Follow My Blog Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

           My answer to this week's Follow Friday question:

What are your new years book blogging resolutions?

1. I would like to host a couple of giveaways in the coming year.  I think it would be fun because I get so excited when I get to give people gifts they really like and who doesn't love books.  
2. I want to comment more on other people's blogs.  I try and write comments but often I just end up reading it and forget to comment.
3. I want to read some new authors and start a couple of new series.  It's great to discover a new author that you love.
4. I'd love to host a blog tour, or some author interviews. 

Thursday's Name Game

Name:  Blake
Gender:  Male
Character From:  Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Meanings and history of the name Blake: 

• It is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Blake is "black; pale, white"..

Personal Experience:

• I went to high school with a boy named Blake.  He was very chill in a coffee house guitarist way.  Also I absolutely love the name Blake for a girl.  I have this thing for "typical' boy's names used for girls.

Places name Blake:

• Blake's Place Cafe, Chino CA

Famous real-life people named Blake: 

• Blake Christina Lively, an American actress
• Blake Lewis, American Idol season 6 runner-up
• Blake Shelton, Country Music singer
• Blake Edwards, screenwriter, director, producer
• William Blake, English poet

Blake in song, story & screen:

• One (Blake's Got a New Face) by Vampire Weekend
• Bad Blake, character in film Crazy Heart
• Balthazar Blake, character in film, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

List adapted from www.babynamewizard.com


These are just some I know...what about you?

Review of Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Book:  Skipping Christmas
Author:  John Grisham
Published By:  Arrow
Pages:  177

From Goodreads:  John Grisham turns a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive holiday season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25. Grisham's story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving they wave their daughter Blair off to Peru to work for the Peace Corps, and they suddenly realize that "for the first time in her young and sheltered life Blair would spend Christmas away from home."
Luther Krank sees his daughter's Christmas absence as an opportunity. He estimates that "a year earlier, the Luther Krank family had spent $6,100 on Christmas," and have "precious little to show for it." So he makes an executive decision, telling his wife, friends, and neighbors that "we won't do Christmas." Instead, Luther books a 10-day Caribbean cruise. But things start to turn nasty when horrified neighbors get wind of the Krank's subversive scheme and besiege the couple with questions about their decision.

I read this as my final novel for the Holiday Reading Challenge hosted by All About {n}.

At first I really liked this novel.  I agree with Luther Krank that some people blow Christmas way out of proportion.  I mean who would really spend over $300 on custom Christmas card and over $6,000 total on Christmas?  I think sometimes it's nice to take a break from all the commercialized aspects of Christmas.  They one thing I was worried about in this novel was that by forgetting Christmas in general, that the Krank's would forget the real meaning of Christmas also.  I liked the part where Nora sat down with their priest and explained that they still believe in Christmas and what it stands for but they are just not celebrating the Halmark Holiday version of it.

I also liked the end of the book (which I won't go into in case anyone wants to read it), but overall I didn't feel like the first part of the book and the second part of the book fit together.  I feel that Grisham was trying to get two conflicting points across and it didn't flow together for me.

As for characters I actually like Luther Krank, but did not like his wife Nora.  I felt that she was a coward a times and very whiny.  Also some of the other characters in the book were rude and pushy.  I definitely wouldn't want to live in that neighborhood.

Overall I'd give this book:  ★★★  

Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays.  I hope you get to enjoy spending the Holidays with those you love and eating lots of great food. 

Thursday's Name Game

Name:  Simon
Gender:  Male
Character From:  The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Meanings and history of the name Simon: 

• It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Simon is "to hear, to be heard; reputation". Biblical: Simon was the name of two of the apostles, including Simon Peter.

Personal Experience:

• None...what about you?

Places name Simon:

• Simón Bolívar Airport, airport serving the capital city of Venezuela, Caracas
• Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela

Famous real-life people named Simon: 

• Simon Bolivar, "El Libertador" liberated most of South America from Spain (19th Century)
• Simon Baker, Australian actor (The Mentalist)
• Simon Cowell, British music executive and television personality (American Idol)
• Simon Gallup, Rock Bassist (The Cure)
• Simon LeBon, British singer-songwriter (Duran Duran) 

Simon in song, story & screen:

• "Simon Says", children's game
• "Simple Simon" children's rhyme
• Simon Bae, character in the Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong
• Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks
• Simon Camden, character in the tv series 7th Heaven

List adapted from www.babynamewizard.com


These are just some I know...what about you?

What makes you tick?

So I was reading the novel Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and in the beginning these schoolmates are harassing Nick the main character.  The harassing went past the whole joking stage into full on bullying insulting Nick's socially economic status, his clothing, and his mother.  I was reading this cringing, yelling and almost crying because I felt so bad for Nick.  I've noticed that certain situations in books evoke my emotions more than others where I'm literally yelling at characters.  After last night I relized that bullying is one of them. 

What about you?  Are there certain situations in books that having you yelling, cheering, crying, etc. out-loud?  If so which ones and what books are they in? 

Review of Heist Society by Ally Carter

Book:  Heist Society
Author:  Ally Carter
Published By:   Hyperion Book
Pages:  287

From Goodreads:  When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

This was a fun, cute read.  I really enjoyed the plot and thought the author did a wonderful job at always keeping me on my toes with unexpected twists and turns.

Carter also did a great job with the characterization.  I got to know more and more about each of the characters, especially Katarina and Hale, as the novel progressed.  It started with just a glimpse of their thief personalities and then grew into who they were as people.  

Carter's writing was fun and flirty with enough of a mystery to keep you wanting more.  I really felt like I was part of the Heist team and was planning a job.  I loved all the details involved in the heist and the unexpected direction each new piece of information took them.  I felt a little like I was in the Thomas Crown Affair.  

I wish there was a little more action and explanation behind the actions that were there.  I sometimes found myself having to reread parts to understand why they were doing a certain mission or maneuver but I guess that's all part of the stealthy game of thievery.   

Overall:  ★★★★