The award for "Best Villain" goes to....

PRESIDENT SNOW

President Snow is the winner - holding the title of the person "no one would want to meet in their life".  I can understand this one!  President Snow would appreciate your vote.  The more you fear him, the more power he holds!  ;)

Now for the next battle:  

Today is Halloween!!!  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  In honor of this holiday, we are going to do one more "Villain" category.  Tell us which female witch haunted your childhood nightmares!  As a child, or now ... these ladies are scary!  Here is your first choice:

The Wicked Witch of The West

The "Wicked Witch of The West" is the malevolent ruler of the Winkie Country.  We are not talking about the character in the play "Wicked" but the witch from the story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 

Pros:

Most of the Wicked Witch's power comes from the creatures she controls.  She has a pack of wolves, a swarm of bees, a flock of crows, and an army of Winkies.  The winged monkeys she has are SCARY!  She strives to get the silver shoes from Dorothy, (yes they were silver in the book), because she constantly wants more and more power.  

Cons:

Dorothy!  She can't kill Dorothy because she is protected by the Good Witch of the North's kiss.  Instead, she enslaves Dorothy and starves the cowardly lion, resulting in her melting from water.  Even though water can kill her ... she haunted my dreams as a little girl!

Quotes:

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!"

And now for choice #2:

The Witch in Hansel and Gretel

The Witch in Hansel and Gretel is not the person you would want to meet when wandering the forest.  She illustrates parent's warning, "do not take candy from strangers." 

Pros:

First, she uses her baking skills to lure kids into her cottage.  Once inside, she gives more and more sweets to try to fatten them up.  Yes ... she eats kids!  If that does not make her scary ... I don't know what else will.  

Cons:

Her poor eye sight. The kids were able to trick her into thinking they were still skinny and not ready to be eaten yet.  In general, she was easily tricked and that ultimately was her down fall.  Dying in an oven is not a fun way to go.  This witch scared me immensely as a child.  She was "sweet" and "sourly wicked"!

Quotes:

"Hola, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "be active, and bring some water.  Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook him."

Well there you have it!  Two childhood, nightmare-inducing, horrible witches that kept me up late at night hearing noises coming from my closet and under my bed.  You decide, which witch is worse?  Vote now!

Pumpkin carving time!!!

Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to buy the Pumpkins and carve your master pieces.  What to carve you ask?  Well our post today is bringing the books to your pumpkins! I have found some pretty amazing pumpkins.  People and their talents leave me in awe.

Enjoy!

There you go!  I hope our post gives you some good ideas this Halloween season. Which pumpkin was your favorite?

The School For Good And Evil

In honor of Halloween, we decided to do a book review to go along with the “Halloween” theme.  On Friday we are going to see TONS of amazing costumes. We might see fairies, brides, or princesses. Some may choose to be something more evil like zombies, vampires, or evil wizards.  Everyone decides if they want to be good or evil for the night.  What if that choice was taken away?  What if they were assigned to be good or evil for the night?  What if the thing they got assigned, good or evil, they were stuck being that way forever?  That is how it is in The School For Good and Evil.

At first I did not know what I would think of this book. Do you know the saying, "Don’t judge a book by its cover"?  I did the complete opposite when I saw this book.  I saw the cover and immediately thought, "Nope.  This is NOT a book for me."  However, I read what the book was about and I thought, "Let's just give it a shot."  I ended up liking it.  I liked seeing the two main girls, Sophie and Agatha, try to figure out how to live in these schools that they obviously did not belong to at first.  I loved trying to figure out what was going on and how everything was going to fit together.  It is a book for younger people so the language is clean, which I always love.  There are not a lot of books like this book so it was something different.

Now for the bad part. I hate saying this, but there were some things in the book I was not crazy about. Some of the things in the book were a little too weird for me.  Somethings just sounded wrong when I read them in the book. (If you read it you can probably guess what I am talking about).  However, do not let that stop you from reading this novel.

Overall, I thought the book was pretty good.  Now it is time for you to read The School For Good and Evil and decide...are you really good...or are you evil?

Here is a look at what the book is about:

It's Time For Another Battle!

The winner from our last poll is....

William Herondale stole your hearts.  I can’t blame this vote though…mysterious, a huge reader like his love, and described as quite dreamy!

Now for the next battle:

In honor of Halloween fast approaching, we are going to stop with our "heart-throb" guys and do a “Battle of Villains”.  Who doesn't love a good antagonist?  Where would our story be without these villains?!  So VOTE on who makes your skin crawl the most and deserves the award for “Best Villain”.  Here are your choices ...

President Snow

President Coriolanus Snow was the ruthless and tyrannical president of Panem.  He ruled with an iron fist.  He constantly threatened and killed people who stood in his way to holding absolute power over Pamem.

Pros:

Snow possesses total power in Panem’s government and has proven to be a cruel and manipulative dictator.  He has little respect for human life.  Hello! He REALLY supports the Hunger Games!  Great idea … let’s put kids in an arena and let them kill each other.  His weapon of choice is poison.  He is intelligent and cunning.

Cons: 

This crazy ruler does have flaws of course.  He is VERY paranoid that he will lose power.  As a result he tended to kill people, enemies but also his allies.  He has some other flaws but you will have to read the books or see the next movie for further detail. ;)

Quote:

”You fought very hard in the Games, Miss Everdeen. But they were games. Would you like to be in a real war? Imagine thousands of your people, dead. Your loved ones, gone.”

“And may the odds be ever in your favor.” 

Lord Voldemort 

Tom Marvolo Riddle, most commonly known as “Lord Voldemort” or “He Who Must Not Be Named”, is a half-blood wizard and considered to be one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time.  He was a member of the Slytherin house and had many followers known as “Death Eaters” when he rose to power.

Pros:

He opened the Chamber of Secrets and used a monster to attack those with non-magic parents.  He attained immortality during a time as he made Horcruxes.  A Horcrux came from murdering somone.  He did not mind killing anyone, even those of his followers, his army of “Death Eaters”, made of wizards and dark creatures.  To top it off, he can talk to snakes and has one as a pet . CREEPY!  His weapon of choice … his wand! 

Cons:

Dumbledore!  Dumbledore was a wizard that Voldemort always feared.  Of course … HARRY POTTER!  Harry on numerous occasions defeated Voldemort.  For more details…read the amazing books or watch the movies! ;)

Quotes:

“Only I can live forever”

“Harry Potter, the boy who lived... come to die. Avada Kedavra!”

There you have it!  Both villains in different ways ... so vote now! 

Happy Halloween....And Then There Were None!

We all remember the great Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None. 

It is Christie's best-selling novel with 100 million sales to date.  This makes it the world's best-selling mystery ever and one of the best-selling books of all time. With the dark poem we are all know ...

Ten little Indian Boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Indian Boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little Indian Boys travelling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Indian Boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little Indian Boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Indian Boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Indian Boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Indian Boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two little Indian Boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Indian Boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

I loved this story that forced the detective in me out, trying to figure out the "who-done-it".  I was trapped in the story and could not put it down until I had the answer.

When my sister told me about a book called Ten that was written by Gretchen McNeil, and that she was going to be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival, I knew that was one I had to get.  After the amazing day at the festival, Ten was the first book I picked up to read.  I was not disappointed!  The book was everything I expected ... a great modern retelling of the original. 

The Story takes place on a secluded Island (already creepy).  A bunch of kids get together for what is supposed to be an epic house party.  Even the swoon worthy T.J. was going to be there.  What more could a girl want?  However, when a storm blows through and there is no way off the island, the party turns into a nightmare.  One by one, people start being killed off and red slashes start to appear on the wall for every body that turns up. 

I read the book in 24 hours!  I couldn't put it down.  The best friend drove me crazy, but trying to figure out the puzzle that was Ten, kept it a "couldn't-put-down" book.  I wish I could say this book is for everyone but unfortunately I can't.  :(  I understand that when faced with death you're not going to use the best language.  For that reason I have to say 17+ is my recommendation.  With all this said, it's a good Halloween read full of murder and suspense and whole lot of sexy.

To find out more about Ten keep reading ...

MY 3 WISHES WEDNESDAY!!!

IT'S MY 3 WISHES WEDNESDAY!

My 3 Wishes are in Celebration of 

Halloween next week!

WISH #1

Halloween Drink Labels

 Halloween Drink Bottle Labels. Apply these fun Halloween Drink Bottle adhesive labels to your soda bottles to make guests look twice! Partygoers will enjoy these fun Halloween drinks when grabbing a drink.  "100% Pure Juice of Fire Newt", "Dried Feet of Black Crow", Witch's Potion" and 

"Unfiltered Poison". My Sister started our Family with with this tradition years ago and I know you will all LOVE them too.  You can purchase them at Oriental Trading Company OR Do It Yourself and print them on a 4 X 2 mailing label and apply.... Easy Peasy!   

WISH #2

Pumpkin Carver

The Dremel® 7000-PK 6 Volt cordless pumpkin carving tool kit allows you to create intricate pumpkin designs by using the included patterns or by using your imagination. 

The kit comes with the tool, a 191 high speed cutting blade, a adjustment 

wrench and 10 carving templates. This is the "Mack-Daddy" of carving Pumpkins!!

WISH #3

Spiders and Webs

What's Halloween without Creepy, Crawly and incredibly huge spiders?! I can totally see this over my fireplace OR in front of my house!  This just gives me the CHILLS!  You can find this at 

Party City and put it together any way you would like it, it's your own Masterpiece!

TOMORROW IS FACTION DAY!

Tomorrow is the day!!!  October 22nd is “Faction Day”!

Have you made your plans for the day yet?  Have you picked out what you are going to wear?  Or ... have you decided what faction you belong with?  Not sure yet?  Time is running out!  Well, this post may help you decide!  Today, we are focusing on the last faction … Dauntless!

Ready to jump off the train and face your fears … then Dauntless is your faction!  In this faction you will be worked into your tip top physical shape.  They accept nothing but the best of the best in Dauntless. You must be brave.

What kind of books would they be reading?  Here are some from our list:

These books might get members of the Dauntless faction in Divergent to take a break from jumping off trains or practicing knife-throwing long enough to read because they feature brave characters going on adventures and are full of action.

Keep reading and you can find out more about these books!  Here's a look:

Another Give-Away And The Vegas Valley Book Festival

Yes ... it's time for another GIVE-AWAY!!!  Want a peek at what we are sending your way if you win?  Here it is ...

(Signed bookmarks ... pins ... "The Twisted Take of Ruby Hood" bracelet ... "So Many Books So Little Time" charm necklace ... and Princess For Hire by one of our favorite authors!)

SOOOO CUTE!  I actually want it for myself but it's yours ... if you enter ... and if your name is drawn.  We LOVE giving out fun books and amazing items to go with it!  And this time ... I am so thrilled with our latest one!  So keep reading and we will tell you how to enter!

This past weekend, Christmas hit early!  We had the opportunity to attend the "Vegas Valley Book Festival" and it was AMAZING!!!  Armed with our suitcases full of books, we hopped around from tent to tent, listening to authors and getting our books signed.

The Festival kicked off Thursday evening at 7:00 pm.  B.J. Novak was the keynote speaker.  He spent the hour talking about his time on The Office and the behind the scenes writing process.  He also spoke about his first book, One More Thing: Stories And Other Stories.  He read passages from his novel and we all laughed.  He also introduced his children's book ... The Book With No Pictures.  He asked all the kids in the audience to come on stage and he proceeded to read the story to them.  They, as well as all of us in the audience, were pulled into his tale and we laughed along with each line he read.

Saturday was our busy day!  Young Adult authors from all over the country came to speak to those gathered about their latest books.  They also shared with us news about upcoming projects they are working on and gave helpful hints to aspiring authors.  We also found out that Channing Tatum was in town filming Magic Mike 2!  (Look at all the helpful information we came away with.  haha)  It was AWESOME!  The authors all took the time to speak with us as a group and each individually.  They were so nice and kept us entertained the entire time.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted!  However, we walked away with smiles on our faces and arms full of books.  Here are the books we picked up this year:

Let the reading fun begin!!!

OK ... so here is your part ... how do you enter?!  Go down to the very bottom of this post and simply ENTER!!!  You have almost two weeks!!!

Here are some of the authors who came to the Vegas Valley Book Festival this year:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see a list of the authors who attended, keep reading ...

The Erudite Faction

Another week ... another faction!  October 22nd will be here before you know it.  Have you made your plans for the day yet?  Have you picked out what you are going to wear?  Or ... have you decided what faction you belong with?  Not sure yet?  Well, this post may help you decide!  Today, we are focusing on Erudite.

Members of the Erudite faction are smart and they know it.  Erudite is the most intelligent of the Divergent Factions and thus are poised to best lead the other groups.

What kind of books would they be reading?  Here are some from our list:

These novels contain themes that will resonate with the Erudite faction in Divergent: intelligence, scientific inquiry, discipline, and rigorous study.

Keep reading and you can find out more about these books!  Here's a look:

"A Wish Come True!"

I thought I would take some liberty today with our "Three Wishes Wednesday" post, and share with you something on a personal level.  This doesn't have anything to do with books but it is definitely a wish come true in our family!  So with that being said, here is "My One Wish Wednesday" ...

Earlier this summer, we found out some awesome news!  We were going to add a new, precious little one to our family circle!!!  You can not imagine the celebration this news brought.  However, we were going to have to wait patiently as our little addition grew and developed and wouldn't join us until ... April, 2015!  Until then we could plan and scheme and have fun getting ready.  We could also find out the gender of the baby!!!  That is exactly what happened this week!

On Monday, we all gathered together as family and friends for a "Gender Reveal" party.  Everyone showed up in pink or blue, depending on what they thought the baby was ... girl or boy.  The theme for the night was ...

and that is exactly how the evening went.  It was all about cupcakes and muffins!

The house was decorated with giant cupcakes and muffins on the walls.  There was also muffin and cupcake liner garland hanging around the room.

We also spend a day making the cutest "Retro Ovens" ever!  They went along perfectly with the evening.  Here they are:

 And to add the finishing touch ... what oven would be complete without a "Sweet Little Cupcake" inside?!

For dinner, we served various soups and ate ... what else but ... MUFFINS!  (Blueberry, chocolate, banana nut, and corn bread ... all delicious!)

After dinner, we played a couple of games ... "Baking Up The Perfect Name" and "Mama Cupcake & Papa Muffin - Finish My Sentence".  Then came the reason we were all there ... the gender reveal!

We decided to do the reveal with a cake.  (We thought it went perfectly with the whole "baking" theme of the night.)  And here is the amazing cake we had made:

Soooo CUTE!!!

It had a "Sweet Little Cupcake" cake on top ...

and a "Handsome Stud Muffin" cake on the bottom!

And inside ... it held the secret!!!

It was perfect for our evening of fun and excitement!

And what were the results?  What was the precious little one's gender?  Here you go ...

A "Handsome Stud Muffin" will be joining our family circle early next year!!!  We all can't wait to hold our beautiful little boy, grandson, nephew, etc!  We can't wait to see his precious face and give him tons of cuddles and kisses ... and of course read a few stories along the way!  ; )

All The Truth That's In Me

I love books filled with fluff and as far from reality as possible.  I always say that I read books to get away from the real world for awhile.  So when I got the book All The Truth That's In Me ... 

I had no clue what to expect.  I mean, it's not a book filled with witches and wizards or sexy vampires.  It's a book about a girl and a boy and the challenges they face.  It's dark, but not in a Tim-Burton-darkness.  It's dark in a real life way.  All The Truth That's In Me is about two girls that go missing and 4 years later one returns.  Judith didn't come back the same little girl she was when she left.  Judith comes back silent, her tongue cut out and the truth buried with it. 

All she can do is silently pour out her thoughts, as if reading her journal, we see life through her eyes.  The cruel way she is treated from those in her community because "who's she going to tell anyways" ... the love she has for her childhood friend Lucus ... and the way her mother treats her because she is embarrassed by what happened.

However, after all the time she has spent learning to be invisible, just as her mother taught her, an attack breaks out at Roswell Station and only one man can help. Can Judith dare to bring him back with all the pain and horror?  And what would be the consequences if she did?

All the Truth That's in Me is a dark and chilling tale of abuse and secrets, of love and loss, and of silence and courage.  Its second person narration was one so unique and almost lyrical, with a rhythm and a kind of music I've never read before.  Each chapter is usually only half a page long, sometimes less.  It keeps with the way Judith might think, in short sequences.  She's a very calculating kind of person.  She seems to always see deeper than others, as if her lack of speech opened her eyes and ears to a far more intricate world only she can see and the narration portrayed it wonderfully.

As you go on this journey with Judith, you can't help but know the characters in this book so intimately.  You really have a chance to fall in love with the people she loves and hate the ones she hates.  This book had you guessing the whole time and you can't put it down until you put the whole puzzle together.

In the end, I was surprised by how much I liked this book.  There was no fluff and the story was something that could happen in our world today.  (But don't worry.  There was still the hot guy.)  I would recommend this book to anyone 17+.  There is more mature content to the book but the writing was amazing.  Bravo Julie Berry Bravo.

Keep reading if you want to know more about what this book is all about.

Faction Day Is Almost Here!

Another week ... another faction!  October 22nd will be here before you know it.  Have you made your plans for the day yet?  Have you picked out what you are going to wear?  Or ... have you decided what faction you belong with?  Not sure yet?  Well, this post may help you decide!  Today, we are focusing on Candor.

Members of the Candor faction believe truth will set you free!  Candor is the faction known for honesty, so it is the most truthful of the Divergent Factions.

What kind of books would they be reading?  Here are some from our list:

These books feature characters who exhibit characteristics the Candor faction in Divergent values: truthfulness and honesty or plots where characters learn the importance of the truth.

Keep reading and you can find out more about these books!  Here's a look: