I AM BLIND.

Partially. :P

I don't have my glasses on since it's getting refitted with new lenses at the glasses shop place that my family and I were at earlier. My mom's going back there later today to pick them up. Somehow, I was allowed to get three other pairs of glasses, while Shelle got two pairs. 

Everything was insanely cheap. The checkup alone only cost $1 in the US per person, and the total cost for my three new pairs of glasses was only around $20 in the US. Lol, my mom and aunt wanted me to get these big frame glasses cuz they looked really cute on me and were really trendy. 

Lol, Shelle and I have been saying trendy a lot lately. 

A large portion of the teenage population here in Vietnam really like to look trendy or hipster, lol. :P I see a lot of cute guys with really awesome looking hair. And I see quite a few people with dyed hair, teenagers and adults alike. 

Also, people really do like wearing skinny jeans over here, which absolutely made no sense to me since it's so friggin HOT and MUGGY [it's been raining the whole time we'd arrive here and the weather says that it's still going to rain for the rest of the week D:]. A lot of people also like to wear jackets and long-sleeves, too, which is also completely mind boggling. O__O

Vietnamese people really know how to handle heat. That's all I'm saying. :)

Anyway, right now, I'm at an internet cafe with Shelle and my bro and one of our cousins who were here a while ago. It's hot since there are so many people and computers in one area, and it's loud since people keep on talking, but I don't really mind since I usually tune people out once my mind registers that they're Vietnamese conversations [I know, it's a bad habit from tuning out Mommy every time she yelled on the phone]. The majority of the people here are guys of every age, but mainly teenagers and kids, who are gamers.

We're still in the city, so it's been considerably easier to get internet over here, but we're going to visit Mommy's parents in the country sometime in the next few days, so I don't know how I'm going to be able to handle it, lol. If the last few days have been proof, then I'm not that dependent on using the internet.

I usually just check my mail and that's it. I've been reading stories off of Wattpad lately, but I only need the internet to update the stories, and there's so many stories in my library that I don't really need to update that much anyway. Plus, I've still got my real life books that I really should be reading. Right now, I'm trying to read Macbeth, but it's really hard to read it over long periods of time. Although I haven't had much time to read it anyway...

I can't believe that we've only been in Vietnam for a couple of days. It feels like we've been here for a while, but at the same time, it feels like we haven't been here for that long. Especially since all of our aunts and cousins keep on stuffing us with lots of different foods all of the time.

Seriously, it's worse than when we're at my grandma's house in the US. There, she feeds us all of the time so that we're never hungry except for when we wake up. At least there, we got to help make the food and exercise during the day. Here, we're constantly trying different foods or drinking the coffee that we all like or eating different fruits and such. And we don't have to do anything. They keep on telling us that our whole stay in Vietnam will consist of us eating and relaxing and doing no work. I will be extremely fat by the time we come home in a month. D:

It's going to kill me once we go back home since I'll be used to doing nothing but lazing around and eating 24/7. :P And I'm going to hate the lack of fresh fruit that you can only eat at Vietnam or other foreign Asian countries. ;__; 

Lol, I'll cry about that later. Like, when we're actually leaving. :P

Can you believe that 3:46 PM over here, but it's 2:46 AM over there?

Anyway, that's all for now folks!

I'll see you guys later!

pointy.star

I AM IN SOUTH KOREA!

AND IT IS FREAKING AWESOME! XD

I'm with Shelle at this awesome internet lounge. I'll upload pics later since I'm using one of the netbooks there and don't have my USB cord.

 

That is not me, by the way. :P

It's 8:33 AM over here, and we're to board our plane at 10:30. We actually arrived here around 6:30, I think.

The airport is super amazing. I can't believe how big and fancy it is. There's a whole bunch of shops [some of the same ones spread out all over the airport] and you can buy it in US currency or in Korean. Shelle and I stopped at a currency exchange place earlier and converted some of our moneys, so we now have Korean cash! :L Lol, I"m a fangirl; I know.

We were planning on getting something to eat, but we both weren't really hungry since we had just spent 14 hours sitting on a plane to arrive here.

The flight was pretty decent. I loved the takeoff since the turbalence felt like a rollar coaster ride, lol. Although it took a couple of hours for me to finally be able to go to sleep since the seats weren't very sleep-friendly. :P

And Shelle and I just spent $24 each on soveigners. I bought Krista this black hat that had a red K on the front and that said Korea on the back. Thought she'd like it since the K can stand for both her name and Korea. Shelle bought this pair of turtle cell phone keychains for her and her boyfriend.

And we spent some of our Korean won to buy random drinks that we wanted to try earlier. Shelle bought this iced green tea latte [I think it was a latte], and I bought this crushed pair drink and a Japanese apricot drink.

The green tea and pair drink were both very tasty. We haven't tried the apricot drink yet, though, since we decided to go to the internet lounge to charge Shelle's laptop and both of our iPods. Did you know that Korea and Vietnam uses 220 watt outlets while the US uses 110 watt outlets? We have to get adapters in order to plug our electronics in or else they'll be fried or something equally bad. So yeah, got to be extra careful where ever we go.

Anyway, I'm going to go now. Sorry for all of the misspellings and mistakes since this netbook doesn't have spellcheck [prolly cuz the language is in Korean], and I'll see you whenever! Don't know when the next time I'll have the time to get on, but I'm trying to take as many pictures as I can! [and failing, lol]

Argh, I forgot to tell you, my camera has a crack on the screen! D: I'm not even sure how it happened! ;__;

I'm logging off for reals now. :3

See ya~

pointy.star

Update & I'm Gonna Be Gone For a While

At midnight, my family and I are going to board a plane to go on a 22 hour flight to Vietnam, stopping in South Korea for a 6 hour layover. I'm feeling part dread, part anticipation, and part impatience over all of this.

Dread because I'm going to be feeling so confused and out of place in Vietnam since I can barely understand the language, let alone speak it. Especially since we're going to visit family all over Vietnam where almost every place has a different dialect. D: Anticipation because this is going to be my second time visiting Vietnam --the first time was when I was 6, so I barely remember anything-- and because we're going to be in SOUTH KOREA for a little bit. As a major Kpop fangirl, this is extremely awesome just being able to be in South Korea even though I won't be able to leave the airport (I think... XP). And I feel impatient from all of the packing and nagging and cleaning and ordering reverberating around the house for the past few days. I want to go already and be done with all of these preparations. 

I'm finished packing my large suitcase that my mom put other stuff that we're bringing to Vietnam for our family, and I'm pretty much done packing my small carry-on luggage. I'm just waiting to finish packing my backpack to see what stuff I might want to put in the little carry-on luggage if the backpack gets too heavy. 

What I've done so far in packing the pack. :P

Since Shelle has stolen my phone charger (and she's off to her apartment that 'rents have no idea she ) and I need my old laptop to play some music for me (I haven't had time to transfer any of my music or documents from my old lappytop to my new one yet, which I'm typing on right now. ^^), I'm waiting until around the last minute to finish packing my backpack. 

I brought 7 books for the trip. Not sure if I'll even have time to read them while I'm over there, but I do know that I'll have plenty of time to read on the plane. :) Plus, if I somehow manage to read all of my books and am not interested in reading any of Shelle's books, I still have plenty of ebooks and stories to read on my iPod. :L

If this was any normal month in the summer, I would have finished reading 7 books within 2 weeks at the most. But, since I'll be out of the country for a month, traveling all over Vietnam, I won't have much time to read, and that saddens me just a little bit. Not only because I can't live a day without reading something, but also because I have stacks and piles of TBR that I honestly really want to read. Plus, I also have to read a giant pile of AP Lit books this summer, too. =3=

The pile of TBR books on just my headboard.

Anyway, thought I'd give you a quick update on what's been happening lately. Well, besides the packing and preparing, anyway. :P

On last Thursday night, I went out with Sydne and Shanice to watch the midnight premiere of Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides. My mom didn't mind since even though it was a school night, that Friday was my last day of school since I didn't have any finals. 

We went out to eat at Mellow Mushroom where some of Sydne and Shanice's friends had already saved seats for us. I didn't know that we were having more people hanging out with us for the premiere, especially since they were all freshman, but they were pretty cool. After we ate and goofed off outside, we finally got to go inside and take our seats. Since we had a lot of people with us, we practically took up a whole row. 

The movie was pretty good. Jack Sparrow was... well, Jack Sparrow. You know how he is: drunk, goofy, and never really serious. A couple of times, people in the audience were actually applauding Sparrow after he did something only he would do. 

On the way home, one of the freshies [yeah, I suck at names. Don't judge me! :P] was checking online and told us that there was a scene after the credits that practically says that there could to be a sequel, which basically means that there will be one since Disney loves milking everything for what they're worth. 

Then, on Sunday, I went to the dollar theater with Brianna, Breanna, and Jackie to watch I Am Number Four  [the movie was much better than the book; prolly cuz there wasn't as much cheesy scenes, lol], walked to Taco Bell which right next to this Japanese fast food place that's right across the theater's parking lot to eat a late lunch, and then walked back to the theater in time to watch Rango. 

It was pretty fun, and we viewed the whole day as a last lunch buddies time to hang out for a while, since school was out for all of us except for Jackie who didn't exempt some of her classes and had to take the finals this week. 

On Tuesday, I went to with Shelle to see her apartment that she, Chris, and their new occupant, James, leased for the rest of the year. I helped her move some furniture that they had bought and left at Chris's parents' house a while ago with Josh, who I met a few times, mainly at both Bearstocks that I went to. There was some unfairness that had happened recently, and on that day, to Shelle between Chris's parents that I'd rather not go into since I'd just rather not; I'd get too worked up and angry, and I'm tired of feeling irritated so much lately. 

So yeah, that's what happened at the apartments. Shelle was originally going to tell the 'rents that she was moving out, but the other week, Mommy or Daddy had told her that they were going to get her a new car in November [which means that I get her old car], so she doesn't want to screw anything up. She decided to just keep the whole apartment thing a secret since she hardly comes home as it is so the 'rents won't even know that she's staying the night in her apartment instead of her friends' dorm or something, and also because she already payed the lease and stuff. After the lease is over, she's going to take everything that's in her room in the apartment and bring it home. 

Yesterday, Shelle and I went to go watch Fast Five at the movie theater that was near our house at 12:10, so that we'd have time to be back home before the kids came home since we thought that we still had to babysit. Before the movie started, I called Mommy to tell her where we were since she was expecting us to still be at home packing by the time she got home, whenever that was. She told us that we didn't have to babysit today since our aunts and uncles were home, which was awesome. 

Fast Five was also pretty good. There were plenty of action scenes and we were both surprised to find Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was also in the movie. I mean, I never thought I'd see Vin Diesel and The Rock battle it out in a movie. They're both huge! O__O And the scene after the credits! There's going to be another movie! I don't know if I'm happy that there's going to be more movies for this series or irritated that it's not going to end anytime soon. :\

Since it was only noon, the earliest times movie were shown, no one else was in the theater except for my sis and I, which was great since we got to talk out loud throughout the whole movie and put our feet on the seats in front of us. And we sat in the very back row since we've never tried before, lol. 

After the movie was over, Shelle and I decided to sneak into the theater adjacent from ours and watch Thor since we didn't have to babysit, it started in five minutes, and no one was around to see us go in. Plus, there were only a handful of people who went to watch the movie, so we go another seat near the back again. 

I don't know if it was because Fast Five was so action packed and pulse-pounding, but Thor wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be, and we ended up leaving with only 30 minutes left of the movie since Shelle and I weren't that interested in it and since she was really hungry. -__-" We didn't feel too bad about missing the end of the movie since we didn't even pay for the tickets to it. :P

Although we did see a trailer for X-Men: First Class, which looked awesome. I can't believe I won't be in the country to watch it though! Plus, Jennifer Lawrence is in it! I want to see more of her acting chops since she's playing Katniss for The Hunger Games!

Check the trailer out!

After we left we were planning on going to eat at Anna's Cafe, which the signs says that it's an Asian cafe, which was near the movie theater, but after going up to the door and seeing the menu, revealing that it was a normal Asian restaurant, we decided to try the Bare Bulb Cafe which was a little further down from Anna's Cafe to see what they had to offer.

We ended up eating a slice of cheesecake [Shelle's] and a big cinnamin bun with cream cheese spread on top [mine], and a mango smoothie [Shelle's]. I had originally planned on ordering a sandwich so we'd end up sharing everything, but apparently, the place stopped making them after 2, which totally sucked. 

But whatever. The place was really cool. They sold a lot of pastries and even sold gelato. I would totally stop by for breakfast before school, you know, someone would teach me how to drive so I can finally get my license. :P

Also, I finished reading Mockingjay this morning at 2. All I can say is: Wow.

Mockingjay was one draining, emotional read. I did not expect anything that had happened in the book, and I wish that some things could have happened differently. Like some people's deaths and how Katniss reacted and did [or didn't do]. 

Still, even though I didn't like how some parts ended up, I really liked the book. Suzanne Collins really shows the bleak, dark side of what comes with war in Mockingjay. 

I can already tell that I'm going to be thinking about the book for quite a while. 

So, that's basically what's been happening lately. 

I was debating on whether I should schedule posts for the rest of the month or just not update until I get back or update whenever I get a chance to be on the internet over there, but I decided to stick to the last choice since I'm all for the real, the candid posts. :P

I mean, I do have quite a bit of posts already written that I can publish throughout the month, but it wouldn't be the same, especially since I won't be able to update regularly like I usually do. All of the other posts would basically be like fillers on my blog since I don't only post reviews and memes.

So yeah, just be prepared for epically long posts once I do get a chance to get on! 

Actually, I might be able to post at the airport if I can find an outlet and my old lappytop doesn't decide to crap out on me and get the free wi-fi. -__-"

We're leaving at 6 tonight to go to the airport, which means that we'll prolly be there around 8, and who knows how long it'll take to get everything checked out and stuffid. 

Until then~

pointy.star

Upcoming YA [and Other] Books to Movies

Since it seems like Hollywood has run out of original movie ideas, a lot of YA books have been optioned to be made into movies, which is pretty awesome. Although I usually prefer the books to the movies, I still go out and watch the movies just to see the difference of how I pictured scenes from the book to be compared to how the movie adaptation was.

While on IMDb, I came across some lists of YA books being made into movies, the majority being upcoming movies that are being released in the next few years. So, I thought I'd share the news since I was definitely surprised to find out how many famous series were being made into movies.

I'm only going to show movies that have not been released yet since you guys already know which books to movies have already came out. Since most of these movies are still in the pre-production and in development stages, there isn't much info about the movies and the release dates are most likely going to change.

UPCOMING YA BOOKS TO MOVIES:

• The Hunger Games - 2012 [who hasn't heard about this? :P] 
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - 2011 [midnight premiere, here I come! :D]
• Beautiful Creatures - 2011
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth - 2011
• Untitled House of Night Project - 2011
• Uglies - 2011
• Wings - 2014
• If I Stay - 2011
• The Mortal Instruments - 2012
• Wicked Lovely - 2012
• Shiver - 2012
• Fallen - 2012
• Heist Society - 2012
• The Looking Glass Wars - 2012
• Untitled Vampire Academy Project - 2013
• Maximum Ride - 2013
• Firelight - 2013
• A Great and Terrible Beauty - 2013
• Delirium - 2013
• Incarceron - 2013
• The Maze Runner - 2013
• The Graveyard Book - release date unknown
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew - 2014
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair - 2015
• The Alchemyst: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - 2012
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - 2011
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 - 2012

And here's a list of other upcoming books to movies that don't fit the YA genre. The majority of these are famous classics or adult books.

OTHER UPCOMING BOOKS TO MOVIES:

• World War Z - 2014
• The Zombie Survival Guide - 2014
• Three Musketeers - 2012
• The Hobbit: Part 1 - 2012
• The Hobbit: Part 2 - 2013
• Romeo and Juliet - 2012 [I seriously don't know why they're making another version of this]
• Hamlet - 2011
• Frankenstein - 2013
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - 2011
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - 2013
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 2012

So, that's it. I can't wait to see a lot of these movies especially since I've already read or own the majority of the YA upcoming movies. If you haven't heard of some of the titles, they're not hard to find on goodreads or amazon.

Also, did you know that The Yellow Wallpaper was made into a movie? I read the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in American Lit last year and was a little spooked at how the story and writing went. 

Anyway, I've got to go and finish packing while trying not to fall asleep. :P

Ciao!

pointy.star

Book Review: The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Title: The Declaration (The Declaration Series #1)

Author: Gemma Malley

Pages: 320

Publication: October 2, 2007

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Summary taken from goodreads:

It's the year 2140 and Longevity drugs have all but eradicated old age. A never-aging society can't sustain population growth, however…which means Anna should never have been born. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. The facility is full of boys and girls whose parents chose to have kids—called surpluses—despite a law forbidding them from doing so. These children are raised as servants, and brought up to believe they must atone for their very existence. Then one day a boy named Peter appears at the Hall, bringing with him news of the world outside, a place where people are starting to say that Longevity is bad, and that maybe people shouldn't live forever. Peter begs Anna to escape with him, but Anna's not sure who to trust: the strange new boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale, or the familiar walls of Grange Hall and the head mistress who has controlled her every waking thought?

Chilling, poignant, and endlessly thought-provoking, The Declaration is a powerful debut that will have readers agonizing over Anna's fate until the very last page.

3.5 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW:

A good beginning to a dystopian series. However, since this is a dystopian series, I was expecting more action and hoping for the beginnings of a plot to overthrow the government 'cause I'm a sucker for books with elements like those.

However, even though The Declaration didn't exactly meet those expectations, I was pleasantly surprised with the book anyway. The book focused more on character growth and Anna and Peter's escape while subtlety depicting their cruel world where being a Surplus meant being unworthy and the problems and solutions that came with living forever.

By the time I reached the end of the book, I was surprised to realize that it was over since it didn't feel like much had happened. Not like that was necessarily a bad thing; it was just that the story of their escape and Anna's revelations flowed together so well that I didn't really notice the bigger picture that the book was alluding to until the end, and it was obvious that The Declaration had to be a part of a series because there's so much that could and should happen.

Besides the great cast of characters and interesting writing style, another major factor that made me like this book was the fact that it didn't end in some huge cliffhanger meant to make readers come back for more. Instead, it mentions many loose ends and leaves some open-ended so that the reader knows that there's more to come.

In My Mailbox (32)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I honestly thought that I wouldn't be getting anymore books after last week's IMM. But, I forgot that AP Lit has a required summer reading list. Plus, since I took AP Lang instead of Brit Lit, I have even more books/poems/stories to read. What fun. -__-

It's a good thing that all of the classics were on sale for only $3 at Book-A-Million!

The Norton Anthology: English Literature

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [read this last year, but wanted a copy]

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde [sis wanted this]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

King Lear by William Shakespeare

And that's not even all of the books that I got or need from the list. My sis gave me some of her books that I needed like Beowolf, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Hamlet and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and I'm going to have to hunt down the other Brit books that I need to read by the end of the summer.

No links this week. I don't have the time, and well... you should already have an inkling of most of the books' plots. :P

School's Over, Reading Roll, DNF, & Summer Assignments

Yesterday was my last day of school as a junior since I don't have to take any of my finals next week! Woot! That means that I get a few extra days to chill while my lil bro and cousins still have to go to school.

I will be chilling just like this. :L

But man, I still can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that I am now considered a senior. O__O

Seriously, where has the time gone? I can't believe that it's already been a couple of years since I moved here and started going to HOCO as a freshman. ~(-__-)~

Anyway, since I didn't really have anything to do besides a math re-test this week, I have been on a reading roll. Actually, I think I got into the reading groove sometime last week, but it didn't really manifest until last weekend when I read 5-7 books. Granted, half of the books were manhwa, but still. :P

Also, for some reason, over the weekend, I had this urge to read some light chiclit books, so I had a small pile of pink books on my pile of TBR books on my bed headboard thinger. I'm almost finished with the pile.

I already finished reading Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs, Just One Wish by Janette Rallison, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman, and its sequel, Triple Shot Bettys in Love. I just have Winter Longing by Tricia Mills left to read, but I'm not sure if I want to read it anymore since it sounds kind of sad and depressing...

Now that I think about it, I think I was mainly looking for some light, funny books to read since it was the end of the school year; I didn't want to read some heavy, convoluted story since it would prolly bring me down from my school-is-almost-over high that I'd been having all week. -__-"

Also, I'm finally sticking to my promise to re-read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins before I can finally read Mockingjay, which I've had since sitting in a TBR pile for a whole year.

I just finished re-reading The Hunger Games earlier today, and I'm happy to know that I'm still pretty much in love with it as when I first read it two years ago. I mean, seriously, how could you not love Peeta and Katniss. They're friggin AWESOME. And Peeta's so adorable~ XD

However, while I've been reading some really awesome books lately, there were also a couple of books that I couldn't get into and had to label as Did Not Finish (DNF).

I started reading The Angels are the Reapers by Alden Bell, which is a dystopian read, but I couldn't get into it. The writing style was definitely different, one that I didn't particularly enjoy reading.

I couldn't get into Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft for the same reason as The Angels are the Reapers. The book was definitely intended for guys and the writing style was one that I could usually tolerate, but I could already tell how the book would end, so I quickly grew bored after a few pages and decided to quit.

When I started reading my ARC of Sweetly by Jackson Pearce earlier last week when I got it, the storyline was definitely interesting --a remake of Hansel and Gretel!-- but I the book couldn't interest me the more pages I read. The characters and plot wasn't very original, so I decided that it would be a DNF later that night.

I started reading Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn at school earlier this week, but the story didn't really interest me enough to want to finish the book, which is saying a lot since I LOVE dragons.

The story wasn't particularly bad [I skipped to the end after I decided to not finish the book and read the resolution], but I think that the main reason why I lost interest so quickly was because that I was expecting there to be more action in it, which was what I was looking for when I picked the book up. Plus, I had just finished watching How to Train Your Dragon in AP Bio earlier that week (which was awesomely cute!) which was full of action and amazingness, so I think that the slow plot of the book also made me lose interest.

None of the books that I marked as DNF were bad, I'm pretty sure that I might have enjoyed them if I were to read them at another time. But, since I have so many books to read and so little time, I don't have time --nor do I want to-- to force myself into finishing a book if I'm not enjoying it. They just aren't the type of books that I was looking for to read at the time.

The other day, I had to stay after school to write an essay for AP Lit so that my teacher could get a feel for what her upcoming students' writing would be like. I also got a sheet with summer assignments. Not only do I have to read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Tomas C. Foster, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, and take lots of detailed notes on all of them according to the guidelines that my teacher has also given us on the paper, but I have to read even more books and poems over the summer since I didn't take Brit Lit. D:

Also, my teach gave a list of books that we are going to be reading during the year and a list of books that we will probably have to read as individual or group projects, so I have a lot to read over the summer. Luckily, a lot of classics were on sale at Books-A-Million for only $3. You can see all of the books that I bought for AP Lit tomorrow on my IMM.

I forgot to mention that my class has to watch The Dead Poets Society, too, which is awesome since I had already watched it last year with Shelle and loved. I bought the DVD a while ago since I knew that I would have to watch it for AP Lit anyway. That, and cuz I wanted a copy of the movie for myself anyway. :D

So now, I have to bring a couple of the assigned books to Vietnam to read since I have so many books to read and half of my summer will be over there. But, I'm still planning on bringing some of my own YA books to read over there; I just have to cut the number in half since I won't be able to bring so many books along with my required AP books. 

Man, it's a good thing that I don't have any summer assignments for AP Calc. :)

Okay, so this is pretty random, but I just tried a bottle of Lipton Sparkling Strawberry Kiwi Green Tea, and I am confounded. Why is it carbonated? It tastes like a mellower version of a strawberry kiwi soda! That's like the direct opposite of what green tea is supposed to be! o__O

I think I prefer Lipton's normal green tea drinks. :P

Lol, since I had finished reading both of my books while babysitting earlier, I watched High School Musical and High School Musical 2 with my cousins. I can't belive that HSM came out in 2006. That was five years ago!

Started watching the third one until Henry's mom came home. I think I prefer the first movie out of all of them. Maybe because that was the first one. IDK. :P

Speaking of movies, I'm going to watch I Am Number Four with a couple of my friends tomorrow at the dollar movie theater. The book was pretty decent, but I heard that a lot of people liked the movie, so I figured why not? And we're most likely going to watch Limitless or something else afterwards. Can't wait!

Anyway, that's all for now!

See ya laters~

pointy.star

Book Review: Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1)

Author: Moira Young

Pages: 448

Expected publication: June 7, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Summary taken from goodreads:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

5 STARS - IT WAS AMAZING!

My Review:

I loved this book!

I can't even fully articulate just how great this book is! You have to read it when it comes out.

Blood Red Road was an amazing book about an epic adventure starring Saba, one of the most fiercest heroines you could ever ask for. While Saba had many flaws, she more than made up for them, especially by the end of the book.

With great pacing, intense action, unending suspense, beautiful writing, dialectic tone, believable characters, and a romance that has you gasping for more, Blood Red Road is a wonderful first book in a series that I'm sure to follow.

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

The Hunger Games Movie News!

Entertainment Weekly has a new issue out and it has some pics of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, and I am so excited!

After all of the movie magic, she does resemble Katniss a lot more than her original looks. 

Plus, after reading Lawrence's statement over at Book Rat, I can't help but think that she'll do an awesome job trying to be the perfect Katniss.

She says:

‘“He [Ross] was asking me what the experience was like,” she recalls, “and I just kind of opened up and said, ‘I feel like a rag doll. I have hair and makeup people coming to my house every day and putting me in new, uncomfortable, weird dresses and expensive shoes, and I just shut down and raise my arms up for them to get the dress on, and pout my lips when they need to put the lipstick on.’ And we both started laughing because that’s exactly what it’s like for Katniss in the Capitol. She was a girl who’s all of a sudden being introduced to fame. I know what that feels like to have all this flurry around you and feel like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t belong here.’”
...
“I knew that as soon as I said yes, my life would change,” she says. “And I walked around an entire day thinking ‘It’s not too late, I could still go back and do indies, I haven’t said yes yet, it’s not too late...I love this story,” she says, “and if I had said no, I would regret it every day.”

Now, I can't wait to see what kind of movie magic they'll do on the guys casted as Peeta and Gale! :D

This isn't related to The Hunger Games movie, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to the midnight premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides tonight with a couple of my friends. I don't know if I'm going to do a review on it, but yeah, it should be pretty interesting. :L

Now I must go.

Ta!

pointy.star

Mini Reviews: The Lonely Hearts Club, Arson, March Story vol. 1, Boy2Girl

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Pages: 258

Publication: January 1, 2010

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary taken from goodreads:

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . .

4 STARS - I REALLY LIKED IT

MY REVIEW:

A really great, quick read with an awesome message: you don't have to change yourself. Especially for a guy.

I really wanted to give this book a five star because I really liked it, but it still fell short of amazing. I think that if it went into more detail about some of the characters or events that happened in the book, the book would have been nothing short of amazing.

Still, I'd definitely recommend The Lonely Hearts Club to people because I really did enjoy it and the message that it gave.

Title: Arson

Author: Estevan Vega

Pages: 318

Publication: May 4, 2010

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Summary taken from goodreads:

Arson Gable feels like a freak. He can create fire. He never asked for it. He never wanted it. But he can't shut it off. Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl—who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin—moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he's never had: purpose. Using what he fears most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is his present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.

3 STARS - I LIKED IT ENOUGH

MY REVIEW:

This book actually deserves a four star for its plot, great characterizations, and portray of dysfunctional families, but because of my taste in books, I didn't really enjoy Arson that much since it was so far from what I usually read. That is a main reason why it took me a while to finish the book because I could only read small chunks of the story at a time.

Arson is dark, dysfunctional, and a little draggy at times. It's not my type of book, but who knows, it could be yours. :3

Title: March Story vol. 1
Authors: Kyung-Il Yang & Hyung-Min Kim
Pages: 192
Publication: October 19, 2010
Publisher: VIZ Media
Summary taken from goodreads:

Among the quiet villages and towns of 18th century Europe, demons known as the Ill hide within the most beautiful works of art, sparked to life by the torment of their creators. Attracted by their jewel-like allure, the unwary find themselves possessed by the Ill and driven to horrific acts of violence. Only the hunters of the Ciste Vihad can dispel the Ill.

March is one such hunter, tracking the Ill from town to town to find the antiques that contain the demons before they can possess anyone. If the worst has come to pass, March's full powers are unleashed to battle the fiendish Ill. Born of tragedy, the artifacts all have their own tales to tell, as do each of their victims. But March's story may be the most tragic of all.

3 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW:

Breathtaking artwork with a dark, twisted plot.

Title: Boy2Girl
Author: Terence Blacker
Pages: 304
Publication: October 2, 2007
Publisher: Square Fish
Summary taken from goodreads:

Is he a girl? Is she a boy?

Matthew's American cousin, Sam, has come to London to live with the family. Sam is a charismatic, funny kid, but can he be trusted to be a reliable friend? Matthew and his "mates" decide that Sam must undertake a challenge in order to prove himself: he must start off his new year at their school posing as a girl. It turns out that Sam makes a great girl. He fools everyone and has an electrifying effect at Bradbury Hill School. And the longer the prank goes on, the more hilarious -- and serious -- the repercussions.

This brilliant novel shines a laser-sharp beam into the perilous territory of early-teen life, in an unforgettable story of chaos, confusion, and cross-dressing.

5 STARS - IT WAS AMAZING!

MY REVIEW:

Boy2Girl is crazy, unique, hilarious, original, and touching. I could not put the book down for more than a few minutes before quickly snatching it up again because it was so riveting.

I can't properly write a review because I'm still gushing over the book and kind of sad that it's over, lol. But I definitely recommend it for people looking for a funny, lighthearted read!