Read-A-Thon Update #2 and final one

I was only able to read six books for the Read-A-Thon. I was busy Friday and Saturday.

I did one more challenge. It was the quotes one. Matching the quote with the right book.

Well, I've had fun doing the Read-A-Thon and I tried to do some of the challenges when I had the time. I enjoyed myself though. I really love these Read-A-Thons.

Read-A-Thon Update #1

Since my last post, I've read three more books and done two challenges.

Here are the books I've read:

Miracle Girls Volume 2
Miracle Girls Volume 3
Bone #5 by Jeff Smith

So that makes a total of six books I've read so far.

I done the Something Wicked This Way Comes challenge. This was my reply: This is a tough question. Right away I would grab my hamsters, then my laptop and notebooks. Then, if I had time I would grab as many of my books and other things important to me as I can.



I also did the title challenge and this is what I came up with:
That Summer at The Beach House, I watched the Rising Sun.

I'll update again soon.

Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon Starts!

Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I got busy and I've been doing a lot, writing, making Native crafts to sell and other stuff.

Anyway, today starts the Read-A-Thon. I've been waiting for it and I started reading books for it at midnight. I can't wait for the challenges either. Hopefully I will have time to do some of them.

This is what I've read so far:

I Am The Mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting
Meet Kaya by Janet Beeler Shaw
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by  Paul Fleischman

I'll update again when I've read some more books and done a few challenges.

Book Review: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali.

Rating: Five Stars

Nujood is a simple village girl, who loves school and playing with children her own age. But her life is suddenly turned upside down when she is forced to marry a older man. This is Nujood's story.

At 10 she was forced by her father to marry a man that was 30 and he promised not to touch her until she reached puberty.
Nujood is quickly married and then goes to live with her husband and his family. She meets her mother-in-law, who turns out not to be a very kind woman, and her life begins as a wife. But Nujood's husband doesn't keep his promise. On her first night living there, he comes into her bedroom and rapes her. This continues each night and then he starts to beat her for refusing him.
Two months later, Nujood is staying with her parents after begging her husband to let her. And it's there she gets up the courage to go to court.
After waiting for a half a day to meet a judge, when a judge finally shows up he asks her what she wants.
"I want a divorce," Nujood said.

I read this book because someone on a blog recommended it and I am glad that I did read this. Nujood's story is truly inspiring. She was a brave girl, fighting for a divorce and her freedom from a abusive man.
I think one day Nujood will make a great lawyer and help a lot of women/young girls that might be in the same situation she was in. I know it took a lot for her to go court and for her to share her story, but in doing so, other young girls have begun speaking up and divorcing their husbands they were forced to marry. What she went through was horrible, but the courage she had to speak up, it seems has inspired others to speak up, too, and do something about their situation. I'm glad she shared her story and I hope it continues to inspire people to speak up when they are in a situation like hers.

The book was well-written and inspiring. It's definitely one I'd recommend to people.

Final Update

I read a total of 8 books for the Read-A-Thon, which can be seen on my last post, and I did a total of two challenges. I wish I could of done more challenges, but at least I did a few. Plus, there is going to be another Read-A-Thon so I should be able to do more of the challenges when that ones comes up.

I had fun doing this Read-A-Thon just like the last one and I can't wait for the next one.

Read-A-Thon Update

I finally got time to update.

Here are the books I've read so far:

Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton
Owly: Just A Little Blue by Andy Runton
Giants, Dragons and Gods: Constellations and Their Folklore by Dirk Gringhuis
The Wizard by Jack Prelutsky
Tales of the Cryptids by Halls, Spears & Young
The Battlefield Dead by Elizabeth Matusiak
Hell Girl Volume 1 by Miyuki Eto

And I just finished Supernatural Pennsylvania by Laurie Hull.

I've only done one challenge, but I'm doing to try and do some of the challenges today if I have time. That's my update for now.

First Day Of The Wicked Winter Read-A-Thon

This is the first day of the Read-A-Thon and I began reading books after midnight came. I'll do an update on the books I've read so far later.

But for now, I'll update saying I did the challenge at Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf's blog. The challenge was to create a sentence using the following titles:

Kissing Snowflakes
Shiver
Cold Kiss
The Black Ice
Frozen
After the Snow
Frost
Cold Magic
Winter Garden

My sentence: KISSING SNOWFLAKES AFTER THE SNOW makes my lips feel FROZEN.

I posted it as a comment on blog and decided I'd post it on here so I can update at least a little for now.

But I will probably update again later. I'm leaving soon so I don't have time to write a post on all the books I've read so far yet.

Winter Read-A-Thon!

The Winter Read-A-Thon starts on the 3rd! And I borrowed some books from the library to read over the book weekend for it.

I'll have to go and check out what the challenges are and of course, I'll be doing updates over the weekend. Can't wait for the Read-A-Thon!

What I'm Reading 1/23/12 & Other Stuff

I know I haven't updated in awhile. Sorry I've been busy with other stuff. I've started Cherokee Language classes and that's taken up some of my time, although I missed my class last week because the high speed wasn't working all that good. At least the videos are archived so I can catch up.

Anyway, it's 2012. Can't believe how fast 2011 went. So far this year I've read 8 books. My total of books read last year was 181!

My birthday was also recently, it was on the 21st. I share my birthday with Emma Bunton, who is better known as Baby Spice. I've been a fan of the Spice Girls for about 15 years or so, and I'm happy to share my birthday with one of them.
Today is Chinese New Year and it is the year of the Dragon. I was born in the year of the Dragon. So, this is my year and I know great things will happen. I'm looking forward to them.

What I'm currently reading is The Woman In Black by Susan Hill. The movie is coming out next month, starring Daniel Radcliff. I really want to see the movie and I decided I'd read the book before the movie was released to theaters.

I'm about 36 pages in and I'm enjoying it so far. I might post a review after I finish reading it.

I'll try to update again soon.

What I'm Reading 12/29/11

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. With it being the holiday season, I have been busy and did have time to post anything before Christmas. I'll try to update again soon with a post of the stuff I got for Christmas. So I hope everyone had a good Christmas and hope your New Year will be wonderful as well.

Now onto what I'm currently reading . . .

This book is about Tria, who has been accepted at a school for the Magically Gifted. I know this sort of sounds like Harry Potter, but I think the only thing that this book and Harry Potter has in common is that the main character has magical powers and she goes to a school for magical peoples, but it ends there.

I found this book at my library and decided to give it a try. So far, it is really a wonderful book and has me hooked. Once I finish I might try and post a review for this book since I am really enjoying it.

Book Review: Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story

Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson

Rating: Five Stars


Times may have changed, but Coyote has not. He is up to his old tricks again and on Christmas Eve, Coyote finds himself hungry. Coyote decides to dress up as Santa Claus and trick a family into giving him a free meal. But in the end, Coyote's trick turns into a gift for the family who fed him.

Coyote is the infamous trickster of Native American tales. He is often selfish, greedy, needy and can be naughty, but in a funny way. Tales of Coyote are used to teach children what they aren't supposed to do.
This was a wonderfully told story. Coyote is the same as always and the story is just good. And of course, in the end Coyote makes a bit of a fool of himself.
It was a delightful book. I really enjoyed it.

Book Review: The Reindeer Keeper

The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward

Rating: Five Stars


Abbey and her husband Steve move into the farmhouse that was given to her father after he passes away.
There is a barn full of animals and a little man named Thomas who takes care of them all, including the Reindeer. Abbey and Steve are looking forward to Christmas with their children, who are coming home for the holiday. It turns out, Christmas is the most wonderful it has ever been and Abbey learns a lot from living in the farmhouse and the reindeer keeper Thomas.

I won this book in a giveaway from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. It is the story of a family coming together, forgiveness and magic.
There is so, so much I want to say about this book. The characters were likeable, flawed, but generally tried their best to do good. They were easy to relate to. This book brought tears to my eyes more than once and I felt everything the characters felt: love, sadness, joy and pain.
It was beautifully written, wonderful in every way and truly makes you believe in Santa Claus, wonder and magic. Believing in those things aren't just for children, it's okay for adults to believe too, and that is what the characters in the book learn. Believe in magic, in the wonder of it all. Life is precious, cherish every moment and love.

I love this book. Although sad, it was beautiful and I just wonder why this wasn't a bestseller? It is wonderful! More people should know about this book and read it. I highly recommend this book. It definitely great to read at Christmas time.

What I'm Reading 12/5/11

First of all, I want to say thank you to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for the wonderful giveaway that I won the book from that I'm currently reading. Check out her blog here:

The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward.

Book description: Abbey senses something special about the little man tending to the reindeer who, along with a century-old farmhouse, a barn full of animals, and fields abounding in woods and pasture, was a gift to Abbey from a stranger. Abbey and her husband, Steve, move in just before the holidays. They have been together since the '60s, eloping when Steve returned from Vietnam. Now with Abbey's cancer in remission, they're looking forward to their boys coming home for Christmas.

Turns out this Christmas proves to be more magical than anticipated as Abbey realizes an understanding never thought possible through the rekindling of a belief rooted in childhood. Of course it's who delivers this gift on Christmas Eve that gives Abbey and Steve the strength to face their greatest challenge.

I am happy to have won this book and although I am only about 30 pages in, I am really enjoying it. I got it in the mail on Monday and figured I would read it before Christmas. Once I finish it, I'll try to write a review and post it on here.

Dreamcatchers & Feather Hair Clips

Since all I've been posting about is books on here, I thought I'd blog about something different.

If you didn't know already, last month was Native American heritage month. And as an American Indian, I decided to share my heritage and other Native American related stuff with people on my Xanga blog.

One thing I shared was some of the Dreamcatchers and Feather Hair Clips I've made. I am Cherokee and although making Dreamcatchers isn't a Cherokee tradition, but they are something that have become associated with Native American culture in general. And Feather Hair Clips just look nice and are becoming very popular.

I've recently started making Dreamcatchers, Feather Hair Clips and I plan to make other Native crafts as well.




And of course, everything I make is for sale. I've been trying to sell online as well as get my crafts into local stores where I live. I'll be putting my crafts into the local library's book store as soon as I sign the contract. So I'm pretty excited about that.

Anyway, that is what I've been making. I also plan to make some Leather Hair Wraps and some necklaces. I'll post some pictures of those when I do.

What I'm Reading 11/22/11

src="http://toyxplosion.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Dork-Diaries-3-Tales-from-a-Not-So-Talented-Pop-Star.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> I finally got my hands on the third book in this series. I love the first two books and I know I'll love this one too.

A Sudden Wild Magic by Diana Wynne Jones is actually one of her adult novels. I started it a few days ago and I like it so far. It is different than her other books though, but I'm sure I'll like it.

Disappointing Reads

Lately there have been three books that have been disappointing reads for me. All three books were ones I have been looking forward to reading and when I finally got my hands on them, excited to read them, they were all rather disappointing.

The first book was Dreamland Lake by Richard Peck. It sounded like a wonderful mystery book. I found it over the summer through my library's website and I finally borrowed it a few weeks ago. I couldn't wait to read it. It sounded so good, so much like my type of book. But when I got it and finally it, it was just kind of boring. I couldn't get into the story or relate to the characters and it wasn't a great mystery like I'd thought it would be.

The next book was Among The Ghosts by Amber Benson. I love ghost books and this one caught my eye. It wasn't a bad book. It was definitely interesting at parts, good at parts, and not so good at other parts, if that makes sense. It just wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

And the last one, the one I finished earlier this morning was House Made of Dawn N. Scott Momday. The author is a American Indian and I've been making it a point to read books about American Indians and books written by Native authors. I'm Cherokee myself and I've been trying to learn what I can from books and trying to find some new authors to read that are Native. Anyway, this is a book I've been wanting to read for awhile, another that I have been very excited to read. I've heard and read many good things about this book.
I do not think this is a bad book. In fact, I think N. Scott Momaday is a wonderful writer. The way he describes things is quite beautiful, but I had a problem getting into the story. I'm not sure what it was. It seems to be written in the same way that Love Medicine was (Another book by a Native author). And while the writing in both books is beautiful and very well-written, it is sort of off putting. Sometimes it is even confusing and that is what made it hard for me to get into either of those books. But perhaps, at a later time, I will try to re-read House Made of Dawn.

Recent Buys

The other day I went to the library and my library has a small bookstore. They sell used books, but all the books are in very good condition and most of the time look brand new. The books are always very, very good prices. I think the most I ever paid for a book there is $4. Anyway, on my most recent trip to the library I just had to visit their bookstore, and as always, I found at least a few books to buy.

I'm not into really romance books. In fact, I've only ever read one and it was many years ago. But the reason I bought Mrs. Miracle is because I saw the commercial on TV for the movie and I've really been wanting to watch the movie. So I thought I would give the book a chance and see if I like it. I also figured it would be a great book to read for Christmas.

I bought this just because I love the movie and the book by Cornelia Funke. I'm not expecting it to be as good as Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I know it won't be, but I just wanted it basically because I like Inkheart the movie, the actors in the movie and the really wonderful book that it's based on it.

What I'm Reading 11/17/11

Yesterday I started reading The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. It is about a 12 year old named Amy who goes to stay with her aunt for awhile. She finds a dollhouse in the attic and is fascintated by it. It is exactly like the house she is staying in with her aunt.
But strange things begin to happen in the dollhouse that Amy can't explain. Doors open and close, sometimes there is even a strange light. Amy feels the dollhouse is trying to tell her something. . .

This is book is really good. I've read 100 pages already. It's a page turner and I'm loving it.

What I'm Reading 11/15/11

I finished Cirque Du Freak: Vampire Mountain yesterday and started reading Cirque Du Freak: Trials of Death.

In Trials of Death Darren must undergo five trials to prove himself as a vampire. If he fails, it could mean death.

Vampire Mountain was really good, but I'll wait to write a review until I finish the whole series. But I will say the series is addictive. I always get hooked right away when I begin reading one of these books and I end up reading them very quickly. They are definitely pages turners.

What I'm Reading 11/12/11

What I'm reading right now is Cirque Du Freak: Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan. It is the fourth book in the series.

I'm not too far in yet, only about 4 chapters in. But I'm hooked already and it always happens with these books. I've read that some people think that the writing is too simple, but simple or not, these books are good!

The fourth book deals with Darren having to journey to Vampire Mountain to have meeting with the vampire princes.

As much as I enjoyed the other three books, I'm sure I'll enjoy this one just as much and I'll be finished reading it in no time.