review | Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHI8Egm5ga9SQuYGO2NQUBEJ9T0E-CWiOlkBZ4mFzUey4_78OGVQxyB1rFO7p3Sqf8RYtZfqPYDHpZ73RV33g740Wi4R1QRQ-NjoQ0flvmPzyLsewkhz4OU7lHcP-NsHjXfpPkiJREVTy/s1600/FrostBurned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHI8Egm5ga9SQuYGO2NQUBEJ9T0E-CWiOlkBZ4mFzUey4_78OGVQxyB1rFO7p3Sqf8RYtZfqPYDHpZ73RV33g740Wi4R1QRQ-NjoQ0flvmPzyLsewkhz4OU7lHcP-NsHjXfpPkiJREVTy/s320/FrostBurned.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13413589-frost-burned" target="_blank">Frost Burned</a></i><br />
Patricia Briggs<br />
Mercy Thompson #7<br />
Published 5 March 2013 by Ace (Penguin)<br />
Urban fantasy<br />
3 stars<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more <br />
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After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.<br />
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Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.</blockquote>
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<b>Bite-Sized Review</b><br />
While any fan of the Mercy Thompson books will probably enjoy <i>Frost Burned</i>, it doesn't really add much to the series. There's nothing here that we haven't seen before, and more than once.<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked)<br />
<i>-Frost Burned </i>is not a bad book. On the contrary, there's a lot that's good about it. Mercy has now really accepted her role in Adam's pack, as well as the mate bond and all that comes with it, and the pack has, for the most part, accepted her as well. It's great to see how much she's grown throughout the series.<br />
<br />
-My favorite character is the book is definitely Kyle. He's one of my favorites in the series, but in <i>Frost Burned,</i> he really shines. I seriously wish we could have seen some more of Warren as well, but I guess you can't have everything.<br />
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<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I disliked)<br />
-Although I certainly enjoy the series, which is why I'm still reading at book seven, I've never really been a fan of Mercy herself. She has always struck me as a bit on the annoying side of self-righteous, even (read: especially) when she has no reason to be. That's the main reason I prefer Briggs' spinoff Alpha & Omega series -- I'm pretty sure it's impossible not to love Anna.<br />
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<i><b>WARNING: </b>the next couple bullets are a bit spoilery. No actual plot details, but there are things you might not want to know if you really hate spoilers.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
-I don't want to say too much about the plot of the book, but it really seems like every aspect of it has already happened in a way that's quite similar to what occurs here. The characters even reference those past events explicitly. Now I've heard that there's nothing new under the sun, but there really can't be <i>that</i> small of a range of options that it doesn't even last seven books.<br />
<br />
-The pacing of the book is...odd. At the point where it seemed to be wrapping up, I looked at the progress bar on my Kindle and it informed me that I was less than halfway through, and unfortunately the entire second half turns out to be mainly tying up loose ends. Not to mention the fact that the conclusion sort of jumps out of nowhere and isn't even that clear in retrospect, which always leaves me a bit disappointed.<br />
<br />
-I really expected there to be more fallout from the end of <i><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/04/fair-game-by-patricia-briggs.html" target="_blank">Fair Game</a></i>. I guess it's technically a different series, so maybe more will happen in the next Alpha & Omega book, but it honestly barely affected the plot at all.<br />
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<b>Recommended for</b><br />
Anyone who enjoys the series.<br />
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<b>Quality:</b> Fair<br />
<b>Enjoyability: </b>GoodKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-84031816420439599692013-03-08T00:00:00.000-05:002013-03-08T00:00:00.695-05:00Friday Favorites | Sports<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
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<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
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<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
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To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
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This Friday's topic is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sports</b></span><br />
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I like sports -- yes, you can be bookish and athletic at the same time, although judging by the current condition of my ankle, I'm not sure I qualify as the latter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ySQXcLstw8ZOKrNIeJ1Z-v24r6wjVbzVHlSupM0r8h-Rfzp9Spe1ZXWj3OtrzIQ1YhTTezErRynbciI8DfsLKBUiKRH-DSIvtEnMMVlbSINn7YDUKB9jY-y4vh_j9lDc0oq239vLSG1N/s1600/DukeSoftball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ySQXcLstw8ZOKrNIeJ1Z-v24r6wjVbzVHlSupM0r8h-Rfzp9Spe1ZXWj3OtrzIQ1YhTTezErRynbciI8DfsLKBUiKRH-DSIvtEnMMVlbSINn7YDUKB9jY-y4vh_j9lDc0oq239vLSG1N/s320/DukeSoftball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Softball: I've been playing softball forever, so it kind of had to be on this list! This is my college club team -- I'm the tall one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeIJCXY0Z1HVjXsVSDmzacYvq5TlnvxBeHJGYhI7ZK6KJDXEbgdeeFIyCbnatVUWaPKG1QFxbUDWUJ0aCLSwiJkUtswdh_2TO8HKwtNYn2hOvcnECt6YKY53Csvp7us1VtyC_VCCgQJqU/s1600/Bills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeIJCXY0Z1HVjXsVSDmzacYvq5TlnvxBeHJGYhI7ZK6KJDXEbgdeeFIyCbnatVUWaPKG1QFxbUDWUJ0aCLSwiJkUtswdh_2TO8HKwtNYn2hOvcnECt6YKY53Csvp7us1VtyC_VCCgQJqU/s320/Bills.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Football: I enjoy watching it. It makes particularly good background noise, especially if you don't care who wins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz4lg6sLfpLszJ8mMZ7OnWvkTGbIi4tbeYFcXCOSL6vZ1WyLT9VBjcWQvqUhNDkqPvyrFm3XVyn8zbFTuiFVmVwRO_y49VK78FI10SIEq7r_yJlI3pUwPVbtn6ppZM4zvBrvKpW2KyjPZ/s1600/Hurling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz4lg6sLfpLszJ8mMZ7OnWvkTGbIi4tbeYFcXCOSL6vZ1WyLT9VBjcWQvqUhNDkqPvyrFm3XVyn8zbFTuiFVmVwRO_y49VK78FI10SIEq7r_yJlI3pUwPVbtn6ppZM4zvBrvKpW2KyjPZ/s320/Hurling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hurling: The greatest sport no one has ever heard of. It's Irish and sort of a cross between lacrosse and Australian rules football, only without any rules. It's awesome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRg9HtlHuAZiQjQXWf7nlKBQFaqFEY0oY0BqC3Wvo_8wdl2RFaCcPPsuJLIBH2BoB7HLgkDo9PWtZ29SCOGZkshDonhLaua-m0E0WjAbsw4MYcbDQL_mEI0oqZz-Jw75jABE-UY0SqxFS/s1600/basketball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRg9HtlHuAZiQjQXWf7nlKBQFaqFEY0oY0BqC3Wvo_8wdl2RFaCcPPsuJLIBH2BoB7HLgkDo9PWtZ29SCOGZkshDonhLaua-m0E0WjAbsw4MYcbDQL_mEI0oqZz-Jw75jABE-UY0SqxFS/s320/basketball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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College basketball: While I can't stand pro basketball, college basketball is much more fun, especially if I'm watching the ACC (because then I might actually care about what happens).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvHtCOySfGZ0CxAI2uTiscAU48ck63ha5MncXEZM0W0cBVRCfih-HlMWChWSTCK4BR4DKsxbRq-s50KIvlr4W9RY3BCQaNORh8yqn6DuKYAULxPgLx1Qz94iydHk2QZ37YmcJ4jQa0xeF/s1600/quidditch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvHtCOySfGZ0CxAI2uTiscAU48ck63ha5MncXEZM0W0cBVRCfih-HlMWChWSTCK4BR4DKsxbRq-s50KIvlr4W9RY3BCQaNORh8yqn6DuKYAULxPgLx1Qz94iydHk2QZ37YmcJ4jQa0xeF/s320/quidditch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Quidditch: What kind of bibliophile would I be if I didn't include a fictional sport on my list? (Yes, I know people have made it into a Muggle sport, but until they can fly, I refuse to count it as real Quidditch.)<br />
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Short one today -- what are your favorite sports? Don't forget to stop by next week to share your favorite <b>animals</b>!</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-42842730167199501342013-03-07T09:17:00.002-05:002013-03-07T09:17:47.255-05:00Review | The Devil You Know by Mike Carey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLKBKG_eoO5Pm09L9WiihkRG-wcQopNxWQpVVFC-gudisDvS3MzWA203YwLszA7-cPPsppJ5bduGHNlhiv24sjIFZ1EhVO5vSOGg3UnwrIKyMLiejbYQY3_g_XfjClEABzI0EDbXjvEQM/s1600/TheDevilYouKnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLKBKG_eoO5Pm09L9WiihkRG-wcQopNxWQpVVFC-gudisDvS3MzWA203YwLszA7-cPPsppJ5bduGHNlhiv24sjIFZ1EhVO5vSOGg3UnwrIKyMLiejbYQY3_g_XfjClEABzI0EDbXjvEQM/s320/TheDevilYouKnow.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/663098.The_Devil_You_Know" target="_blank">The Devil You Know</a></i><br />
Mike Carey<br />
Felix Castor #1<br />
Published 2007 by Warner Books (Hachette)<br />
Urban fantasy<br />
3 stars<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Felix Castor is a freelance exorcist, and London is his stamping ground. It may seem like a good ghost buster can charge what he likes and enjoy a hell of a lifestyle--but there's a risk: Sooner or later he's going to take on a spirit that's too strong for him. While trying to back out of this ill-conceived career, Castor accepts a seemingly simple ghost-hunting case at a museum in the shadowy heart of London - just to pay the bills, you understand. But what should have been a perfectly straightforward exorcism is rapidly turning into the Who Can Kill Castor First Show, with demons and ghosts all keen to claim the big prize. That's OK: Castor knows how to deal with the dead. It's the living who piss him off...</blockquote>
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<b>Bite-Sized Review</b></div>
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<i>The Devil You Know</i> is a fairly intriguing start to a new series despite a slightly dragging middle.</div>
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<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked)</div>
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-The world is sort of a less malevolent version of Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts series. In spite the abundance of necromancers in the world of urban fantasy, exorcists seem to be in short supply, so it's always interesting to see one. And with the huge variety of legends and beliefs surrounding ghosts and life after death, that kind of world-building allows an author to be very creative.</div>
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-The mystery remains a mystery until the solution is actually revealed. I cycled through a number of suspects and never guessed the real culprit, much less the full horror of what happens. Granted, parts of the story are clear pretty early on, but for much of it I wasn't even close. <i>The Devil You Know</i> is a dark and gritty story, another feature it shares with Downside Ghosts.</div>
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-While the book doesn't end in a cliffhanger (fortunately), it does leave quite a few possibilities for future stories. There's just enough question to keep the reader interested in the next book without being actually painful. (I'm looking at you, Fever.)</div>
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<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)</div>
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-The book could have been tightened up a bit, especially in the middle. There's a point where Fix has no idea what's going on, and that point stretches out for more than a bit too long. I think I would have finished this book a lot faster if I hadn't kept getting distracted because I was bored in the middle.</div>
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-I'm not really enamored of any of the characters. I don't dislike any of them, they just don't seem to have enough personality to actually have real feelings about. This particular issue is something that could definitely resolve itself in later books, so I'm hoping the problem will eventually disappear.</div>
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<b>Recommended for</b></div>
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Fans of Downside Ghosts or Simon R. Green's Nightside series.</div>
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<b>Quality: </b>Acceptable</div>
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<b>Enjoyability: </b>Acceptable</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-71366590428203160582013-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:002013-03-01T00:00:11.067-05:00Friday Favorites | Dessert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
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<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
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<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
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To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
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This Friday's topic is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dessert</b></span><br />
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I have to admit, there are (not infrequent) times when I look forward to dessert more than my actual meal. I love baking, so I usually have some form of baked goodness in my house, something my tastebuds appreciate more than my waistline. But in any case, dessert is awesome, so I thought it deserved its own post.<br />
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I'm sorry I don't have many pictures -- I'm not very good at remembering to take pictures of my dessert before I eat it. But if you click on the links, they all have pictures AND recipes, so you should definitely do that!<br />
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<a href="http://www.foodess.com/2011/03/moist-chocolate-cake/" target="_blank">This awesome chocolate cake</a> (with cream cheese frosting)<br />
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<a href="http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2012/06/cinnamon-rolls-with-maple-butter-cream.html" target="_blank">These amazing cinnamon rolls</a> (also with cream cheese frosting. I really like cream cheese frosting.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia91qvIw0wG6xnekYOx1murMNQWWhIdKAXTDREBuHXqGMegA_B4LCiLtPZySzDtn1CNeaPUgMj2qUfKaQ7bCfBQs8Dp1KqkR1j5i2uhXUrZ8ZxydbuSb3PFWCaMIZ356PulO1jCLrbHNDV/s1600/2011-10-18_22-16-37_791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia91qvIw0wG6xnekYOx1murMNQWWhIdKAXTDREBuHXqGMegA_B4LCiLtPZySzDtn1CNeaPUgMj2qUfKaQ7bCfBQs8Dp1KqkR1j5i2uhXUrZ8ZxydbuSb3PFWCaMIZ356PulO1jCLrbHNDV/s320/2011-10-18_22-16-37_791.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2011/10/epic-chocolate-brownies.html" target="_blank">Frosted Oreo brownies</a><br />
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<a href="http://baking.we-wish.net/2012/05/brown-sugar-cookies-with-buttermilk-glaze/" target="_blank">These brown sugar cookies</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPah0uylCkd4MZHiq7A7Bzpc6tsgOEMzACSaKyiUznfTxwAUdF3veb-w5KMaz2pst7RFeMaYMU6kfdp2ciAWI2QR3m9WOgzvWV9u_peclZYvqL4iEwv-SN61mBWAQsi9lx_DR5dcLarlf/s1600/2011-11-02_17-45-55_423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPah0uylCkd4MZHiq7A7Bzpc6tsgOEMzACSaKyiUznfTxwAUdF3veb-w5KMaz2pst7RFeMaYMU6kfdp2ciAWI2QR3m9WOgzvWV9u_peclZYvqL4iEwv-SN61mBWAQsi9lx_DR5dcLarlf/s320/2011-11-02_17-45-55_423.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2011/08/vanilla-cookies.html" target="_blank">The vanilla cookies that I have been "helping" with since I was two</a><br />
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<a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/08/06/the-chocolate-chip-cookie/" target="_blank">These chocolate chip cookies</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sweettarteblog.com/2012/03/homemade-funfetti-cake.html" target="_blank">This funfetti cake</a><br />
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I decided that was probably enough for one post, but if you want more recipes, I have an entire <a href="http://pinterest.com/katestrawberry/dessert/" target="_blank">dessert board</a> on Pinterest, and I've actually tried a pretty decent portion of them. And while we're on the topic of dessert, anyone have a really good recipe for red velvet cake?<br />
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What are your favorite desserts? Don't forget to fill out the linky below (please? It's lonely), and join in next week to share your favorite <b>sports</b>.<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-8072932912152957932013-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-26T00:00:00.674-05:00Top Ten Tuesday | Authors on My Auto-Buy List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgail13iCEfPeyg6SHGS_uSkwQScgledd13RNQD9o9lVsH7M2wEDDDfjdcg29w2gN2YY0oPltcUdO2ed0sBSNg4_raGSXVWTvIH-pnTt0X4j_C7zDU7KyNN4AuZS83iLafKmPinve-i5EFA/s1600/TopTenTuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>, and features lists on different bookish topics. Today's category:<br />
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<b>Authors on My Auto-Buy List</b><br />
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I love having an "auto-read" list. I am one of those people who really hates spoilers, to the extent that I actually shunned the interned for a week before the release of <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i>, so if I can just glance at the author and go, "Yup, I want to read that" without even looking at the blurb, that's perfect. I'm pretty sure that's the case for way more authors than these, but here's ten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u0zSIC67sOeLPnnhHTMD5i6jtTe1QqzTkRI6-r_Hamjun8jwT8LhMhsKFCWwIowEgiXKdNoudc82Q0JyTYZ3mRnMBa7RZPBzujBR0G3x_cAfEyTQQSEn97RgplHcE6DaDHBqjMLSFqvk/s1600/MagicBites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u0zSIC67sOeLPnnhHTMD5i6jtTe1QqzTkRI6-r_Hamjun8jwT8LhMhsKFCWwIowEgiXKdNoudc82Q0JyTYZ3mRnMBa7RZPBzujBR0G3x_cAfEyTQQSEn97RgplHcE6DaDHBqjMLSFqvk/s200/MagicBites.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
<b>Ilona Andrews</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40691-kate-daniels" target="_blank">Kate Daniels</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/46801-the-edge" target="_blank">The Edge</a></i>)<br />
It's been a while since I raved about Ilona Andrews, so for the newbies: I would buy Ilona Andrews' books if they published a treatise on conjunctivitis. That's how much I love their writing. Want a sample? They're publishing a <a href="http://demo.ilona-andrews.com/category/clean-sweep/" target="_blank">free serial</a> on their website.<br />
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<b>Guy Gavriel Kay</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104089.Tigana" target="_blank">Tigana</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/49379-the-fionavar-tapestry" target="_blank">The Fionavar Tapestry</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7139892-under-heaven" target="_blank">Under Heaven</a></i>)<br />
Weirdly, while it would be really difficult for me to choose a favorite author, I can tell you with some confidence that <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104101.The_Lions_of_al_Rassan" target="_blank">The Lions of Al-Rassan</a></i> is my favorite book. By sheer coincidence, GGK has a new book, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754888-river-of-stars" target="_blank">River of Stars</a></i>, coming out in April, and I can't wait to read it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmSQR6BHofVnv2r8Wp0Z0l56hKGrXLEIF3ijunbMn4NMQVfxQhKw7T79_E1lnZjzD2bmd7jNaz9iBMK_UBKlCXmVpQUncWNMf58uu8cB39FILdlK6XPVefNynjpfmRrts324HQtwMkYd6/s1600/FuriesofCalderon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmSQR6BHofVnv2r8Wp0Z0l56hKGrXLEIF3ijunbMn4NMQVfxQhKw7T79_E1lnZjzD2bmd7jNaz9iBMK_UBKlCXmVpQUncWNMf58uu8cB39FILdlK6XPVefNynjpfmRrts324HQtwMkYd6/s200/FuriesofCalderon.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>
<b>Jim Butcher</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40346-the-dresden-files" target="_blank">The Dresden Files</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/45545-codex-alera" target="_blank">Codex Alera</a></i>)<br />
Reading Jim Butcher's books is always a pleasure. He's creative, can keep hold of numerous plot threads at once, and has moments of absolute hilarity.<br />
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<b>Robin McKinley</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/407813.The_Blue_Sword" target="_blank">The Blue Sword</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41424.Beauty" target="_blank">Beauty</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77368.Spindle_s_End" target="_blank">Spindle's End</a></i>)<br />
Robin McKinley has a unique, rambling writing style that really appeals to me. <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8088.Sunshine" target="_blank">Sunshine</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77366.The_Hero_and_the_Crown" target="_blank">The Hero and the Crown</a></i> are two of my big comfort reads.<br />
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<b>Maggie Stiefvater</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/46586-the-wolves-of-mercy-falls" target="_blank">The Wolves of Mercy Falls</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10626594-the-scorpio-races" target="_blank">The Scorpio Races</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/73675-the-raven-cycle" target="_blank">The Raven Cycle</a></i>)<br />
Like Guy Gavriel Kay, Maggie Stiefvater has a gorgeously lyrical style that I love. Plus she's hilarious, and her books are all amazing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOcN8NtsI5yh1nMk_e1f8B8weNuqi64CWLbERTMuAdPcDjhx5EJXLC3p19l5HtR_hFZ8Y4EoW18DNu_C7l6-IJZ-YN3ZwCAo4rt2yS-c_6e1osxKuvZl41Fm8FCzTzbuXVzpcSx5dwpmd/s1600/Feed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOcN8NtsI5yh1nMk_e1f8B8weNuqi64CWLbERTMuAdPcDjhx5EJXLC3p19l5HtR_hFZ8Y4EoW18DNu_C7l6-IJZ-YN3ZwCAo4rt2yS-c_6e1osxKuvZl41Fm8FCzTzbuXVzpcSx5dwpmd/s200/Feed.jpg" width="123" /></a><br />
<b>Seanan McGuire</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/46749-october-daye" target="_blank">October Daye</a></i>, the<i> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/47749-newsflesh-trilogy" target="_blank">Newsflesh</a> </i>trilogy, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/61127-incryptid" target="_blank">InCryptid</a></i>)<br />
I'll admit I wasn't won over by <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294549-rosemary-and-rue" target="_blank">Rosemary and Rue</a></i>, but after reading all of Seanan McGuire's books (under her own name and as Mira Grant), I have to say, I love her world-building and characters. If you haven't read any of her books, you should.<br />
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<b>Melina Marchetta</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2999475-jellicoe-road" target="_blank">Jellicoe Road</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/82434.Saving_Francesca" target="_blank">Saving Francesca</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/57115-lumatere-chronicles" target="_blank">The Lumatere Chronicles</a></i>)<br />
Melina Marchetta's characters seem so real that other books pale in comparison. I can't wait to read <i>Quintana of Charyn</i> in April.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X6MOB3e47obF8Cf2f3cEwW3zvO6d1wCK0wxch9VI-7MkkEs9LcAwcaVEW6ghhzeDh_hnAP0cxyg4_y7riQqenxQhTh6vPxFmJAfmAuydo_EnPJGrTKY3dUEH3N0F5lvhjoZTFpYppNG_/s1600/TheWayofKings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-X6MOB3e47obF8Cf2f3cEwW3zvO6d1wCK0wxch9VI-7MkkEs9LcAwcaVEW6ghhzeDh_hnAP0cxyg4_y7riQqenxQhTh6vPxFmJAfmAuydo_EnPJGrTKY3dUEH3N0F5lvhjoZTFpYppNG_/s200/TheWayofKings.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b>Brandon Sanderson</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40910-mistborn" target="_blank">Mistborn</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7235533-the-way-of-kings" target="_blank">The Way of Kings</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68427.Elantris" target="_blank">Elantris</a></i>)<br />
If I had to choose the top ten worlds I've read (which, okay, <a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.kr/2011/11/top-ten-other-worlds.html" target="_blank">I've actually done</a>), at least three of them would probably be Brandon Sanderson's. Not only are his worlds incredibly creative, but they're also populated with great characters and brilliant stories.<br />
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<b>Scott Lynch</b> (<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/43531-gentleman-bastard" target="_blank">Gentleman Bastard</a></i>)<br />
Scott Lynch is definitely one of my favorites. His books are dark and dangerous and absolutely hilarious. Plus, who wouldn't want to read about thieves and con artists and pirates?<br />
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<b>Jennifer Fallon</b> (the <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/41722-hythrun-chronicles-demon-child-trilogy" target="_blank">Demon Child</a></i> trilogy,<i> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40800-second-sons-trilogy" target="_blank">Second Sons</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44873-tide-lords" target="_blank">Tide Lords</a></i>)<br />
Jennifer Fallon just writes all-around good books. They're exactly the kind of epic fantasy I love.</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-100465559913242152013-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:002013-02-25T08:00:11.495-05:00Bite-Sized ReviewsIn which I notice that, hmmm, I have several books that I meant to review but then I got distracted by new and shiny other books. Life is hard...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-csySElykLBMBf51qSc2wWVx02LJBGfb2UArlwoXztLdYMUWQ0XXEbTw-i3KdI4wLdAicWWcaqgXM6KKxcv1QKZpemR-glRgH5u7E5mRFbJanqD3n_j2WBEpjMEBmSEn2D_gzvM-RNqPR/s1600/WorkingStiff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-csySElykLBMBf51qSc2wWVx02LJBGfb2UArlwoXztLdYMUWQ0XXEbTw-i3KdI4wLdAicWWcaqgXM6KKxcv1QKZpemR-glRgH5u7E5mRFbJanqD3n_j2WBEpjMEBmSEn2D_gzvM-RNqPR/s200/WorkingStiff.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9640024-working-stiff" target="_blank">Working Stiff</a></i> by Rachel Caine<br />
Revivalist #1<br />
3 stars<br />
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<i>Working Stiff</i> is a dark and interesting take on zombies filled with moral ambiguities and layered characters. While a bit slow in places, it definitely has the potential to become an excellent series. Recommended for fans of <i>My Life as a White Trash Zombie</i> and <i>Unholy Magic</i> -- imagine it as somewhere between the two.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4jkw78cwsTzarTmDrKNR1diKJaiAfFjrtnmYA4Jn_MiwlmZiG2XNgXHq5Vum38Bl5JrbQYjc1ucSs4NwCxYsu3qvtKY1eGvxt8a-W4dD9QrqEaCAcDnan0Y4G2p1g8yoYb0a8GeolBNU/s1600/TheCipher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4jkw78cwsTzarTmDrKNR1diKJaiAfFjrtnmYA4Jn_MiwlmZiG2XNgXHq5Vum38Bl5JrbQYjc1ucSs4NwCxYsu3qvtKY1eGvxt8a-W4dD9QrqEaCAcDnan0Y4G2p1g8yoYb0a8GeolBNU/s200/TheCipher.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1553844.The_Cipher" target="_blank">The Cipher</a></i> by Diana Pharaoh Francis</div>
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Crosspointe #1</div>
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3 stars</div>
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<i>The Cipher</i> gets off to a promising start, and, after stalling a bit in the middle, delivers a solid finish. While the book is a little overly focused on what seems like a strange romance, overall the unusual magic system and the last third or so of the book manage to make up for it. Recommended for fans of Holly Lisle and possibly Kate Elliot.</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6056520-red-headed-stepchild" target="_blank">Red-Headed Stepchild</a></i> by Jaye Wells<br />
Sabina Kane #1<br />
3 stars<br />
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<i>Red-Headed Stepchild</i> doesn't do much to stand out from the urban fantasy crowd, but it is an enjoyable read, though Sabina can be annoying at times. Recommended for anyone who's craving more urban fantasy and doesn't need anything particularly new.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrGZB0Lu4idf-J550KHH9__h0pMim3PbSDTRbPuA-2dYM6qO768_MZY9y0SNc79RJsT9-DGy-XdYpcMGRYe0BfgRdjmIi_fQl4h-vVrxrL5gHfhcy4MyQ6Uq3RUrhvspGQni7cSI0cb4A/s1600/MisterMonday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrGZB0Lu4idf-J550KHH9__h0pMim3PbSDTRbPuA-2dYM6qO768_MZY9y0SNc79RJsT9-DGy-XdYpcMGRYe0BfgRdjmIi_fQl4h-vVrxrL5gHfhcy4MyQ6Uq3RUrhvspGQni7cSI0cb4A/s200/MisterMonday.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47613.Mister_Monday" target="_blank">Mister Monday</a></i> by Garth Nix</div>
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Keys to the Kingdom #1</div>
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3 stars</div>
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I find that Garth Nix's works generally have excellent, unique magic systems but fail to live up to their world-building prowess in the storytelling department. Like Nix's other books, <i>Mister Monday </i>has a fascinating world, but the story doesn't really capture the reader's attention until the last third or so. That's not to say the writing is bad -- it's not -- but somehow I always expect the writing to be as compelling as the world. Recommended for fans of <i>The Graveyard Book</i> and a less funny <i>Percy Jackson and the Olympians</i>.</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11945589-cursed" target="_blank">Cursed</a></i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout<br />
3 stars<br />
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In an almost exact reversal of Garth Nix's strengths, Jennifer L. Armentrout is a captivating writer who doesn't seem to publish anything really original. Like her other works, <i>Cursed</i> is nothing you haven't seen before, but the addictive quality of JLA's writing carries it towards the front of the YA line. Recommended for fans of the usual YA paranormal suspects.<br />
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I guess it's no wonder I wasn't in much of a hurry to publish these -- they were all good but not really excellent. I could, however, easily see other readers very much enjoying any of them, depending on tastes, so if one sounds interesting, definitely give it a try. All of them are also the first in their series, so they might be worth trying anyway; the best books often come later.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-17567934348290394362013-02-24T08:00:00.000-05:002013-02-24T08:00:04.588-05:00Chocolate from the Cloud<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HOYs8UVtepstZ21SXcm9-VWXPWbvw3bRu7XMfUB_IGnimpeb9LQjVEafxt0KrF0oswl1F2GyS0ohWTqLwMbFVfdkZKDhyphenhyphenmtQZpnED8IR8LrqbHXt7lO-4DwcHc9l82m4sFEJvTkuZ6Sh/s1600/ChocolateFromTheCloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HOYs8UVtepstZ21SXcm9-VWXPWbvw3bRu7XMfUB_IGnimpeb9LQjVEafxt0KrF0oswl1F2GyS0ohWTqLwMbFVfdkZKDhyphenhyphenmtQZpnED8IR8LrqbHXt7lO-4DwcHc9l82m4sFEJvTkuZ6Sh/s320/ChocolateFromTheCloud.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some of this is a bit old, but still interesting:<br />
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•<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2013/jan/25/why-amazon-just-cant-win" target="_blank">Controversy</a> over Amazon's review policies (<i>The Guardian</i>)<br />
•An <a href="http://www.bookpatrol.net/2013/01/who-reads-ebooks-infographic.html" target="_blank">infographic</a> about who reads ebooks (Book Patrol)<br />
•Lauren Oliver's <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/55599-delirium-trilogy-heads-to-the-small-screen.html" target="_blank"><i>Delirium</i> trilogy picked up for TV</a> by Fox (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>)<br />
•<a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118065109/" target="_blank">J.J. Abrams</a> is likely to direct <i>Star Wars: Episode VII</i> (<i>Variety</i>)<br />
•<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/55697-applegate-klassen-lake-win-newbery-caldecott-printz.html" target="_blank">Winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz</a> awards announced (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>)<br />
•Amazon plans to put <a href="http://thebookseller.com/news/amazon-put-advertising-kindles.html" target="_blank">advertisements on Kindle devices</a> (The Bookseller)<br />
•Neil Gaiman releases a <a href="http://keepmoving.blackberry.com/desktop/en/us/ambassador/neil-gaiman.html" target="_blank">free collection of short stories</a> and is asking for readers to help illustrate themKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-22331702414756403882013-02-22T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-22T10:38:40.133-05:00Friday Favorites | Movies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
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<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
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<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
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To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
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This Friday's topic is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Movies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n6HFlAcvoeoMX0r83hsoRiwodGvNU4PaJFcdGT5bMMOhOlgZ8gM9nDaKGejykVYPy_4q8w-nGg1UvPWuCJ1nG0EQViO_f2ZN-hWgN9mDHDBMyPIDGbThingdZnb_KlOSauvqqb09Lstc/s1600/the-dark-knight1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5n6HFlAcvoeoMX0r83hsoRiwodGvNU4PaJFcdGT5bMMOhOlgZ8gM9nDaKGejykVYPy_4q8w-nGg1UvPWuCJ1nG0EQViO_f2ZN-hWgN9mDHDBMyPIDGbThingdZnb_KlOSauvqqb09Lstc/s200/the-dark-knight1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>The Dark Knight</i> – epic awesomeness<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97wD_Hr-JzqMJtj03E5XXxzKwIjU2k3NZtls6Qk_Tc3V1jfdEjIRaXulKQgTj1fVxMeNr0YuH6d7XnPY-kgiT59N9fMhAAQ-rYvXfCcIU_oIdtVRlBMvRM-J6s5AxqRPao35Ij_jMZ5Fh/s1600/Gladiator-Wallpaper-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97wD_Hr-JzqMJtj03E5XXxzKwIjU2k3NZtls6Qk_Tc3V1jfdEjIRaXulKQgTj1fVxMeNr0YuH6d7XnPY-kgiT59N9fMhAAQ-rYvXfCcIU_oIdtVRlBMvRM-J6s5AxqRPao35Ij_jMZ5Fh/s200/Gladiator-Wallpaper-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Gladiator</i> – best movie ever<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLYjY-tA46JKGfKLNxiEqABswm8Y30YyntNPb91fjluEn9Eq3VqyNLlGGmYV9UXJHvOf-5OaK1y4Sh5LZbMWE7yQ4YU20eMyxJGcY2hG9Q24qZ07ioQdDjXWcbaoJwhYXdNiEI4XJyqC/s1600/A+Knight's+Tales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLYjY-tA46JKGfKLNxiEqABswm8Y30YyntNPb91fjluEn9Eq3VqyNLlGGmYV9UXJHvOf-5OaK1y4Sh5LZbMWE7yQ4YU20eMyxJGcY2hG9Q24qZ07ioQdDjXWcbaoJwhYXdNiEI4XJyqC/s200/A+Knight's+Tales.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>A Knight's Tale</i> – kind of cheesy, but the soundtrack definitely makes the movie<br />
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<i>The Princess Bride</i> – anybody want a peanut?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bgaQoruWS3a-lhXzv7IYro5A7OSJ6BDXfUgQdjcaWE16g-Pkcwglab55m32dDppkpUN9N4koGIcAlw3pL3wbsrBhdfStMgCInUb52VzVt6awQGA9WxYgP20oUrIdfcQp70jdNFDvLulA/s1600/Mulan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bgaQoruWS3a-lhXzv7IYro5A7OSJ6BDXfUgQdjcaWE16g-Pkcwglab55m32dDppkpUN9N4koGIcAlw3pL3wbsrBhdfStMgCInUb52VzVt6awQGA9WxYgP20oUrIdfcQp70jdNFDvLulA/s200/Mulan.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<i>Mulan</i> – "I've got a name! And it's a boy's name, too."<br />
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<i>Star Wars: Episode V</i> – best of the trilogy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeeYqiWPiTUhOT3YQtGRsYk87dZsTetnoIGayQPoHEF5-ht1eVQbaNt-LP4FxYZ5TVWJ1_mSqtz_Nq2T190KZQ5ayV4aXN4LdeTXErJzdSw3Nkl-lf6fLN1qBLRvSCxdROBzKjgxDK4tz/s1600/Inception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeeYqiWPiTUhOT3YQtGRsYk87dZsTetnoIGayQPoHEF5-ht1eVQbaNt-LP4FxYZ5TVWJ1_mSqtz_Nq2T190KZQ5ayV4aXN4LdeTXErJzdSw3Nkl-lf6fLN1qBLRvSCxdROBzKjgxDK4tz/s200/Inception.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>Inception</i> – just a really cool idea<br />
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<i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i> – yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me<br />
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Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to leave a link below. What are your favorite movies?<br />
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Join us next week to share your favorite <b>desserts</b>.<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-53455800499492309472013-02-18T08:17:00.000-05:002013-02-18T08:17:17.083-05:00Review | The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtong8-YseXlUKVzgBnPtnPGvSoPWKevs9QUgt8eR-Au6yHOwBkGq8DH9a2W7jY_I4FsSHI5rPFKCdLjNiaQPHywRo4SduaroMRX_2Zf3P1IyIcyCqumMEussOnZsCd9oDTVNKQnK5XCyE/s1600/TheIndigoSpell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtong8-YseXlUKVzgBnPtnPGvSoPWKevs9QUgt8eR-Au6yHOwBkGq8DH9a2W7jY_I4FsSHI5rPFKCdLjNiaQPHywRo4SduaroMRX_2Zf3P1IyIcyCqumMEussOnZsCd9oDTVNKQnK5XCyE/s320/TheIndigoSpell.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709526-the-indigo-spell" target="_blank">The Indigo Spell</a></i><br />
Richelle Mead<br />
Bloodlines #3<br />
Published 12 Feb 2013<br />
YA urban fantasy<br />
4.5 stars<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.</blockquote>
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<b>Bite-Sized Review</b><br />
<i>The Indigo Spell </i>is a spectacular continuation of Richelle Mead's <i>Vampire Academy</i> spinoff, with enough suspense, action, and romance to make any reader happy.<br />
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<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked)<br />
-The balance and pacing in this book are just about perfect. There are several different stories going on at the same time, and all of them are both important and interesting. Because the plotlines cover the Alchemists, magic, and Sydney and Adrian's relationship, there's really an excellent balance of suspense and romance.<br />
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-Sydney and Adrian are a brilliant couple. At the beginning of this series, I actually wasn't sure about their relationship, but they are astonishingly good for one another. Richelle Mead has done a great job building their relationship.<br />
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-Let's not forget about the secondary characters. Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Trey, Ms. Terwelliger, and all the others have interesting, complementary personalities. The Amberwood "family" has grown so much over the series. Of course they can be annoying sometimes, but then, so can any family.<br />
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<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)<br />
-Having to wait until November for <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9833184-the-fiery-heart" target="_blank">The Fiery Heart</a></i>!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-18900341412066294762013-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-15T00:00:00.927-05:00Friday Favorites | Cities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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This Friday's topic is:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Cities you've visited</span></b><br />
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I love visiting new places and seeing the sights. Every city has its own personality and its own culture. I'd really love to travel even more, and I hope I'll be able to soon. But for now, here are the best cities I've lived in or visited.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a4O5xQXqbpHXGPxowVT63UVQpkxt85Bp8lv86yhRCHTDmsOTg7ln2EJjnAy1uiAmFTYXD7FamZhY9USJzhxrDD53tqeA2FXHDAoiP-9DiN15swjLKulr-kW8yrYC14nn9QY506KV_o8I/s1600/DC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a4O5xQXqbpHXGPxowVT63UVQpkxt85Bp8lv86yhRCHTDmsOTg7ln2EJjnAy1uiAmFTYXD7FamZhY9USJzhxrDD53tqeA2FXHDAoiP-9DiN15swjLKulr-kW8yrYC14nn9QY506KV_o8I/s320/DC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Washington, DC</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Most people scoff at DC for its crime, politicians, lack of fashion, mediocre food scene, etc, but I love it. For some unknown reason (ask five DC residents and you will probably get six different theories), buildings in DC are required to be below a certain height. I think they have to be shorter than the Washington Monument, or maybe the statue at the top of the National Cathedral. Anyway, the result is still a city with all of the normal city stuff, but because of the lack of skyscrapers and the many trees and parks, it feels more comfortable than most cities. Plus there's the huge number of different cultures, the happy hours, the free museums, the casually walking by the White House, the Library of Congress...I could go on and on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYLdNPaAbes88MlHYQRZeMPQfh12-Xv9ihGDOnKD9bg8rmb-8aRbnppdH6AZT68H29_Q3YRmwoxnCpIVufCnUEnCzYwzWer-zTrEq-B29s7yIGT6QEC73GPtXA0vizrLNbZPTtMDIoY_p/s1600/Berlin_Mitte_by_night.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYLdNPaAbes88MlHYQRZeMPQfh12-Xv9ihGDOnKD9bg8rmb-8aRbnppdH6AZT68H29_Q3YRmwoxnCpIVufCnUEnCzYwzWer-zTrEq-B29s7yIGT6QEC73GPtXA0vizrLNbZPTtMDIoY_p/s320/Berlin_Mitte_by_night.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Berlin, Germany</b><br />
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Berlin was my study abroad experience and I absolutely loved it. It's even more full of green things than DC -- Germans are really big on the environment -- there's a ton to do, and there is so much history there. I would really love to go back!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tPM0NHEIyebK7nhvrtjWm3iBR2sCQhO1l6axdzD6tv26Qwqvpp97noaOeyOyGAOFzYN7wI1K7yvc3j6IQumrxHs6VvZj_HZPddjRfi91PstLYe4pWYPPMMvakmSopi9LIHVA4ciRLn1q/s1600/austin-texas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tPM0NHEIyebK7nhvrtjWm3iBR2sCQhO1l6axdzD6tv26Qwqvpp97noaOeyOyGAOFzYN7wI1K7yvc3j6IQumrxHs6VvZj_HZPddjRfi91PstLYe4pWYPPMMvakmSopi9LIHVA4ciRLn1q/s320/austin-texas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Austin, Texas</b><br />
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Unlike most of the other cities on this list, I have never lived in Austin; I just visited for a few days. But it was so unique and interesting that I loved it. Of course it's possible that my experience is slightly colored by the fact that I got to visit a horse ranch and ride a horse and see the foals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHoGa9r5ZUbg6g9TpeIp6H1eq-evyxxEBpX6THH9rKRKYpBBQ0pPHuU4IH_w9qzhb5yOSbtL9bpfvsSgYbK60U1yxkrbkd2CV01zNc_zYMzsi70wRCyiX5C2c28fqlHpoKl5jJMa_Aw73/s1600/DublinRiverLiffey1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHoGa9r5ZUbg6g9TpeIp6H1eq-evyxxEBpX6THH9rKRKYpBBQ0pPHuU4IH_w9qzhb5yOSbtL9bpfvsSgYbK60U1yxkrbkd2CV01zNc_zYMzsi70wRCyiX5C2c28fqlHpoKl5jJMa_Aw73/s320/DublinRiverLiffey1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Dublin, Ireland</b><br />
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Okay, I have also never lived in Dublin. But it is really an amazing city that I fell in love with at first sight. Maybe it's my fascination with Irish mythology, but I absolutely adored this city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNCLKXJHIm4Ha5Y3mQKXBdOOj1VYVAiMD-w2HHC79BzMCPTD4UUD4kxy4IZparOMy7oXaBWU6qP7zZ6VNRXfj6NfF0icTI35huqIfBaMwehIESuIRkLQo2rY_kOnOjKdhusOA0esAWC2e/s1600/philadelphia-visitors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNCLKXJHIm4Ha5Y3mQKXBdOOj1VYVAiMD-w2HHC79BzMCPTD4UUD4kxy4IZparOMy7oXaBWU6qP7zZ6VNRXfj6NfF0icTI35huqIfBaMwehIESuIRkLQo2rY_kOnOjKdhusOA0esAWC2e/s320/philadelphia-visitors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania</b><br />
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Until I was ten, I lived in a small town outside Philadelphia, so I visited the city many times. I won't say that I got a real feel for it (I was way too young for that!) but I really liked the atmosphere and the history.<br />
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That's it for this week! Thanks for stopping by. What are your favorite cities?<br />
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Don't forget to post your link in the linky below, and be sure to join in next week to share your favorite <b>movies</b>!<br />
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<script src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=89d74852-25cf-46a6-bb7c-428cb86c1da8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-68623433416694882082013-02-11T09:40:00.000-05:002013-02-11T09:40:12.308-05:00Review | Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSbiR7bam7cpWqCMVLrAhM4k9R-HH0oVonOuOBJJ-kKgT5M7XVUsoR2nmtUKZWcJNK4wtL5f12e6qysmtyJVoZEjhnXsxzb4g6LenLyrP1Ts6AlgO-pAJpsWDuF5ES_l8c5ssG-mOtJs/s1600/UnravelMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekSbiR7bam7cpWqCMVLrAhM4k9R-HH0oVonOuOBJJ-kKgT5M7XVUsoR2nmtUKZWcJNK4wtL5f12e6qysmtyJVoZEjhnXsxzb4g6LenLyrP1Ts6AlgO-pAJpsWDuF5ES_l8c5ssG-mOtJs/s320/UnravelMe.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13104080-unravel-me" target="_blank">Unravel Me</a></i><br />
Taherah Mafi<br />
Shatter Me #2<br />
Published 5 Feb 2013 by HarperCollins<br />
YA post-apocalyptic<br />
4 stars<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>tick</i><br />
<i>tick</i><br />
<i>tick</i><br />
<i>tick</i><br />
<i>tick</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>it's almost</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>time for war.</i><br />
<br />
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.<br />
<br />
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.<br />
<br />
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.<br />
<br />
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Bite-Sized Review</b></div>
<div>
Once again, Taherah Mafi's spectacular writing makes a fairly standard YA dystopian stand out from the rest. With exciting reveals and plenty of action, <i>Unravel Me</i> will appeal to any fan of <i>Shatter Me</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate </b>(things I liked)<br />
-I happened to glance at my review for <i><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/01/shatter-me-by-taherah-mafi.html" target="_blank">Shatter Me</a> </i>after reading <i>Unravel Me</i>, and I saw this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The contrast between Warner and Adam was spectacular. They were really mirror images of each other, and seeing their interactions with Juliette and each other was fascinating. Warner was an excellent villain; his motivations and actions were completely understandable, while Adam made a great hero. Normally I don't like love triangles, but this one is a little different – for one thing, Juliette doesn't love Warner, and for another, Adam and Warner balance each other so perfectly that this is just another aspect of their duality.</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
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and I wanted to go back in time and say to my past self, "Kate-of-2012, <i>you have no idea</i>." Everything just gets more complicated in this book, and once the shock wears off, somehow Taherah Mafi makes it all seem inevitable rather than contrived.<br />
<br />
-Mafi is one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Her imagery is nothing short of brilliant, and her creativity really makes this series stand out from the rest. There's not quite as much of the crossing-out and repetition in this book -- I know some people weren't fans -- which makes sense because Juliette's situation is more stable. Ish. It's really amazing how much the writing changes with Juliette's state of mind; when she's feeling off-balance, that's when the "crazy" writing comes back. It's incredible how well the writing fits Juliette's character.<br />
<br />
-I wasn't a huge fan of Juliette and Adam's relationship in the first book. I thought Juliette was far more dependent on Adam than any healthy person should be. So I'm happy that she does grow and learn to interact with other people normally in this book. She still has a long way to go, but she makes progress.<br />
<br />
<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)<br />
-Angst is a little overly prevalent in this book. Juliette could do so much, if she would just stop freaking out every eleven seconds. Obviously she's not going to go from no-experience-of-normal-human-interaction to fine right away, but as a couple of characters pointed out to her, of course everything seems terrible if she's thinking about it to the exclusion of anything else.<br />
<br />
<b>Recommended for</b><br />
Anyone who enjoyed <i>Shatter Me</i>. Everyone else should read <i>Shatter Me</i>, and then <i>Unravel Me </i>will be recommended for you too.<br />
<br />
<b>Quality:</b> Excellent<br />
<b>Enjoyability:</b> Excellent</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-22928629366827614742013-02-08T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-10T21:24:37.510-05:00Friday Favorites | Actors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This Friday's topic is:<br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Actors </b>(male and female)<br />
<br />
Growing up, I never really knew who was in what movies or what specific actors looked like. I've gotten a lot better since then, but I'm still not as good as most people at identifying actors (or at Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon). Even so, I have my favorites, as I'm sure most of you do too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4RQVXdtsxQAiwswjjKQCmni3PqbieU6QOHMHMtOvTkN2_WZuspdc3cFbvq4tStL8sI_b_CYw9NZUAdHUWdHkTxf8M6srvzocf0A9a4mneSMm4fLT6SQkbYqHedoqxsBQMG2LhcmpVD25/s1600/Jensen+Ackles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4RQVXdtsxQAiwswjjKQCmni3PqbieU6QOHMHMtOvTkN2_WZuspdc3cFbvq4tStL8sI_b_CYw9NZUAdHUWdHkTxf8M6srvzocf0A9a4mneSMm4fLT6SQkbYqHedoqxsBQMG2LhcmpVD25/s320/Jensen+Ackles.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Jensen Ackles</b><br />
You know him from: <i>Supernatural</i><br />
Jensen Ackles is both gorgeous and in one of my favorite shows, so of course he has to be on this list.<br />
<i><br /></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_H1H8hVWLhZMLOgleu5aoLekziiMYCDJ_nibvFuOh0JARBMZwpiMwa3IFPSYYzByZfpyA-9xD5c1Ttha3wcTBqS_BTP6XYYu7paQD7-KTyZy4Xj72oHU5Sa_DrKz9X9OAkKyx6jBqUvf/s1600/David+Tennant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_H1H8hVWLhZMLOgleu5aoLekziiMYCDJ_nibvFuOh0JARBMZwpiMwa3IFPSYYzByZfpyA-9xD5c1Ttha3wcTBqS_BTP6XYYu7paQD7-KTyZy4Xj72oHU5Sa_DrKz9X9OAkKyx6jBqUvf/s320/David+Tennant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<b>David Tennant</b><br />
You know him from: <i>Doctor Who</i><br />
I love all the Doctors, but David Tennant is easily my favorite. Watching <i>The End of Time</i> always makes me cry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNzQZB3oocu7S88nLxcPLQIHcVAkfkt9np-CUA6euhMunO2nT71DSDropH5QVr5By18hGzS_k0E9IsUlTBYjmTf5XcEwncjYIiLTLjig1Zo9KpOU66nI2ilvZk-cnrDIh1JNCfjaXapoW/s1600/Jennifer+Lawrence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNzQZB3oocu7S88nLxcPLQIHcVAkfkt9np-CUA6euhMunO2nT71DSDropH5QVr5By18hGzS_k0E9IsUlTBYjmTf5XcEwncjYIiLTLjig1Zo9KpOU66nI2ilvZk-cnrDIh1JNCfjaXapoW/s320/Jennifer+Lawrence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Jennifer Lawrence</b><br />
You know her from: <i>The Hunger Games</i><br />
I thought Jennifer Lawrence made an amazing Katniss, which made me very happy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj92Tp318GUhc0gPF8A93zOHyMMp6eEzp5EpHSxBUALLhGTtNCTBay4I1yRNrSoKfJAsPEPCRAMysGohAZ4GeVIKlDc6o3AvZEkNOLVIdrlf6fe1Yn28sZBiREikJxHxlcqZBEL5m_ZNZ/s1600/Russell+Crowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj92Tp318GUhc0gPF8A93zOHyMMp6eEzp5EpHSxBUALLhGTtNCTBay4I1yRNrSoKfJAsPEPCRAMysGohAZ4GeVIKlDc6o3AvZEkNOLVIdrlf6fe1Yn28sZBiREikJxHxlcqZBEL5m_ZNZ/s320/Russell+Crowe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Russell Crowe</b><br />
You know him from: <i>Gladiator</i>, <i>Les Mis</i><br />
<i>Gladiator </i>is my favorite movie in the world, so Russell Crowe was pretty much inevitable. Plus he was a brilliant Javert in <i>Les Mis</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnPoYDPhElZytsUJfKzoXeAPYWwV5PgIaqOPHaZtiJ4SriVtjAdkMTJhMMQNyvpy1nyxGWfkWuVomM7FB7e9o8yhYpmpX4UwTdQlXTMj0noVydErnHibDQoSjdFIYOX3W2a4mdIVveINP/s1600/Maggie+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnPoYDPhElZytsUJfKzoXeAPYWwV5PgIaqOPHaZtiJ4SriVtjAdkMTJhMMQNyvpy1nyxGWfkWuVomM7FB7e9o8yhYpmpX4UwTdQlXTMj0noVydErnHibDQoSjdFIYOX3W2a4mdIVveINP/s320/Maggie+Smith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Maggie Smith</b><br />
You know her from:<i> Harry Potter</i>, <i>Downton Abbey</i><br />
Maggie Smith is pretty much just awesome...do you really need more of an explanation?<br />
<br />
I could probably think of more, but I'm feeling lazy so I'll stop now. Thanks for stopping by! Who are your favorite actors?<br />
<br />
Don't forget to join us for next week's topic, <b>cities you've visited</b>!<br />
<br />
<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-38590903168049421922013-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-01T00:00:11.416-05:00Friday Favorites | Food<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This Friday's topic is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Food (not desserts)</span><br />
<br />
Even though it was Lolita's idea, not mine, this week's topic is the perfect excuse for me to reminisce about all the food I miss from the US now that I've been living in Korea for a month. And while I really like Korean food, there are definitely some things I would really, really like to be able to get.<br />
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<b>Cheese</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjd87nabgw_bQlk7chg_NE4lSF7xdbY4kpvjoKfXuMjmQwBuajZjOY63JVeweHpt5ttXA0Z2MOsbuy4TiMtkWnGzLHcjsPDCqcmjWfI737xMCSooUz1CsujLRh6OnL-tmM7BXvdvi42GX/s1600/Cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjd87nabgw_bQlk7chg_NE4lSF7xdbY4kpvjoKfXuMjmQwBuajZjOY63JVeweHpt5ttXA0Z2MOsbuy4TiMtkWnGzLHcjsPDCqcmjWfI737xMCSooUz1CsujLRh6OnL-tmM7BXvdvi42GX/s320/Cheese.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For whatever reason, Koreans don't really eat cheese, so the only kind they sell here is this really crappy, cellophane-wrapped "cheddar". I would seriously love some grilled cheese or pizza or just cheese and crackers right now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Cheeseburgers</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERvMylZZwCtIEEdc0q5RENVC-JT9VI24-gWGsf6sS0yJty7SC3tEDtGdgxvebBoG8EAamhVXeT1hsGRkuHk_pTd0p3wt3aQAQwtEsCwz7BYGvSVWvQotktJz7bxSkNsHP_Z2Ccy-SnSzJ/s1600/Perfect-Cheeseburgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERvMylZZwCtIEEdc0q5RENVC-JT9VI24-gWGsf6sS0yJty7SC3tEDtGdgxvebBoG8EAamhVXeT1hsGRkuHk_pTd0p3wt3aQAQwtEsCwz7BYGvSVWvQotktJz7bxSkNsHP_Z2Ccy-SnSzJ/s320/Perfect-Cheeseburgers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On a related note, cheeseburgers are delicious. Oddly, it's quite difficult to find a good burger anywhere I've been outside the US -- I'm told it has to do with whether the cows are grass-fed or corn-fed, and I stopped paying attention after that because who cares. The result is a dearth of burgers of the expected quality, which is always sad.<br />
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<br />
<b>Bread</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK0nhMzELwYk5kyZJ4KdYFAMfL_buIz1Sgzrugr9dikzCec8zaBlkr3kky6Jx9b03Nv-dahX07SzaMjSevrYNPPUCQqyiAtXTw4c2J4PNzuYgNmAiH2ODl5q579sJPC00Tdn3iddrf1RE/s1600/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqK0nhMzELwYk5kyZJ4KdYFAMfL_buIz1Sgzrugr9dikzCec8zaBlkr3kky6Jx9b03Nv-dahX07SzaMjSevrYNPPUCQqyiAtXTw4c2J4PNzuYgNmAiH2ODl5q579sJPC00Tdn3iddrf1RE/s1600/bread.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I love bread way more than is probably good for me. Bread fresh out of the oven is particularly amazing. Actually for this one, I don't miss the US; the country I've lived in that had the best, freshest bread was Germany. Mmmmm. I really miss having bakeries everywhere.<br />
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<br />
<b>Tacos</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn05EvicDqOJ5Q8GnYJ1HN5x72rvk9mb8PGyII5a891T6u0FYjyFk04PzfFOSXrsBAg2AGNULNGGG_n2MMDb7MXRkdDX_OSP5Pe77Lz1mA3L_glxk6WV1Fm40bdL3_rm0oC0GgBOdpeh5/s1600/tacos.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUn05EvicDqOJ5Q8GnYJ1HN5x72rvk9mb8PGyII5a891T6u0FYjyFk04PzfFOSXrsBAg2AGNULNGGG_n2MMDb7MXRkdDX_OSP5Pe77Lz1mA3L_glxk6WV1Fm40bdL3_rm0oC0GgBOdpeh5/s320/tacos.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm not actually sure most Koreans know what tacos are, but you know they're missing out. Tacos and beer is pretty much the perfect meal.<br />
<br />
I think I'll just stop here because I'm getting really hungry. This may not have been the best idea in the world, since I'm far away from most of the foods I want! Oh well, I can always dream.<br />
<br />
Thanks for participating! Be sure to join us for next week's category: <b>actors</b> (male and female).<br />
<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-7030020803360802422013-01-27T09:15:00.000-05:002013-01-27T09:15:42.106-05:00Review | Ever After by Kim Harrison<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2jKlToYgmcIU0yBpvuOqDDnUM9kC5avHhwm7LVLEwZXzYN7SF2JS9qHGZFnD-Vdgh2v4Sd4DpjPugLJ5smfdrej7bjuhokwzC10iq351w51La40Z_NEUp-wmQOMN07q8jYwINhjoTnf5/s1600/EverAfter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2jKlToYgmcIU0yBpvuOqDDnUM9kC5avHhwm7LVLEwZXzYN7SF2JS9qHGZFnD-Vdgh2v4Sd4DpjPugLJ5smfdrej7bjuhokwzC10iq351w51La40Z_NEUp-wmQOMN07q8jYwINhjoTnf5/s1600/EverAfter.jpg" /></a><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13241659-ever-after" target="_blank">Ever After</a></i><br />
Kim Harrison<br />
The Hollows #11<br />
Published 22 Jan 2013 by Harper Voyager<br />
Urban fantasy<br />
4 stars<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing... for the worse.<br />
<br />
While saving the world is important, it isn't Rachel's only motivation. There's also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It's also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He's already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn't give herself up soon, they'll die.<br />
<br />
But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frightening skills of her own, and she isn't going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She's also got a surprise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she's going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones... and prevent an apocalypse before it's too late. Or, at least that's the plan...</blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<i>Contains some inevitable spoilers for previous books in the series. Spoilers for </i>Ever After<i> are hidden and can be seen by highlighting the indicated text.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Bite-Sized Review</b><br />
Although it had a few issues, <i>Ever After</i> was a highly enjoyable read and a good continuation of the series.<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate</b> (things I liked)<br />
-They finally had to deal with the leaking ever after. That's been going on for about three books and it's about time they did something about it.<br />
<br />
-Relationships in this series are always changing. I love that as the characters change, they don't just stay in the same roles; sometimes they grow apart, sometimes they grow closer, sometimes their opinions of people change. That's really one of the best things about this series.<br />
<br />
-The pacing of this book was, for the most part, excellent. There was always something happening, some new escalation of the crisis, but it was all related, with virtually nothing extraneous or irrelevant. Even if I didn't know there were only two more books, it would be clear from the way things are starting to wrap up, which is good.<br />
<br />
<b>Brussels Sprouts</b> (things I didn't like)<br />
-Rachel has this incredibly annoying habit in the last couple books of thinking that she has to do something important, never actually doing it, and then thinking the same thing again 50 pages later, not as a reminder, but as if she hadn't already had the same thought 50 pages ago. I don't know if this is just sloppy editing or what, but it's getting increasingly irritating.<br />
<br />
-Rachel also spends far too much time making her head Drama Central, thinking constantly about her feelings for Trent, her relationship with her friends, her relationship with her enemies, and so on. It's just too much. [highlight to view spoiler] <span style="color: white;">I thought it was strange that, amidst all that, she spent surprisingly little time worried about Ceri and Lucy. Of course, she was concerned, but she seemed more worried about Bis than about her infant goddaughter. </span>And she seems slightly confused as to which disasters are her fault and which aren't. It's like she gets them backwards.<br />
<br />
-[highlight to view spoiler] <span style="color: white;">I was <i>not</i> a fan of the very end of the book. If you can only declare your attraction for someone after drinking half a bottle of wine (and we've all heard "no really, I'm not drunk!" too many times in our lives to believe you), then you're clearly not ready for any kind of romantic relationship. That was not the way to have Trent and Rachel kiss for the first time in uncontested reality.</span><br />
<br />
<b>Recommended for</b><br />
Fans of the series.<br />
<br />
<b>Quality: </b>Acceptable<br />
<b>Enjoyability: </b>ExcellentKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-3550957363425399922013-01-25T13:04:00.001-05:002013-01-25T13:05:10.402-05:00Friday Favorites | Songs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i><i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This Friday's topic is:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Songs</span><br />
<br />
Sorry for being late with this one! It's been a crazy week, and I almost forgot. But it's here now!<br />
<br />
Who doesn't love music? My taste ranges from Disney to Broadway to classic rock to pop and everything in between. Here are a few of my favorites:<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/TzxwOrT6Beo" target="_blank">Payphone</a>" by Maroon 5<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/d9VKmJH9Uqk" target="_blank">Some Nights</a>" by Fun.<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/CQJaZO2nfGg" target="_blank">For Good</a>" by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/zhjNm20XbXw" target="_blank">Only the Good Die Young</a>" by Billy Joel<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/r5uYB9T_GlY" target="_blank">King of Pride Rock</a>" by Hans Zimmer (from <i>The Lion King</i>)<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/eEIiKIXr-10" target="_blank">Black Balloon</a>" by The Goo Goo Dolls<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/-LOgMWbDGPA" target="_blank">Eleanor Rigby</a>" by The Beatles<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/3sb6LduFwRM" target="_blank">Flowers in Your Hair</a>" by The Lumineers<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/hqpqpH3XWfM" target="_blank">Finale B</a>" from RENT<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/YFI-IlsENoc" target="_blank">Irish Rover</a>" by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/ZSS5dEeMX64" target="_blank">I'll Make a Man Out of You</a>" from <i>Mulan</i><br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/kuEmqoPLMBw" target="_blank">Dueling Ninjas</a>" by Trace Bundy<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/xR0DKOGco_o" target="_blank">Hallelujah</a>" by Rufus Wainwright<br />
"<a href="http://youtu.be/xButjfhZWVU" target="_blank">Now We Are Free</a>" by Lisa Gerrard (from <i>Gladiator</i>)<br />
<br />
<br />
I could most definitely keep going, but I should probably stop before you start to ignore me. What do you think of my list? What are your favorites?<br />
<br />
Thanks for participating! Stop by next week to talk about your favorite <b>(non-dessert) foods</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-61196064154483192692013-01-21T08:05:00.000-05:002013-01-21T08:30:26.411-05:00Review | Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUAP3J57RwcRuCU80HOt_N1IFBQH85y_j6a7WcNbpgITtaZXsqM_58cHUCixbzHhXsSaez-WUYb8GHJi8GtQ0DPVRDP1eiWXz4GIPpcj3w9oKmxjcexk1fRpAIJd-hSmDsjIchF80n9Bi/s320/Blackbirds.jpg" width="222" /></span><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12944651-blackbirds" target="_blank">Blackbirds</a></i><br />
Chuck Wendig<br />
Miriam Black #1<br />
Published 2012 by Angry Robot<br />
Urban fantasy<br />
4 stars<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Miriam Black knows when you will die.<br />
<br />
She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.<br />
<br />
But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.<br />
<br />
No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div>
It's really difficult to split this review into things I liked and things I didn't like, so I'm just going to talk without all the organization. <i>Blackbirds</i> was a unique, enthralling read. I could easily have finished it in one sitting, but then my brain would have exploded from disturbing-ness and we wouldn't want that. But the story and the characters were fascinating and even though it didn't end in a cliffhanger, I really want the next book.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe it's because I don't read a lot of horror, but <i>Blackbirds</i> disturbed me in a way that no book has since I read about people being tortured on Catherine wheels when I was twelve. I'm not saying this was a bad thing, but it did mean I had to take breaks every few chapters.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A lot of the disturbing-ness was plain old gruesome violence. <i>Blackbirds</i> contains death, murder, torture, pain, and all sorts of savagery and it's written in a more significant way than what I normally read; there's no glossing over the mayhem here. Some of it is also how screwed-up the majority of the characters are. Again, not a bad thing -- the characters are well-written and interesting. They're just screwed up. Some of them are legitimately evil. Few are legitimately good. Mostly they're somewhere in between.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Part of the unusual impact of the grittier scenes comes from the fact that the book is written in third person present. While first person present is common in YA novels and third person past is probably the most common narrative style there is, I don't think I've ever seen third person present used for an entire book before. In most cases I would say it's a bad choice because the surprise of a different style can jar the reader out of the story (that's how I feel about 1st person present), but here it works really, really well. It reflects the way Miriam, the main character, thinks and it gives the story greater impact.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Miriam's ability, knowing how people will die when she touches them, is one I've actually seen once before, in Meg Cabot's <i>Insatiable</i>, but this story is so much darker (and better) that I could never compare the two. Having this knowledge and not being able to do anything about it is the main source of Miriam's issues, and I found her reaction very believable.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
In this book, everyone had a story that explained why they were who they were. I think it gave the characters greater depth to know that the bad guys were bad guys for a reason. That led to a better plot and to a better book overall. <i>Blackbirds</i> was really excellent on so many levels, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's not squeamish.</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-6615874783096586382013-01-19T12:20:00.002-05:002013-01-19T12:20:55.575-05:00Chocolate from the Cloud<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HOYs8UVtepstZ21SXcm9-VWXPWbvw3bRu7XMfUB_IGnimpeb9LQjVEafxt0KrF0oswl1F2GyS0ohWTqLwMbFVfdkZKDhyphenhyphenmtQZpnED8IR8LrqbHXt7lO-4DwcHc9l82m4sFEJvTkuZ6Sh/s1600/ChocolateFromTheCloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HOYs8UVtepstZ21SXcm9-VWXPWbvw3bRu7XMfUB_IGnimpeb9LQjVEafxt0KrF0oswl1F2GyS0ohWTqLwMbFVfdkZKDhyphenhyphenmtQZpnED8IR8LrqbHXt7lO-4DwcHc9l82m4sFEJvTkuZ6Sh/s320/ChocolateFromTheCloud.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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•Publisher's Weekly has compiled a list of the <a href="http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=9931" target="_blank">2012 starred reviews</a> just in time for awards season.<br />
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•On tor.com, Jo Walton asks if there is a <a href="http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/01/is-there-a-right-age-to-read-a-book" target="_blank">right age to read certain books</a>.<br />
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•A new ebook retailer, Total Boox, has plans to allow customers to <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/55548-pay-as-you-read-upstart-total-boox-hopes-to-change-how-we-buy-e-books.html" target="_blank">purchase only the amount of the book they actually read</a>.<br />
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•Wharton has a piece on <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=3167" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble's future prospects</a> given the increasing impact of digital sales and online retailers (read: Amazon).<br />
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•Tor.com also has a list of <a href="http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/01/where-to-begin-with-star-wars-books" target="_blank">where to begin reading Star Wars books</a>.<br />
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•In a pleasantly hopeful article, Mashable recounts <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/e-books-vs-print/" target="_blank">why print books will never die</a>.<br />
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•Daniel Abraham writes a brilliant <a href="http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/01/when-we-were-heroes" target="_blank">short story about the private lives of superheroes</a> (part of George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards universe).<br />
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•The BBC has a hilarious but insightful article about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21033708" target="_blank">sexist fantasy and sci-fi covers</a>.<br />
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•Young Adult Fiction and Whiskey Sours has a recap of the <a href="http://yafictionandwhiskeysours.blogspot.kr/2013/01/bookish-events-recap-of-evening-of.html" target="_blank">John and Hank Green event at Carnegie Hall</a>.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561652692697289069.post-80335889310287320632013-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:002013-01-18T00:00:04.930-05:00Friday Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Friday Favorites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><center><a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1iQdmcbjqbWIMe0sY7TWinNSAkZSNQhldFYkQl7pyZVq1Y8zeHAsetwt5x6FBqDr-9mOKfjrpTP_sHV6yHg3ZnCme5Y9vnltHMy1rKBysDbgv6HR3mprmRLVuqnXVm0qTDR5qumQReaj/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg"></a></center></span></div>
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<i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
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<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
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<i>These are a few of my favorite things</i></div>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
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To join in, grab the button code, write a post about your favorites for the category of the week, and post your link below. Thanks for participating!</div>
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This Friday's topic is:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">TV Shows</span><br />
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I will take any opportunity to talk about my favorite TV shows (and clearly I have, since I created the topic!). I don't watch a whole lot of it, and I think reality TV is a travesty, but there is definitely some quality television out there. Also after writing my list, I realized I like the nerdiest TV shows ever, and I'm okay with that. In no particular order (except for the last one):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7PB6ZV9v-JdpBUlZKY5If3QRWNFVIAug7snn9H1Pr5TuUjbKytNdek99wU3Xbl2kZEBONMnzLZLvNmWmNTTcRfSuXW4g6VPNeeBRqz_4GWrp4rSKyLYFOKCRYuTXpoGBHJYOgNfsos4R/s1600/Sherlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7PB6ZV9v-JdpBUlZKY5If3QRWNFVIAug7snn9H1Pr5TuUjbKytNdek99wU3Xbl2kZEBONMnzLZLvNmWmNTTcRfSuXW4g6VPNeeBRqz_4GWrp4rSKyLYFOKCRYuTXpoGBHJYOgNfsos4R/s320/Sherlock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Sherlock</i></b><br />
BBC<br />
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I joined Netflix a few months ago and started to discover the wonder that is British television. Sherlock, a modern-day reimagining of Arthur Conan Doyle's illustrious series, is hilarious and brilliant and sometimes sad, but it never fails to be excellent. I can't believe we have to wait so long for season 3!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVs5-z9LvA-5DztDxNYeIJRb6GX3oC3HSqywg2KpkrGvEE2J_21AbdIL4vuMeWxJToWRGjsEg26WYjD1z6iyyIfFrElvf9OuLuDF8vfDFB7iJ9K7w0WmLCj-6cuGSkyGOj3teMe7tFjZbz/s1600/BigBangTheory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVs5-z9LvA-5DztDxNYeIJRb6GX3oC3HSqywg2KpkrGvEE2J_21AbdIL4vuMeWxJToWRGjsEg26WYjD1z6iyyIfFrElvf9OuLuDF8vfDFB7iJ9K7w0WmLCj-6cuGSkyGOj3teMe7tFjZbz/s320/BigBangTheory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>The Big Bang Theory</b></i><br />
CBS<br />
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<i>Big Bang</i> is pretty much the only sitcom I actually watch regularly. I love the characters and their lives, especially Sheldon's impossibly clueless attempts at social interaction. But my favorite character is Raj, who is unbelievably awkward and adorable and can't talk to women unless he's drunk. Great, funny show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvjCujYT0Hc-x_36R9tWOiVeFFby7h-tnWRsDHhuIKzGNxGKmglPsWhEo49eepbz7JMSlgiV-LXvzzj0bO4ii7Spy2C18CndkxKrnftW59Co40w6OzdkPrRn7QPNq29GS9KyEBBQ4XrD5/s1600/Psych.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvjCujYT0Hc-x_36R9tWOiVeFFby7h-tnWRsDHhuIKzGNxGKmglPsWhEo49eepbz7JMSlgiV-LXvzzj0bO4ii7Spy2C18CndkxKrnftW59Co40w6OzdkPrRn7QPNq29GS9KyEBBQ4XrD5/s320/Psych.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Psych</b></i><br />
USA<br />
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<i>Psych</i> is a combination of comedy, criminal investigation, and quirky awesomeness. Shawn is one of my favorite characters, while Gus and Lassiter are the perfect straight men. Shawn's "psychic skills" make for some interesting situations around the Santa Barbara Police Department, particularly with Shawn's total disregard for little things like rules and laws. And it's starting back up next month!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPIj1B_q4gKZZUdd_vPn6SfjM7aDVSnog3rBXjdTz3D80Olz8lJy7KbS9ay_nUA_LmRxhFcaQUmxbfOFutg9xVGLjujZIRPlC0g5Ce9A3BXG9vyIzHFw1TDkEcBTVyksS0vsmSTG__ycn/s1600/Firefly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPIj1B_q4gKZZUdd_vPn6SfjM7aDVSnog3rBXjdTz3D80Olz8lJy7KbS9ay_nUA_LmRxhFcaQUmxbfOFutg9xVGLjujZIRPlC0g5Ce9A3BXG9vyIzHFw1TDkEcBTVyksS0vsmSTG__ycn/s320/Firefly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Firefly</b></i><br />
Fox<br />
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Oh, <i>Firefly</i>. Why did the Fox executives have to cancel you after only one season? You were the second best scifi show in the world: smugglers and thieves struggling against a dystopian government, quick-drawing cowboy space pirates, a pilot who plays with dinosaur figurines, the world's nicest mechanic, a classy courtesan, a batshit crazy unbelievably smart teenager -- what more could you want in a show?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzM8hf0gEwHrZ5dHvEmeaHO-LuP8Y21T8AH0CsGaxv_Yj4lcOzgdDenbIjiDaw9EgiWferLC9-GRiHb6QpeTpi5Hp7bOObcnj-b56_t3lnc8dcZj8wQsloW7x6VXrzjqq0fFlOUR9DY67/s1600/Supernatural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzM8hf0gEwHrZ5dHvEmeaHO-LuP8Y21T8AH0CsGaxv_Yj4lcOzgdDenbIjiDaw9EgiWferLC9-GRiHb6QpeTpi5Hp7bOObcnj-b56_t3lnc8dcZj8wQsloW7x6VXrzjqq0fFlOUR9DY67/s320/Supernatural.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Supernatural</b></i><br />
CW<br />
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I remember watching the first few episodes of this show in about tenth grade, when it first came out, and being extremely nervous about ceilings, planes, water, cabins in the woods, and driving in the dark for several days afterwards. I love the supernatural-hunting schtick and the constant danger. And look at that picture and tell me you wouldn't want to watch those three for forty-two minutes a week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEIcUkNKsZs5HbJd6yyl4FN9R15rkTRpM0UfmdLafmi-ryYWunWA0ndBT7XVZTuT3GVU71RUXyk9L4LceUOIz1HaIzE9Oa_7DOkuTzoczqmnfRWNMa8_ENT3uLJo-r3E0hZceeDpz7uUs/s1600/Doctor-who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEIcUkNKsZs5HbJd6yyl4FN9R15rkTRpM0UfmdLafmi-ryYWunWA0ndBT7XVZTuT3GVU71RUXyk9L4LceUOIz1HaIzE9Oa_7DOkuTzoczqmnfRWNMa8_ENT3uLJo-r3E0hZceeDpz7uUs/s320/Doctor-who.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Doctor Who</i></b><br />
BBC</div>
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<i>Doctor Who </i>is my favorite show in the world. It is probably the best thing ever created since the advent of moving pictures. I started watching it last summer and finished all six seasons in about a month while working full-time and also having a life and stuff. I just love everything about it. It makes me laugh and cry and when the hell is it going to start up again? Also, I love David Tennant more than words can express. Seriously, everyone should watch this show.<br />
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So that's it for this week! If you want to participate, leave a link below, and don't forget to stop by other people's lists and comment! I hope you enjoyed the first ever Friday Favorites. Next week's topic will be <b>songs</b>.</div>
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<script src="http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=884b26d8-5880-47ff-b4b1-c3042cc9914a" type="text/javascript"></script>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com7