Fairy Metal Thunder Read-Along Week 3

The Fairy Metal Thunder Read-Along & Scavenger Hunt is hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, Kelly of Reading the Paranormal, Tina of Tina’s Book Reviews, and Jen of In the Closet With a Bibliophile.

Questions for Chapters 14-20 of Fairy Metal Thunder:

1. In the beginning of chapter 14, poor Jason is having a tough time at work. Its busy, people are rude, there are hot girls talking to him, big lady's are about to starve, all in all bad work day. So tell us about a time when you had to deal with a pushy customer or rude behavior, did you freak, keep it together, throw a slawburger?

Whenever I had a grumpy or rude costumer I would smile back pleasantly and tell them I can get the manager for them if they'd like.  I figure it was always better to send them to someone higher up, that way I did have to get yelled at all day.  Even now when I encounter rude people, I try to be as pleasant as possible, but inside I'm fuming and thinking very bad things.  Then I usually call either my family or my besties so they can commiserate with me. 

2. In chapter 16 Jason is getting ready to shoot his rocking music video and perform for a crowd. Have you ever made a rock video, been in a play or anything that shows you doing something with musical talent? Extra points if you want to show us.

I was in show choir (essentially Glee) when I was in high school so I'm sure there are videos of all those performances but I have no idea where they are.  My friends and I also used to make music videos when we were bored.  We would dress in costumes, sing (or lip-sing) and just have fun.  One of my favorites was during Christmas time and we did Santa Baby.

3. Speaking of videos, the boys have a little chat about Steven Spielberg in chapter 17, what is your favorite Spielberg movie? Can't think of one...well then tell us about one of your favorite Sci-fi movies.

There are so many greats ones that I can't chose just one.  These are some of my favorites...The Goonies, Schindler's List, Twister, Saving Private Ryan, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Eagle Eye.  All great movies!

4. At the end of Chapter 17 the guys say bye to Dred who is getting ready to move, did you ever have to start over in a new school or new place when you were in highschool? Was it good, bad...horrible?

I went to a college where I didn't know anyone.  At first I hated it and wanted to quit and go home, but soon I met some people and gradually I couldn't imagine ever leaving.  My first friend at college is actually still one of my best friends and that proves the struggle was completely worth it. 

5. If you had a pet Unicorn what would you name it?

I found this site of 100 Unicorn names and their meanings.  How crazy is that?  Anyway I picked Annamika which means full of grace. 

Fairy Metal Thunder Read-Along: Week 2

The Fairy Metal Thunder Read-Along & Scavenger Hunt is hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, Kelly of Reading the Paranormal, Tina of Tina’s Book Reviews, and Jen of In the Closet With a Bibliophile.

Questions for Chapters 7-13 of Fairy Metal Thunder:

1. Unfairly grounded by his parents, Jason decides to lie to them so he can go to the audition in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, not only does the audition end poorly but his parents discover his lie and things go downhill from there. Tell us the most outrageous lie you've ever been caught in. Bonus points if you can provide pictorial proof. Reenactments eagerly accepted.
I don't ever remember being caught in a lie or lying very much in particular.  I can be kind of ditsy at times so I stick with the truth (besides the little white lies of liking someone's haircut, outfit, etc.) because otherwise I'd forget the lie and then it would all crumble and burn.

2. In Faerie, Aoide is summoned to see the Faerie Queen. Have you ever met someone important like the Faerie Queen? Someone famous? Tell us the story behind how it happened. Once again, pictures are a plus!

When I was a junior in high school President George W. Bush come to my school and delivered a speech on Educational Accountability for the No Child Left Behind campaign.  (Yes we did get patted down by tall, dark and handsome secret service men).  Does that count as meeting a famous person?  I've also met some wonderful authors, but I have no pictures of that. 

3. Caught lying to his father about his non-existent job at the car wash, Jason has now found gainful employment at Buddy McSlawburger's - where he's forced to wear "the funny hat" as part of his uniform. What's the worst job you've ever had? Did it involve a particularly noxious uniform? Tell us about it - in riveting, full-color detail!

I sound kind of boring this week, but I haven't really had any horrible jobs.  I did work at Shopko (a short description for those of you who haven't heard of Shopko...little higher up than Wal-Mart, but not as nice as Target) and we had to wear khakis pants and a red polo shirt.  To this day I will not wear a read shirt and khakis colored pants or skirt together because it reminds me of working there. 

4. In an effort to regain their stolen instruments, Aoide and Rhodia travel to the sugar swamp to hire a hunter. Wouldn't you love to live somewhere where the water is sweet and the grass is made of sugar cane? Show us a picture of you enjoying your favorite sweet treat. Or, rewrite history and tell us how your version of the sugar swamp would differ from the one in the book.

My sugar swamp would be exactly like Candy Land only more popcorn and ice cream.  I was imagining the Candy Land in Katy Perry's music video for California Girls, except no bra shooting whip cream (though at times I'm sure that would be fun).  I love popcorn and the crazier the toppings the better.  But since it's summer I can't get enough of ice cream...especially in the form of an ice cream sandwich!  Yummy!  (Enjoy the crazy angle...my 23 month old niece wanted to take the picture.)

Questions for Chapter 1-6 of Fairy Metal Thunder:

1. At the beginning of the story, the Assorted Zebras are just a garage band, but they are expecting to make it big. Who knows, you just might find yourself at one of their concerts someday. Until then, show me your favorite concert t-shirt. It could be a picture of a concert you actually attended or a pic of a vintage tee of your favorite band. Be sure to tell me the story behind the tee.

The summer before my senior year of high school, five of my friends and I took a road trip to see Dave Mathews Band. The traffic for the concert was so bad that we drove the shoulder of the interstate for five miles just to get to the exit. As we were inching along my best friend (who was driving her car and was right behind my car) wasn't paying attention and rear-ended me and totalled my car. But never fear, after the tow truck came, we still got a ride to the concert and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

And to make the story even better, I accidentally stole this shirt.  Someone was selling them during the concert and as I was hanging on to the shirt I went to get out my money and the guy disappeared.  Apparently the person was selling counterfeit shirts and the security guards came around just as I was reaching for my money. I had no idea and wanted to find the guy to give him my money, until my friends told me what went down.  As you can see, I decided to keep the shirt anyway. 

2. Jason’s mom forces him to agree to do some yard work for Mrs. Dullahan, which wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t rumored to be a witch. Tell me about the worst chore you were ever forced to do. Who make you do it? Bonus points if you have a picture to share of you doing the dirty work.

I really don't like to iron.  In fact, I am the type of person that if something is wrinkled I will just throw it back in the dryer.  (Please excuse the messy laundry room)  

3. Uh oh! There seems to be a jewelry thief in the neighborhood. Have you have had anything stolen from you? Or have you ever lost something precious? Did you ever find it? Make a Reward if Found poster for the stolen or lost item. Convince us to find it for you. Make the reward good!

A couple of years ago, I was at a party at one of my friend's place.  I was wearing some killer heals (literally, I think I still have the blisters) and so like any fun loving party girl I took my shoes off.  A couple of hours later my friend ran up to me and told me someone left wearing my new shoes!  Are you kidding me?  Who steals shoes? 

 

4. In Faerie, Jason declares himself as Jason the Guy Who Wants That Necklace Back. Weird, but then again every name has a meaning. What does your name mean? What is the origin? Do you go by any kind of nicknames? How did you get that nickname?

Lisa is Hebrew for "God's Promise."  As for nicknames my dad and sister called me kid-o until my sister had my niece.  Now I'm permanently known as "Auntie" to my immediately family.   

5. When Jason gets home from his all night adventures through Fairy, his parents unfairly ground him for a month! Care to share a time you were grounded by your parents for no good reason?

Surprisingly I was either a pretty good kid, or I was really good at not getting caught.  Believe it or not, I was never grounded. 

Hounded Read-along: Week 5

I have been wanting to read this book for a while so when the lovely ladies from Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, On a Book Bender, Smash Attack Reads!, In the Closet With a Bibliophile, and The Unread Reader decided to host this read-along I jumped on board. Come join the fun!

Questions for Chapters 21-25 + epilogue

1. In a moment of anger, Atticus reveals something about himself that he usually keeps very secret, for his own benefit. Has something similar ever happened to you? Have you ever spilled a closely guarded secret in a moment of excitement or anger or absent-mindedness?

I don't think that I've ever spilt a secret in moments of anger, but I know that I've said things that I regret.  It may not be secrets about anyone else, but I think it reveals something about me and it is something that I hope I don't do much of anymore. 

2. Atticus tells Mrs. MacDonagh, "the universe is exactly the size that your soul can encompass. Some people live in extremely small worlds, and some live in a world of infinite possibility." Then he asks her what she is going to do with the new information she has discovered. What would you do if you found out that other beings were among us? Would you deny it or embrace it?

I would love to say I'd embrace it, but I'm a pretty logical person and it would take more than someone biting on my neck for a little liquid nourishment to make me believe in other beings.  (I mean humans have some interesting fetishes too.)  I think I'd need proof multiple times before it would finally sink in.  But once I believed, I would embrace it 100%.  I love individuality and as long as no one is trying to kill me or eat me alive I'm all for it!

3. So far, Atticus has revealed a few of his powers and has even shared some power by putting bindings on Granuaile. What do you think has been his coolest or most helpful power so far?

I love his power to cast invisibility cloaks on people and things.  Just imagine the power of hiding anything and anyone.  Man I would have loved that power in high school. 

4. Atticus gets pretty pissed when he finds out that Aenghus Óg is drawing power from the Earth and, in turn, killing it. That's when Atticus decides he must fight the old Fae for committing such a heinous offense. What is something you would fight for, even if it meant you might die trying?

So I must admit I'm kind of a wuss.  I hate confrontation and will avoid it at all costs.  I know the only thing I would fight for is my family...everyone else, get your own damn body guard because I'm too cute to get shot and I seriously need to be alive so I can find Mr. Sweep-me-off-my-feet-change-my-last-name-I'll-love-you-forever-and-I'll-always-do-the-dishes.  BTW if you see him, send him my way please!     

5. What did you think of the final showdown between Atticus and Aenghus Óg? Did it go down the way you expected? Was there anything about their battle that surprised you?

The battle didn't go down as I expected.  I hate to say it, but it felt almost too easy for Atticus.  I wanted some down and dirty, gladiator style, fight to the death battle.  I love that Atticus got help, but a little more hand-to-hand combat would have been nice. 

6. What was your favorite/least favorite part of Hounded? Who was your favorite/least favorite character?

My favorite part was when Atticus would talk to Mrs. MacDonagh.  I think it showed what a great person he is and it made me like him even more.  My least favorite part would be when Atticus has Emily's head and he's thinking about sending it to the new coven.  Gross and totally inconvenient to be suck with the head of the person he hates while the cops are still him.  My favorite character (hands down) would be Oberon.  He made me laugh so much and always brought a smile to my face.  My least favorite character would be Emily...she was such a snotty brat.

7. What do you think is coming up next for Atticus? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

I would like to see Atticus teach Granuaile to become a druid and maybe meet a nice girl, instead of these goddess who use and abuse him.  As for reading this next book, I already ordered it!  I can't wait to see what happens next.

Hounded Read-along: Week 4

I have been wanting to read this book for a while so when the lovely ladies from Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, On a Book Bender, Smash Attack Reads!, In the Closet With a Bibliophile, and The Unread Reader decided to host this read-along I jumped on board. Come join the fun!

Questions for Chapters 16-20

1. Just after Atticus is shot, Oberon has to "ninja" his way out of the shop and into Hal's Beamer (with the icky air freshener). Have you ever been in a situation where you had to "ninja" your way out and try not to be discovered? If so, what happened?

Shhh...you can't tell anyone but I'm actually part of a secret family of ninjas.  My code name is Chopstick.  We have some serious ninja skills so beware.  As for my non-ninja self, the last time I remember having to sneak out without being discovered was when I saw an ex-boyfriend at the store with his new girlfriend.  I ducked down a different isle, stashed the cereal I was going to buy on a shelf, and left as fast as I could.  It may be immature but it was a Friday night and I was buying cereal and renting a movie...not how you want your ex-boyfriend to picture your life.    

2. Atticus's main goal through a large portion of the book is not only protecting Oberon, but also protecting the sword. You are now living in a paranormal world and you need a weapon! What weapon do you choose and what can it do?

I want a wand...all Harry Potter style.  You can do everything with that small piece of wood.  If Harry can take down the Dark Lord, I hope I could at least cast a Patronus charm.  I think my Patronus would be a tiger.  What would yours be? 

3. To recharge and heal after being shot, Atticus sleeps naked, tattoos to the earth, in a patch of grass near the Civic Center in downtown Scottsdale. Where is the weirdest place you have ever slept?

I had to sleep at the Atlanta airport overnight because ours was the last flight of the night to get cancelled and all the hotels were filled already.  It was not a very fun experience and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 

4. We finally find out some very interesting information about Granuaile and I don't know about you, but I certainly wasn't expecting to find that she's sharing her head with someone else. What about you, did you expect anything along those lines? If not, what were you expecting concerning Granuaile?

That blew me away.  I had no clue.  I think I was expecting her to be some goddess in disguise that would save the day. 

5. Laksha is a witch, a truly evil one at that for many of the things she's done in the past. However, she's supposedly seen the error of her ways. Do you think she really has? Would you be willing to trust her? Do you think Atticus is smart to have decided to trust her to help him with the "other" witches?

I don't think I would trust her.  I'm all for second chances, but his track record with witches is not the best.  I think Atticus needs her so he's put in a situation where he has to semi-trust her, but I think he will keep a very close eye on her.