Don't Go Prom Dress Shopping on Sundays

No really, don't. Most dress stores are closed on Sundays. Even though my friends and I found that out on Friday, we still decided to go shopping today since it was our only free day. We ended up buying everything but prom dresses, lol.

And we went to a bunch of stores, even going to Goodwill to see if they had any decent dresses. Yeah...they were either hideous or way too big for any of us. -__-

On the bright side, I finally found a cardigan to go with my fancy tank tops that I bought for DECA competitions. And since there was a buy one get one free sale at Kohl's on cardigans, I bought another cardigan that's more casual-ish, but I think if I pair it with the right clothes, it could be more formal looking. 

Also, Menchie's finally opened, so we all went there to try it out. The interior design was pretty and the write-on chalkboard was a very nice touch. Plus, there were so many different flavors to choose from! Unlike La Berry, Menchie's had four or five self-serving machines. 

And the spoons are so legit, lol.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of both the spoon and what I got (a mixture of NY Cheesecake and Pomegranate and Raspberry Tart frozen yogurt with frosted animal crackers, mochi, almonds, and crunched up chocolate malt balls), so here's a pic that I found on the interwebz! Lol. 

the pic came from here

And I found this awesome card design over at The Oatmeal a few weeks ago that I kept on forgetting to post on here. Wouldn't you want to give this to all of your loved ones? XD

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm tired from shopping for five/six hours, so I'm gonna go to bed now. 

Night!

pointy.star

Manga Review: Zombie-Loan vol. 1 by Peach-Pit

Title: Zombie-Loan vol. 1
Author: Peach-Pit
Pages: 208
Publications: October 17, 2007
Publisher: Yen Press
Summary taken from goodreads: 

Michiru Kita's a weak-spirited girl who has a hard time saying what's on her mind. One day, she notices mysterious, ring-like markings around the necks of two of her classmates, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana - two boys who miraculously survived a horrible accident six months ago. Michiru, possessing the rare ability to see these rings, knows that they warn of impending death. Thinking that, perhaps, she can do something to save her classmates' lives, she approaches them...but it seems the boys have already made a different kind of deal and garnered themselves a heavy debt.

1.5 STARS - IT WAS OKAY

MY REVIEW: 

It's hard trying to connect with a main character who keeps everything inside while letting everyone walk all over her when you're the type of person who's pretty vocal about her opinions and is too lazy to do half of the stuff that people ask her to. 

That, and the stilted, cliched lines used in the action scenes made me want to quit the book after the first two chapters. But I forced myself to finish the volume because I wanted to give the book the benefit of the doubt, hoping that it would get better at the end. 

And it did, if only just a little bit. Michiru finally grew a bit of a backbone with Chika and Shito's help, but it was still pretty annoying since they had to figuratively keep on pushing her into a corner so that she had to finally speak up. Who knows what would have happened if she hadn't stuck up for herself; she'd probably just continue to fake a smile while continually regretting her decisions, which would have been so completely angsty and unneeded. 

I would have probably burned the book if it went like that. 

You wonder why your life sucks? Well, it's probably because you DON'T DO ANYTHING TO TRY TO CHANGE IT and let people treat you like a doormat. You have no hope, no reason, and therefore, no will to live, and because of that, you're practically already dead, just like Shito tells her. 

She really isn't the most likable protagonists.

Anyway, I'm going to continue reading this series, mainly because I had already bought the next two volumes since they were on sale a couple of weeks ago, and also because I'm really hoping that Michiru will experience some character growth in the next volumes, or else I really will be wasting my time. 

EDIT: I've already read the next two volumes, and even though it wasn't as annoying as the first volume, there wasn't much character growth and it was still pretty stilted, so I'm not continuing the series and can't bring it in me to review the two volumes that I read.

Nevermore AKA THE END OF THE MAXIMUM RIDE SERIES

THEY FINALLY HAVE A COVER FOR THE LAST BOOK OF THE MAXIMUM RIDE SERIES. 

I CAN'T EVEN. OH GOD, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M FEELING. :c

I'm conflicted. 

On one hand, I'm glad that it'll finally be over, that there's going to be an ending--closure and whatnot, and that I can finally see who Max ends up with (it better be Fang). Then, on the other hand, I don't want it to end since this is one of the few series that I actually keep up with, even though I didn't like a few of the books in the middle.

I started reading this series when I was in middle school--in 7th grade, I think. I was in love with the first book, and then the second and third book. The fourth and fifth felt more like fillers than anything else, but the sixth and seventh books brought me back into loving the series because of all of action and drama and twists. 

And now it's going to be over. 

This book better be epic. 

A little bit late to point out, but I might as well throw it out there, this cover is completely different from the rest of the series. The font's the same...but everything else is different. I wonder if they're going to re-do the covers for the rest of the series...

I'M SO EXCITED! ARGH, WHY IS IT COMING OUT IN AUGUST? I WANT IT NOW. XD

Books I Want to Reread in 2012

A few weeks ago, Katie over at Call Me Crazy did this post about some books that she wants to reread this year, and I wanted to do a similar post since there are tons of books that I want to reread but never have the time to since I'm barely reading my TBR books as it is. D:

Lately, after I finished reading Crime and Punishment, I've been having a hard time staying interested in all of the books that I've been reading since then (this is only with books though; I'm still pretty okay with manga, lol). I don't know if it's because I'm just not in the mood for the type of books that I'm reading or if they're just not my type of books or if I've hit another little reading slump.

So I'm thinking about rereading some of these books to remind myself just how awesome books are. :)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa and Po are some of my most favorite characters ever. I want to go back to their world and experience everything with them again. Graceling was much better than its prequel, Fire, and in my opinion, it was because the characters were a lot more amazing than the characters in Fire, where the protagonist was a bit too Mary Sue for my liking. Plus, Bitterblue is finally coming out this year!!! I CANNOT WAIT! I don't know if it'll be better than Graceling since it's not focused on Katsa and Po, but the summary said that characters from past books in the trilogy/series were going to be in it, so I am super excited either way. :D

Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

This was the first book that I had read that made me tear up. It was so heartbreaking and moving, and I love the brothers' relationship because it was so believable, which made everything that had happen so much more sad and hopeful and guh. I want to reread this now. Plus, I finally bought the sequel last year, and I would very much like to read it, lol.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

With the threat of SOPA and PIPA last week, my sister told me that people were already creating something similar to Xnet in case the bills were passed, which definitely piqued my interest (and totally had me in awe of whoever was doing it) and made me want to reread this book because it could have been what our future would soon be like if those bills were passed along with some other legal stuff like the ACTA trade agreement. I'm not sure what the turnout for that bill was or if it's even been voted on yet, but I really hope that it won't be passed either.

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty

I lent Krista this book a while ago because I thought that she would like it, and she did. And I totally forgot half of the things that she talked about, lol, since it had been years since I had read the book. -__-" That's why I want to reread it! I'm pretty sure that I'll still laugh my head off when I reread it, because it's a generally hilarious book with awesome characters and epic pranks. Plus, it's Australian and written in letters and emails and fliers. Who doesn't love books like that? XD

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I had already read this book and If I Stay last year, but I want to reread Where She Went again because it's just so good! Actually, I have the audiobook for Where She Went, and I really want to listen to the whole audiobook because I love the narrator's voice! It totally sounds like how I imagined Adam to sound like! I think the audiobook will just make the book sound even better, so I want to listen to it sometime soon.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

I won an ARC of this book last year and totally loved it. Even though Saba acted a bit awkward at some parts and it took some time to get used to the writing, I loved the book. There was so much action and tension and anticipation. And the characters were pretty awesome. I want to reread this book before the sequel comes out. I'm so friggin excited for it! XD

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

This is definitely my favorite out of all of Ellen Hopkins' books that I have read. The characters, the writing, the twist... greatness. Ellen Hopkins has this writing style that just sucks you in until you stop for a minute and realize that you're already halfway through the book. I had zoomed through this book the first time I had read it, so I think I'd be able to go through it slower this time and be able to see little details that I had originally missed. Really, I'm curious to see if there were any clues throughout the book about the twist at the end. :P

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

This book. :D I loved it the first time I read it. All of the characters were so awesome and the plot was so good and the secret of the Shift is so mysterious that I want to reread Shade first before reading the sequel so that I won't miss any little details that would make the book even better. If you haven't already guess, I have high expectations for the sequel, lol. Plus, how can you not like Zachary? He has a Scottish accent! XD

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Words cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book the first time I read it. It was utterly captivating. When I wasn't squealing over Sam and Riddle and the fact that they finally get to experience what a real family feels like, I was cheering them on when the bad thing happened and was inwardly cursing the person who did it. I just. I think this is my all-time favorite contemporary book. I could reread this book forever.

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

I think it has already been proven that Australian authors are amazing. Tomorrow, When the War Began is the first book in a series, and I can't believe that I haven't already bought the rest of the series to devour. But before I do, I must revisit this book first and immerse myself in Ellie's world where a foreign country has taken over there town and the subtle shift in her group of friends' relationship as they are left to fend for themselves while trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Also, I saw the movie version of this last year and absolutely loved it (and not just because the actors were all Australian and therefore were wonderful to hear talking XD), and I think that the sequel is coming out this year, so I can't wait for that too!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Sometime last year, I found out that there was a sequel to this epic book. It's coming out later this year. I must reread this book and then devour Unwholly. What I loved about this book is similar to what I loved about Little Brother, the whole unexpected leader of a revolution aspect. And a gripping story, original story.   That's why I can't want to reread both of those books!

The Cry of Icemark by Stuart Hill

This book is like the fantasy version of what I loved in Unwind and Little Brother since it involves magic and the help of unexpected paranormal allies. Instead of a government or country dictatorship ruling, The Cry of Icemark is about a little country defending itself from an evil empire, and there's so much action and adventure and power in that book, I just want to go back and experience everything in it again. I read this in middle school twice and absolutely loved it both times. I want to reread it again and hope that I still love it as much as I did back then.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

This book was nothing like what I had expected. I didn't really have much expectations for it since I had only heard that it was a great series and that Yelena was a kickass heroine, but I'm so glad that it lived up to its hype. The characters were awesome, the plot was original, the action was great, the romance wasn't over the top and forced, and the setting was pretty interesting. I have to say that this book was my favorite out of the trilogy, which is why I want to go back to the beginning when Yelena was just given the chance to be a poison taste-tester and her whole adventure was about to start.

I just realized that all of these books are some of my favorites. -__-" No wonder I want to reread them so badly! They're my favorites for that reason! XD

I also want to mention that I would really like to rewatch V for Vendetta again. All of these anonymous attacks and messages on youtube has me wanting to see the original anonymous, V. XD

Dusty Reads: Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Dusty Reads is a weekly post featuring a book that has been sitting unread on my home shelf for some time.

Title: Leviathan (Leviathan, #1)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Pages: 440
Publication: October 6, 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Summary taken from goodreads:

It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their "Leviathan" is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. 

Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure....One that will change both their lives forever.

I actually own the whole trilogy, and I'm not exactly sure why I haven't read this book yet. Probably because it was under a huge pile of books, lol. 

Like the others, I shall read this book! ...one day! XD

Book Review: DJ Rising by Love Maia

Title: DJ Rising
Author: Love Maia
Pages: 301
Publication: February 6, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Summary taken from goodeads: 

The first thing I hear is music. The first thing I've always heard is music. 

Meet Marley, an unassuming high school junior who breathes in music like oxygen. In between caring for his heroin-addicted mother, and keeping his scholarship at a fancy prep school, he dreams of becoming a professional DJ. 

When chance lands Marley his first real DJ job, his career as "DJ Ice" suddenly skyrockets. But when heart-rending disaster at home brings Marley crashing back down to earth, he is torn between obligation and following his dreams.

3.5 STARS - I LIKED IT

MY REVIEW: 

I am a huge music addict. I love it as much as Marley does, and as someone who has recently been joking about wanting to be a DJ as a side-job in the future, DJ Rising seemed like one ironic gift from fate when I received it in the mail the other week. Either way, I'm just glad that I ended up liking it.

For DJ Rising to be her first book, Love Maia did an awesome job. Although the beginning was a bit slow, getting used to the setting and Maia's writing style, the book got better as it progressed and as you became invested in Marley and everything that he has to go through.

While the DJ aspect is quite original, you can figure the general plot and ending out just from reading the summary, but that's fine because Maia's writing is what really shines in the story. She manages to evoke so many emotions through her words alone. I was so easily caught up in the story, feeling a raging anger that paralleled Marley's one minute and then feeling heartrendingly anguished the next. 

However, there was one other small complaint that I had when reading DJ Rising. There were a couple of times when I felt like the dialogue was a bit... stilted. For example, Jewel's speech at Hawk near the end, while it was effective, it felt a little scripted. Like, I'm not even sure if people would normally talk that much without being interrupted or something. Anyway, it's a small problem; it doesn't really effect anything.

I'm definitely interested to read whatever Maia writes next. 

Tumblr Pics 21

I finally finished my PowerPoint Character Study on Razumikhin. It's crap. D:

But whatever. I can't bring myself to care anymore.

Now I have to start working on the bazillion pre-reading questions that I was supposed to do, ya know, before I read Crime and Punishment. What fun. -__-

Enjoy~

Lol, I don't even. :L

An Update and My Book-Buying Ban

I had another scholarship interview at Mercer today. I think I did pretty well. Like usual, I wasn't nervous up until I was sitting down, waiting for my turn. And I talked about Assassin and moved my hands a lot... -__-"

I hope I get it. XD

Also as usual, my flats killed my heels. I mean, they were bleeding. I think it's official, fancy shoes and I do not go together. It always ends up with my feet being abused in one way or another. This is why I hate dressing up. I never have anything nice enough to wear and my poor feet always suffer. :P

I'm still at Mercer since Shelle has to work. They're really busy at the UC, so she's getting off later than usual, which sucks, because that means that I won't be able to make it to the HOCO beauty pageant scholarship thinger that Meethu's in, and which Emily was suddenly roped into doing the lights for since the other person couldn't make it.

So here I am, not working on any homework like I was supposed to...

I finally finished reading the manga series called S.L.H (Stray Love Hearts) a few hours ago. I started reading it last night when I should have been working on my Crime and Punishment project, lol. I just can't bring myself to do homework on weekends except for Sundays, and even then, it's a hassle.

The first volume was too unbelievable to believe, which is probably why I didn't enjoy it as much as I did with the rest of the volumes once I had grown used to the reasoning of the plot. I'm going to post a review up sometime soon.

There's only five volumes, so it wasn't that long, and the art gets better with every volume. And it was already very well done in the first volume! I loved all of the colored pages at the beginning of each chapter, lol.

In addition, I also noticed that I can't really bring myself to read a real book after finishing Crime and Punishment. I started reading Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton earlier this week, but I'm not in a hurry to finish it. I mean, it's only somewhat interesting. And then there's the fact that I've just been really busy this week anyway, finishing reading Crime and Punishment and trying to work on all of the projects that come with it.

Maybe that's the main reason why I haven't been reading real books. I do want to read, but I don't want to spend so much time on a book, so I choose to read manga instead since they're so much shorter and funnier.  Hopefully, once all of our Crime and Punishment stuff are done, I'll be able to finally catch up on all of my piles of real books. :)

On another note, it turns out that I might have to pay for rent once I go to college, since I'm going to be living in an apartment near Mercer with Shelle, and seeing as to how I barely have any money in the bank, I'm going to have to seriously start saving up. That means, no more buying books.

I guess it's a good think that I'm going on a book-buying ban, since I finally ran out of space to put anymore piles of TBR books on the side of my bed, lol. What's also so funny is that after I published this post saying that I was doing pretty good on my book-buying ban/rule, I had bought a bunch of books on Barns and Nobles because they had a really good sale. -__-"

So, I can't buy anymore books (unless it's for school) until the end of May. By then, I should have saved up enough money to pay for a year's worth of rent. 

Anyway, I need to go and attempt to work on my project again. 

Later~

pointy.star