Friday, November 22, 2013

Another NaNoWriMo Update!

I am so excited. I have reached the 50,000 word challenge and still have time remaining in November.

I seriously did not think I would be able to do it! I have written things in the past, small things, and usually I wouldn't make it passed the first couple of chapters in a story/book. I wrote a lot of horrendous poems in college.

But I did it and I am just so ecstatic about it! I want to jump up and down and yell
"HOORAY!!! I DID IT!!!"

And I think that I was able to do this because of the inspiration I found from Marissa Meyer. (Seriously if you are reading this and haven't read any of her books, DO IT. Stop reading my blog and get your hands on a copy of the Cinder series!)

Her pep talk is wonderful. It really helped me. ---> You can read that pep talk here!

I also think the NaNoWriMo home region network that I joined for my area helped as well.

And I am happy that I am still writing.

And I am already looking forward to next year!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Man of Steel

(source)
Man of Steel




My Personal Rating:






I am glad we own it on blu-ray and I would definitely watch it again.

Beef and I watched this last week and I must say I really enjoyed watching the movie.

Let me start off by saying I like Superman. I haven't really read any of the comics, which is on my long list of to-dos. But I have watched the some of the Superman movies, I used to watch Lois and Clark and I really liked Smallville.So I was of course excited to watch this movie.

Superman/Clark Kent is played by Henry Cavil. And now I see why I kept hearing well actually reading online about how hot he is.
Amy Adams plays Lois Lane, which I liked. I really like Amy Adams. I love her in a lot of other movies. And I was happy to see her in this one. I think she did well.

I think the movie was full of action. There were several fight scenes.

I also really liked Russel Crowe as Jor-el. I think he did an awesome job!

I liked the flashbacks that Superman had where something would happen and he would remember growing up here on earth.


***Possible Spoiler***
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I was a little frustrated with how Jonathon Kent died, but understand the point that scene was trying to make. Jonathon Kent died protecting Clark's secret identity.

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I really liked it and I think the actors were a good fit. I look forward to seeing the sequel in a few years.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

NaNoWriMo Week 2

Week two has come to an end, and I am happy to report I am still participating. And due to that, I haven't had much time to read.

I am currently reading a Good Reads First Reads book: The Severed Tower by J. Barton Mitchell. I am over half done with it too. I'll probably finish it in the next couple of days. It is pretty good. Been hard focusing attention away from reading to write something myself.

I have written about 40,600+ words of a story that I have been thinking about for over a year.

I am so glad that I decided to go ahead and write. For the most part, I really enjoy writing. There have been moments that I am just not in the mood. But for an exception of two days out of seventeen, I have written something everyday.

I look forward to finishing.

Even if my writing sucks. Every time the thought crosses my mind, I end up stopping for a while. But at least I have continued to have the motivation to go back to writing the story.

Beef keeps telling me, "As long as it is a story YOU love, you should keep writing. 100 different people could read it, and you will get 100 different responses. So just keep doing what makes you happy. Write how you want to."




Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasaed149049.html#BJ6WKSAlP5XrDAGi.99



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Have You Ever Seen a Sneep? By Tasha Pym



Title: Have You Ever Seen a Sneep?
Author:  Tasha Pym
Pictures: Joel Stewart
Length: Approx. 24 pgs
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Classification: Children's Book
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Source: Hardback
Pity the boy narrating this book! He’s just trying to enjoy a day out, but every time his back is turned, the Sneep and its mischievous friends sneak up and spoil his fun. From one hairraising surprise to the next, the boy explains his monster troubles to us. And when he finds out that we aren’t harried by Grullocks and Floons and their ilk, he has a big favor to ask.
This hilarious story, illustrated with whimsical and witty style, features five naughty creatures and one adorable hero.



Thursday, November 7, 2013

Allegiant by Veronica Roth


Title: Allegiant
(Divergent #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Length: 544 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books-HarperCollins
Classification: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Source: e-book
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.




***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.*** 

Monday, November 4, 2013

National Novel Writing Month

 Thanks to some extra incentive from Marissa Meyer----> Check it out here!, I have been writing like crazy for the past several days, and will (hopefully) continue to do so for the rest of the month.

I am working on a story that I have been thinking about for probably about a year now. I did write some about it before, but I quickly stopped. So I took that I idea and have reformed it, and have started a new story.

I really hope that I won't give up this time. I really enjoy writing.

Check out NaNoWriMo---> here.

Now, I do know a lot of people don't really like NaNoWriMo, because it can be unrealistic for someone to write an entire novel in one month.

But I am not doing this solely to write a book in a month. I am doing this because it is motivating me to work on my writing.

My writing may suck, and my story will be might be pretty bad. But yesterday when I updated that I am up to 5,062 words, I felt VERY ACCOMPLISHED. I was pretty stoked.

And that feeling, is why I am doing this.

Also, it doesn't hurt that Ms. Meyer has made me hope that maybe I can write more words than her and possibly win an ARC copy of Cress.

I realize that is a long shot, but it would be a pretty awesome day. Because I LOVE her books. She is pretty awesome too. Especially since she loves peanut butter cups as much as I do. Favorite Candy Ever....at least for me.

Happy Writing to any one else that is working hard this month writing!

Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Title: Midnight City-A Conquered Earth Novel
Author: J. Barton Mitchell
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Classification: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Release Date: Reprint- October 30, 2012
Source: e-book
Lord of the Flies meets  War of the Worlds in  J. Barton Mitchell's  alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world  where  two teens and a youngc girl with amazing powers must stop the aliens’ mysterious plan

Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.
Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.
As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all. 
Midnight City is the breathtaking first book of the Conquered Earth series.