Not Quite Superhuman

Website Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:16:00 +0000

Hey, if you are interested in new updates on Not Quite Superhuman, check out the new website at www.notquitesuperhuman.com ! www.notquitesuperhuman.com

JH "What can I say? Librarians rule!" --Regis Philbin

Check out Tyia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 May 2015 15:09:00 +0000

I am very excited about this wearable...
Tyia is a notification wearable that looks just like a piece of jewelry. It has a band similar to a leather watch and is available in silver or gold. In addition to being a notification device, it also works as an activity tracker. So much cooler and stylish than a neoprene band or bulky smartwatch.

Click here to sign up for updates.

Posted with Blogsy

Two years later...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 May 2015 01:43:00 +0000

Hi! It sure has been a while hasn't it?

My last post was made in June...2013. So what have I been doing?

Working on a new book!

Best STEM Resources for NextGen Scientists: The Essential Selection and User's Guide should be released in late June 2015.

Intended to support the national initiative to strengthen learning in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, this book helps librarians who work with youth in school and public libraries to build better collections and more effectively use these collections through readers' advisory and programming.

Make sure to order your copy today!

Posted with Blogsy

More adventures in cooking from scratch...using Pinterest.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:20:00 +0000

Had a craving for chocolate, so my son and I made these chocolate muffins.

I love finding new recipes to try using Pinterest. Here is the recipe for the above Chocolate Muffins. I tweaked very little other than using all purpose flour instead of wheat and vegetable oil instead of sunflower oil. I also didn't have buttermilk on hand, so I substituted lemon juice and milk. They were very yummy!

If you use recipes you find on Pinterest, I recommend you create a board to repin the pins you have tried. Not only does it make it easier to find those pins again, but it also validifies that Pinterest is a very useful way to spend your time because you are using all those ideas you have pinned.

I have a lot of food finds pinned to my boards. Feel free to repin!

Posted with Blogsy

Adventures in Internet Baking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:03:00 +0000

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would be experimenting with baking from scratch. Sometimes a recipe sounds awesome, but you just don't have all of the ingredients on hand. So far the results have been pretty good, especially considering that I like to "tweak" recipes to make them my own.

Here is one of my latest exploits:

Tropical Isle Biscotti Recipe

Prep: 25 min. Bake: 30 min. Yield: 18

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegtable oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup lime and lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup almond flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flaked coconut

1 teaspoon grated orange peel (cut orange in half when done and squeeze juice into mix)

Directions

In a small bowl, beat sugar and oil until blended. Beat in the eggs, lime & lemon juice mix, vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in coconut and orange peel. Squeeze in juice from grated orange.

With lightly floured hands, shape into a approx 2 inch wide rectangle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (you may need to divide the dough in half for two baking sheets). Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until set.

Place pan on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

This recipe is based on the recipe for Lime Coconut Biscotti originally published in Healthy Cooking August/September 2011, p33.

Posted with Blogsy

From Scratch...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:31:00 +0000

I have talked before about how much I love Pinterest. It is just so inspiring. So many people comment on how it is a vortex to waste your time, but I have found many useful tips and tricks from the site. My favorite is the Fauxbreeze that can be found on my Frugal Me board. So Simple! I have also found that I am dressing and accessorizing better-- at least in my opinion. I have also created a Pinterest Stuff I Have Really Tried board to not only show other that it is a valuable tool, but also to prove to myself that it is not a waste of time.

Last month, we bought a waffle maker from Target. We used a boxed mix to make the waffles and they were less than appealing. We decided that we would make a batch from scratch. Which prompted a pretty funny conversation with my 6 year old.

Little Man: Mommy can we go to the store tomorrow?
Me: Why? What do you want from the store?
Little Man: Scratch!
Me: What do you want? <insert me confused>
Little Man: You know! Scratch...to make waffles from!
Me: Oh! Scratch isn't a specific thing, it means using ingredients to make something homemade. We have to pick up the ingredients to make waffles.
Little Man: Well, can we do that?

Sadly, we still haven't made the waffles from Scratch, but I now have a stock pile of baking ingredients (including more bags of flour than I realized I already had). I started thinking while I was pinning recipes to my Food board on Pinterest that growing up, we didn't buy a box of cake mix. There were no cans of apple pie filling. When we wanted to bake something, we pulled out the Watkins cookbook with my grandmother's handwritten notes in the margin. Somewhere in high school, the cookbook was shelved and boxes started to take over the cabinet. I still use boxes, but is my son missing out because of this? It would be cheaper to make stuff from scratch even with coupons for all those box mixes.

I still have my grandmother's cookbook. It is very brittle with age now, but it is nice to have that little bit of family tradition and history. So I have decided there will be no more box mixes in my house. I do of course have to use up the mixes I still have, but I will not be purchasing more. I have quite the collection of recipes now from Pinterest, but do you have any particular favorite boards or blogs to watch for? Maybe a favorite waffle recipe? ;)

Author Interview & Book Review: Dead Reckoning

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:48:00 +0000

About a month ago I received an email from the awesome people at Bloomsbury with a list of YA titles for review. I got very excited when I saw Mercedes Lackey's name on the list. I have been reading her books for over 20 years. I also loved the Shadow Grail books she co-wrote with Rosemary Edghill (who is an X-Men fan BTW). It got even better when I read the description:

From bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, comes a new thriller DEAD RECKONING. Jett Gallatin expected trouble in Aslop, Texas—but not zombies. Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone - until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren't rising from the dead of their own accord ... but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, romp will leave you on the edge of your seat.

DEAD RECKONING is a historical zombie apocalypse gender bender. It is like the authors rooted through my brain and picked all my favorites to wrap up in one book. Now somewhere I read a blurb for the book comparing it to Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. Personally, I don't think the two can be compared because they are playing two completely different ball games.

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is a dystopian series that takes place many years after the fall (i.e. the zombie apocalypse). They are not trying to solve where the zombies came from or even how to stop it; the characters are merely trying to survive. It was also heavy on the romance. DEAD RECKONING, while just as primitive of a landscape though with cool steampunkish tech like Gibbons' Auto-Tachypod, takes place at the beginning of a small scale zombie uprising and yes, they want to solve and stop it. In other words, heavy on the mystery. The characters in DEAD RECKONING are complete strangers, not friends since childhood, who band together to stop a threat from harming others. The characters also have completely different personalities that perfectly complement each other.

As if reading such a fantastic book wasn't enough, I got the chance to submit some questions for the authors. I have talked to authors before, but this is my first legit interview. As I have said before, authors are my rockstars. Does that mean I am a groupie? Hmm...

Rosemary Edghill was kind enough to send out a wonderful reply to my questions. Now before we get started, everyone give Rosemary a virtual cupcake cause today is her birthday! Yay!

*Internet Hoards Singing*

Now, on with the show...

Q: I love supernatural books where the monsters are the evil-they-have-to-be-killed kind of monsters (you know, not the sparkly love interest types), so I have to ask, what inspired you to write a historical western featuring zombies?

R:We started with the characters: Gibbons the rationalist, and Jett the … not-so-rationalist. We wanted a threat that would pit them against each other as well as against it: so clearly it had to be something that looked supernatural. There's been a lot of stuff done lately to retcon zombies from supernatural creatures to natural ones (plague, alien organism, yadda), so they made the perfect slipstream monster for Dead Reckoning. And in 1865, we're still near the beginning of the zombie myth. The concept hadn't really made it out into the popular culture yet -- even Gibbons is barely familiar with it -- so it also gave us a chance to work with an archetype very familiar to our readers yet fairly-unknown to our protagonists. Which was a lot of fun.

Q: I like gender benders where the girl pretends to be a guy, I was taught Shakespeare did it in his plays because he was worried about the male actor's psyche of being in a dress and wanted to get the guy back in tights -or whatever- as soon as possible. Why did you decide to have Jett disguised as a boy in the story? Why not keep her gender secret longer than you did?

R:Jett is a Southerner in the post-Civil War period. She's lost everything: her home, her family, her future. All she has left is her quest to find her twin brother. But in the mid-1800s, a young woman couldn't just go off and do as she pleased. It would be the equivalent of, say, an eight-year-old child's position today. People wouldn't take them seriously. They'd always be calling Child Protective Services and trying to send them home. Of course, there isn't a Child Protective Services in the Old West, but if Jett were travelling as Philippa Sheridan instead of as Jett Galatin, she would be exposed to a huge amount of danger -- and have far less freedom.

As for why we decided to reveal her masquerade so soon…

If we kept it a secret, we'd have to present her to the reader as a boy, and that would mean we wouldn't be able to tell any of the story from her point of view. It would also shift the focus of the story we were telling to her disguise, and we wanted it to be about her relationship with Gibbons, and the two of them dealing with the zombie apocalypse. Last of all, if we revealed the truth about her disguise at a point much later in the story, the readers would already have gotten used to thinking of her as a boy, and there'd be this whole "Wait, what? What's going on now?" thing. And that would lose forward momentum at a point where we wanted the pace to pick up and head full-tilt into certain doom…

Q:I love all the background info you have regarding the mythos behind zombie lore and superstition. How much research did you do before you wrote the book?

R: I started out in Regency Romances (and I'm a huge history junkie to boot!), and Misty's Elemental Mages series is set in the Victorian period. We were both pretty familiar with the time period. (And my heroes have always been cowboys…) The main part of the research we had to do was to figure out what people of that period could know about zombies, based on the information available. The other part was in making sure that the real-life technology we described (such as the telegraph) worked as it would have worked in that time and place.

The one thing I had to do a lot of handwaving on was the food, actually. Canning technology was just starting to become widespread -- it had been driven by the need to feed the army (on both sides) during the Civil War -- and I knew there were a lot of canned goods available on the frontier (such as peaches, tomatoes, and condensed milk), but try as I might, I couldn't get a full list of what might be on the shelves of the General Store. So I tried to distract everybody, and concentrated on what I did know…

Q: How did the whole process of collaboration work with writing DEAD RECKONING?

R: This is our tenth book together, so we've got it down to a science by now.

We use Google Docs a great deal. We start by breaking the story in chat. At that point it looks like a really long book report full of spoilers. Then I go off and do a scene-by-scene breakdown. For example, the first scene in the book looked like this:

SCN 01: We establish the tiny Western town of Alsop, Texas. It's spring, but a Texas spring is like anyplace else's deep winter. It's the beginning of the droving season, when thousands of head of cattle are driven north along the Chisholm Trail to Kansas railheads. It's just dusk when a lone figure on a gleaming black stallion rides into town. The figure's fancy turnout -- silver conches and stamping on the black leather saddle, silver-studded reins and bridle, silver-studded saddlebags -- proclaim them less of a working cowboy than a "bad man" -- a "shootist" -- a gunslinger. The rider, too, is wearing black studded with silver, from the silver heels and toe-caps on the boots, to the silver spurs on the boots, to the silver conches on the black leather vest, to the silver-studded hatband on the black Stetson. The only touch of contrast is the ivory handles on the matched pair of Colt Peacemakers he wears strapped to his hips. The fact that they're tied down proclaims him as someone who lives and dies by the gun. The town of Alsop is a single street, with a livery stable at one end and a church at the other. Between the two are the usual buildings: hotel and dining parlor, general store, telegraph office, newspaper, sheriff's office. And of course the saloon. The prairie wind blows dust, discarded paper, and the inevitable tumbleweeds across the street as the black rider's horse ambles slowly up the street and stops in front of the saloon.

As you see, there's a lot of background information included, mainly so it's there when we need it.

Next, we divvy up the scenes and start writing. We post them in Google Docs, broken out into chapters, and revise each other's work as we go. When the book is done, one or the other of us downloads all the chapters, assembles them into a single document, does a last polish, and off it goes…

Q: Both White Fox and Jett left us with questions, is there already a sequel in the works for DEAD RECKONING?

R: Yup! We're off to Denver! And imagine my glee when I found a detailed map of the city from the very year I need…

Q: What would you say is different about writing for young adults rather than adults?

R: Wow. That's a hard one. (My work has always been tagged "of interest to teens" from my very first book, which was a space opera titled HELLFLOWER, so I may not be the best person to ask.) I think it's always a case of knowing what's important to your audience, and telling that audience a story that won't bore it. So if my main character is a sixteen-year old, I do my best to look at the world from that perspective. If my main character were fifty, the perspective would change…

Q: I am a fan of the romance genre, what would you say is your favorite genre to work with? (BTW congrats to Rosemary who with the addition of the Western has now written a book in every genre). *high five*

R: *high fives you back* If I were guessing about Misty, I'd say "historical fantasy" would be her answer. My favorite is urban fantasy, because I am totally in love with the idea that something wonderful and strange will suddenly show up in the middle of an ordinary day and an ordinary life and then there will be Adventures.. At least, I like to think it's wonderful Sometimes it's monsters, but in that case, a hero/ine is never far behind!

Q: Which books or authors would you say most inspired your writing?

R: ::laughs:: All of them! Mark Twain, Damon Runyon, Robert Heinlein, J.R.R. Tolkien, Andre Norton (who I got to collaborate with OMG!), Georgette Heyer, "Doc" Smith, Leslie Charteris, Raymond Chandler, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, C. L. Moore… Each one of them taught me something -- about how to tell a story, about how to make a character "real", about Sense of Wonder, which I think is the most important gift a writer can give themselves and their readers.

Q: I know many authors that are now using iPads to write on the go, what is your writing preference: paper and pen/pencil, desktop, laptop, or mobile device?

R: I adore my iPad, but I can barely write emails on it -- the touchpad is incredibly frustrating. So it's computer (laptop or desktop) for me. I actually wrote my first couple of books on an IBM Selectric (yeah, I know, the dark ages), and I used to write my shorter stuff longhand. But from the moment I got my hands on my first computer (an Apple ][e ) I've never looked back. Revision is so much easier!!!!

Q: Any advice for unpublished writers?

R: Misty's advice and mine is about the same (I know, as I've heard her give hers A LOT): write! There's nothing to beat Butt In Chair to help you hone your writing discipline and your craft. The basic rules are pretty simple:

1. Write.

2. Finish what you write.

3. Submit what you write.
You'll face a lot of rejection, frustration, and disappointment along the way. But these three rules are the only ones I know to turn someone from Unpublished Writer to Published Writer.

Q: Between City of Heroes and the Marvelverse, you have both plied your craft in the realm of those a bit superhuman...If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

R: Misty may chime in later, but for me: FLYING!!! I want to soar above the towers of Gotham, or Metropolis, or the Big Apple! No contest!

Q: Thank you very much for sharing your works and words with us, is there anything else you would like to add?

R: I started out in fandom, writing fanfic, and the one thing I miss as a "pro" writer is the amount of feedback I used to get. Like the book? Hate the book? I want to know! You can find me in my usual hangouts: http://rosemary-edghill.dreamwidth.org/ and http://www.facebook.com/rosemary.edghill

Now if that wasn't just fabulousness in itself...Imagine if you will that Cowboys vs Aliens, Wild Wild West, and Walking Dead were all put into a blender...this book will appeal to readers who love historicals, steampunk, supernatural, and mysteries. Though the authors comment at the beginning of the book that they apologize for some of the rather unenlightened attitudes and language of the book, it is a clean read...well, clean other than disintegrating corpses. The target audience is grades 7-12 and is perfect to give to those middle schoolers looking for a good zombie book. It will even appeal to boys.

*Update: Check out Bloomsbury Teens Facebook page for great prizes related to the books release! https://www.facebook.com/BloomsburyTeens

Give me Free Shipping!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I love infographics. I found the link for this on Pinterest and thought it was just a little too close to what I was saying in a previous post not to share:

Source: VoucherCodes.co.uk

Now, I was already aware of some of the tricks marketers use to get us to buy...yeah, that whole color logo thing, ever wonder why McD's, BK, KFC, and all the ret use similar colors? Cause of the effect it as on our moods. They make us hungry and there are also colors that make us buy.

I wanted to point out part of the infographic that points out that when Amazon dropped their minimum for free shipping, sales went up. Consumers bought more and spent more. I have no problem with this. The way I figure it, it is just like when we have a gift card or a coupon when we go out to eat...we tip the server the difference between the bill and the discount (plus 15-20%...yeah, my husband has even there done that, so we like to pass it on). I have a budget when I shop online and have to consider S&H into the final total to fit my price. If I no longer have to pay the S&H ten I will not only buy more, but might even justify *cough* going over my budget *cough*.

So retailers, if you are reading this...more free shipping!

Blatant Self Promotion..or Yay! I have been published

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

<<<<<<<If you work in a library check this book out! Yes, this is blatant self promotion because I have a chapter in this book! I am officially published.

Marketing Your Library:Tips and Tools That Work, 2012. Edited by Carol Smallwood, Vera Gubnitskaia and Kerol Harrod,231 (7x10) pages, $55 softcover, introduction, foreword, photos, appendices, index, ISBN 978-0-7864-6543-9; Ebook ISBN 978-0-7864-8995-4
"Provides the tools required to make your library's message a front page story"-Flo Caddell, Arts Director, Frankfort Community Public Library, Frankfort, Indiana; "This crucial guide outlines the tools unique to libraries to market themselves and their services."-Mary Jo McKeon, Librarian, The Sage Colleges, Albany, New York; "A must-have book...a crucial tool." -Linda Burkey Wade, Digitization Unit Coordinator, Western Illinois University Library, Macomb, Illinois.
Concise, how-to case studies from practicing public, school, academic, and special librarians provide proven strategies to improve brand management, campaign organization, community outreach, media interaction, social media, and event planning and implementation. Intended for the novice and the old hand, individuals and large staffs, this valuable guide provides librarians with the effective marketing tools necessary to help their libraries thrive in these challenging times.

Carol Smallwood, a Michigan resident, has edited several anthologies for the American Library Association. Vera Gubnitskaia is a youth services manager with the Orange County Library System in Orlando, Florida. Kerol Harrod, Denton, Texas is the creator, writer and co-producer for the children's television show Library Larry's Big Day.
Shipping/Handling: $5 first book, $2 each additional
Canadian orders: $15 first book, $5 each additional (UPS Standard).
International/ orders: $35 first book, $10 each additional (USPS international priority mail).
International/Canadian orders please pay in U.S. funds.Marketing Your Library $55 _______
Shipping/handling (see below) _______
Subtotal $_______
N.C. residents add 6.75% Sales Tax _______
TOTAL $_______
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers * Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640336-246-4460 * Orders 800-253-2187 * FAX 336-246-4403 * www.mcfarlandpub.com
Ship to: ____________________________________________
(please print) ________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Credit card orders: qVISA qMasterCard
qAMEX qDiscover
Account #___________________________________________
Exp. date ________ Telephone __ ___________
Account #___________________________________________
E-mail address ________________________________________
In Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, order from: The Eurospan Group, www.eurospangroup.comIn Australia and New Zealand, order from: DA Information Services, www.dadirect.com

JH "What can I say? Librarians rule!" --Regis Philbin

The Saving Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

For the past six months, I have been couponing. Now don't get me wrong, I have talked about couponing before and Walmart price wise was always the best deal. However, that is where the coupon matching comes into play. My local Publix accepts competitors coupons and I have to say that my savings would not work without this. The idea is to watch the sales circulars for the Buy One Get One sales that Publix runs every week...then pair that sale by stacking 2 manufacturers coupons with 2 store coupons. You can use 2 coupons because you are buying 2 items...even though the one will be discounted at the register, it still counts. Publix has store coupons each week plus my store accepts Ta rget coupons (watch the fine print, sometimes store coupons are one per customer, not per purchase).

Yes, I do pour over the ads and scour my coupon batches to match stuff up, but technology is there to make things easier. I follow several coupon and savings blogs that match up the coupons for the sales. I used to follow the Krazy Coupon Lady, but found that I couldn't use all of her advice. (I tried the binder idea, but couldn't keep up. Right now I have the binder to organize my loose coupons and use file folders for my sheets of coupons from the paper and printed on the Internet.) She has just too many stores that I couldn't use, like Albertson's...oh, how I wish Albertson's were still in the area. I still use her site for links to printable coupons, but not so much for the deal match ups. One site that I found and absolutely love is Addicted to Saving. She is a Florida girl which means that these are deals I really can use. I love the Publix coupon match ups! Another great place to find matchups are the forums on Hot Coupon World. They list the sale items posted in the circular and then follow up with the coupons that correspond to the sales.

The trick to couponing is to have multiple copies of your coupons. You can buy coupons off of sites like E bay, but I am leary of doing that because there are some dishonest people out there passing fake coupons that you will get charged the minimum $2,500 fine for using. You also need to be careful of what printables you download. (3/17/12 Update: You may check out the list of what currently circulating coupons are out there at the Coupon Information Corporation.) The best option is to either get your friends and family to give you their paper inserts or to buy multiple copies of the Sunday paper. Some cities will even allow you to have multiples devlivered to your house. I only get one copy of the paper delivered to my house, Sunday only. I admit this is because I am a bit lazy. I don't want to have to go out to buy more papers if they don't have any worthwhile coupons that I can use. Sunday Coupon Preview will give you a list of the coupons coming out in the Sunday paper, but I have found that sometimes there are slight variances, so I don't always rely on it (it is a great tool for planning Sunday shopping trips when you know a coupon you can use will be coming out that day).

So am I really saving with coupons? Well, yes and no. I average about 50-70% savings on every shopping trip. I am still spending as much as before, but we have a fully stocked pantry and freezer chest. My son has a variety of snacks to take to school and we try new foods out that we might have hesitated about before. We are also eating out less because we have things stocked in the pantry and freezer that are quick to cook when we don't feel like cooking (I.e. chicken fingers). Now a lot of the coupons are for processed food items, so you might not find that this is something that would work for you. But there are great deals on frozen vegtables and canned items. While fresh is always the best option, these are a pretty great second. Just remember everything in moderation.

March Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:09:00 +0000

My son is home sick today, but that is also good news for me because it means I have a moment to actually catch my breath. The past couple of months have been a bit hectic as I prepared and then presented library workshops all over South Florida for our Summer Florida Library Youth Program. I loved the experience and would probably do it again, except this time I will be much better prepared for everything that goes into the presentations. One up side is that I am no longer uncomfortable driving my husband's van as I logged over 20hrs in less than a week driving it up and down I-95 (Miami's roadways still terrify me a bit and thank heavens for the one Christmas present I didn't ask for but love- GPS.)

So somehow March happened without me even realizing it. Nothing that I said I would post after January got posted. I hate to use the excuse of I didn't have the time, but really I didn't. So much for writing more book reviews and tips and tricks like stuff on saving money. I have kept up to date through RSS feeds on my phone. I have found some great deals through the different blogs I read. My biggest scores have been on Target and Totsy. I have this real problem where I don't like spending money on clothes, but I love buying them. Target was running a promotion where not only did I score a 20% discount on everything, but also free shipping. Why is it that online sites charge so much on shipping? I only buy when the shipping is free or a flat low rate because it makes no sense for me to pay just as much in shipping as my purchase. Totsy only charges about $7.95 for shipping though you do have to wait a couple weeks for your order to come in. It is worth it to get such great deals on shoes, clothes, household, and kid's stuff.

Tomorrow, I hope to have a post recapping some of my favorite blogs to watch for saving advice. ;)

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:57:00 +0000

You know the mark of a good writer when you are so deeply engrossed in a story and engaged with the characters to the point that you want to slap them over the head and shake some sense into them. Maybe you have some friends like that...those two who have been friends for ages and are perfect for each other, but something is holding them back from taking that next step. Then a choice is made and there is no turning back.

Life is full of choices.

Delaney made a choice when she kissed Carson Levine on Decker Phillips' couch, breaking the cardinal rule of best friends. She made another choice when she followed Decker Phillips across the ice. He made a choice by leaving her behind.

Three minutes without air is all you need to lose consciousness. At four minutes brain damage begins. At five minutes, you should be dead. Definitely at ten. Delaney was under the ice for eleven minutes.
She shouldn't have survived, but she did. She shouldn't be fine, but she is-- or is she?
People are dying and Delaney knows who they are before it happens. Can she help before it is too late or is she the cause? Is she alone in this ability?

Delaney is a girl who should be dead or at least brain damaged. She survived a horrific accident to suddenly find herself with the ability to predict when someone is dying. As if being a teenager wasn't enough; she might be in love with her best friend, her standing as class valedictorian is in jeopardy, and her parents think she might be crazy.

Megan Miranda blends together ethical debate, the tragedy of death, and the drama of teenage love in this debut YA novel born from the author's fascination with scientific mysteries like those of the brain. Fracture is a fast paced and thought provoking novel delving into the world of miracles and medicine. Readers of Meg Cabot and Lurlene McDaniel will enjoy.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Publisher: Walker Childrens; 1 edition (January 17, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0802723098
ISBN-13: 978-0802723093

Book Review: Simply Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:18:00 +0000

When I was in college, there was a Ruby Tuesday in the mall. I wasn't that big of a fan. Flash forward a decade and I love it. They have a very sophisticated yet still casual concept when it comes to their food and dining atmosphere. Yeah, they aren't just burgers any more.

Andrews McMeel Publishing has put out a new cookbook called Simply Fresh: casual dinning at home by Jeff Morgan. With over 100 recipes that have been inspired by the many dishes that grace the tables at Ruby Tuesday, this cookbook is one deserving your kitchen. The recipes are simple using fresh ingredients and easy to follow directions.

Now I love cookbooks, but I admit I have a problem following directions. I have to add my own spin to things. One of the recipes that I tried out was the Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil on page 82. Yes, couldn't leave it be. I added canned lump crab and diced frozen shrimp. This chunky soup is so rich and flavorful that even my husband who is not a fan of soup or tomatoes asked for seconds. We used the leftover soup the next day to top corkscrew pasta. Like all soup, it was even better the next day. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. We ate it all before I even thought about it.

Pictures of course are the best part of a cookbook. I know it is cheaper to publish a cookbook sans photos for every recipe, but I have never understood why that should even be considered. We eat with our eyes before we ever taste our food. I will not buy a cookbook that does not show me what the recipe will look like. That is another reason I love this cookbook. There are pictures galore.

Yummm...this is all making me hungry. Time to get cooking!

Think Pink! a book review of The Boy with Pink Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:13:00 +0000

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
I love books where the main character discovers that being different is just awesome. I have a new favorite picture book.

Now it seems to be the trend that Hollywood is not happy with being just actors or singers. They want to be writers too. Madonna did it. Hilary Duff did it. Even the girl who played Winnie on the Wonder Years has done it. Now Perez Hilton has decided to put his hat in the Children's publishing arena.

The Boy with Pink Hair was great. It is not about a boy who wants to be a girl or dye his hair, he was born with pink hair. Rather than try to cure it like Gerald McBoing-Boing's or even Daisy Head Mayzie's parents do, The Boy with Pink Hair's parents teach him to embrace being different and to play up what his talents are. In this case, his talents are cooking (especially pink food). I love that none of the characters in the book have actual names. They are referred to as The Boy with Pink Hair, The Girl with Pig Tails, and the Boy With the Bad Attitude (among others).

The Boy with Pink Hair says he dreams of a school where everyone has different colored hair and together they make up a rainbow. We are all too often discouraged from being different and not conforming. Perez Hilton says that he is working on being the change that he wants to see in the world. The fence seems to be be right there splitting everything when it comes to the celebrity blogger. He has been called a cyber bully and a man with an agenda among other things. To be honest, other than the fact that he is openly gay and in-tuned with the Hollywood gossip circuit, I don't know that much about him. I am judging this book strictly on the story which is awesome.

Of things to come...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:38:00 +0000

This next month is going to be pretty crazy for me. I just don't know how to say no sometimes. I think I am finally starting to realize that I am becoming over extended. Yes, being Not Quite Superhuman is catching up.

I registered at NaNoWriMo's website but have not written a single word. I just like my WIP too much to switch to another idea right now. Though I admit that I love this month because there is just soo much advice out there from writers, agents, and publishers. The fabulous Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, was at my library last month. She started out during NaNoWriMo and said community was the best thing she took from the experience. So for the moment I am going to follow along on the networks and lurk on the blogs for all the advice and ideas that can be found.

I have also started what I am calling the great coupon experiment. I am in month two of trying extreme couponing. So far I am spending the same amount of money each month, but my pantry is full and we have been going out to eat way less. This month will be the true test because even though it is just the three of us, we still spend more when there are holiday meals.

I also started reviewing over at No Flying No Tights which is a graphic novel review website. Yeah, finally a legit excuse to spend more time reading manga and watching anime.

I fully have plans to revamp this blog started prob in January with more of a defined schedule. Some features that I am toying with are more book reviews, discount deals, and crafts. I am not sure yet what the schedule will be or what names I will call the features, but in the mean time I will offer a peek at a great discount deal. Enjoy!

Head on over to NoMoreRack for great deals on electronics, clothes, and more. Deals are good just for either one day or when they sell out, whichever comes first. You can get some items for up to 80% off or more in some cases. Plus shipping is just $2 per item. Great for holiday shopping!

Book Review: Between the Sea and Sky

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:27:00 +0000

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Hardcover: 240 pages

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (October 25, 2011)

ISBN-10: 1599904349

ISBN-13: 978-1599904344

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore takes Little Mermaid and spins it to whole new heights --literally.

Esmerine is a mermaid, well actually a siren; just like her older sister Dosinia. Receiving her belt should have been one of the best things that could happen to her, but she is still uneasy. Not only are her and her sister the first in her family to be chosen to be sirens, but she also has a history of being the mermaid who was friends with that winged boy. She also has a fondness for books, which don't do too well underwater. Then Dosinia goes missing and there are rumors from Land that she has been spirited away to the mountains by her new human husband.

Convinced that Dosinia was tricked into giving up her belt, a keeper of siren magic, to her new husband and thus trapped forever as a two-legger; Esmerine decides to investigate by journeying above the waves and onto Land. Mermaids don't do too well on Land, not even sirens with all their magic. Their feet feel unbearable pain which means they can barely walk. When a mermaid gives up her belt to a human, the pain goes away. Esmerine has no intention of giving up her belt.

Stranded in the middle of town with aching feet, she is surprised to discover that Alandare, the winged friend from her childhood, is working at a bookstore in town. Alandare agrees to help Esmerine find her sister, but their friendship has changed. It is both more and less at the same time, with neither one wanting the other to give up who and what they are. Is there any in-between for a girl of the sea and a man of the air?

What I loved best about the book was that Esmerine wasn't just a mermaid, she was a siren. Also while Alandare had wings, they are more like those of a bat and not the angelic feathers that most winged people are described as having. It kept things interesting. Esmerine's love of books had me thinking more of Belle than Ariel, which meant instant "like". There were also allusion to other legends, history, and tropes. Stealing a siren's belt for example, mirrored the tales of fishermen stealing the skins of their selkie brides to keep them on land. Alandare was a bit of a radical in his love of enlightenment era-ish pamphlets on philosophy. So this book was a delightful mix of traditional tale and more.

Dolamore does what she does best, taking a traditional tale and rethinking it. This story has been ten years in the making as it began with the seeds of a thought, "what if?". Dolamore went back to the good parts of that story to create Between the Sea and Sky. You will be hooked right until the very end wondering if the two will work out their differences.

Leaving a Little Bit Behind

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:25:00 +0000

No secret that I find Where the Mountain Meets the Moon to be an absolutely wonderful book that I share with absolutely everyone (Is that too many absolutely's? Well, that is how absolutely awesome it is!). It is the story of a little girl, Minli, who takes a journey to meet the Old Man of the Moon to ask how she can bring fortune back to her family. Grace Lin is on my list of authors I would one day like to meet.

Now, Grace Lin has found a wonderful way to have fun while traveling. She created little miniature dolls of herself that she is leaving around France as she travels. As her blog says, "They say you always leave a bit of yourself behind when you travel" and that is what she is doing. Check out the further adventures of Pocket Pacy: a pacy in the pocket.

I remember as a child, my family took a trip to Orlando, FL. We are talking mid to late 80s and we did everything from Gatorland to Disney to Sea World. But despite all that, what sticks in my mind is my father burying a plastic baggie with some coins and bills in the atrium of the hotel we were staying at. He had friends that were traveling to the same hotel the next month and created a treasure hunt for them. It worked too. They found the baggie right where he said it would be (though the bills didn't survive too well and I wonder about the maintenance of the hotel that the money was still there a month later). He had fun and they had fun. Win-Win!

What are some ways to unwind, let loose, or have fun while you are traveling? How do you make it a little bit more interesting than the everyday tourist thing?

ARC Assembly

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:30:00 +0000

I am horribly horribly behind on my reviews. I know, I know...

So here is an assemblage of reviews for ARCs I have read from NetGalley. (Have I mentioned just how awesome NetGalley is?!)

Title:		A Midsummer Night's Sin

SubTitle:		A Blackthorn Brothers Novel

Publisher:		Harlequin

Imprint:		HQNbooks

Pub Date:		11/29/2011

ISBN:		9780373776108

This is the second installment of the Blackthorn Brothers Trilogy by Kasey Michaels. The second book follows Robin "Puck" Blackthorn. A chance encounter at a masquerade ball throws Puck deep in the middle of a plot against the crown. Joining Miss Regina Hackett, Puck learns of the seedier side of London and a little more of just what his brother Jack does for the Crown. Puck may seem a mischievous sort, but this story shows that there is much much more hiding behind his jovial smile. Personally, I think this is the best book so far though I can't wait to read Black Jack's story in Much Ado About Rogues when it become available.

In Total Surrender

Title:

Publisher:		HarperCollins

Imprint:		Avon Books

Pub Date:		10/01/2011

ISBN:		9780062017314

Andreas Merrick wants revenge at whatever cost. Miss Phoebe Pace just wants her father's secret protected and her brother back home. When the two meet chaos ensues, literally. Phoebe proves to be tenacious in working her way under Andreas' skin. However, secrets about his past and his connection to her brother's disappearance might keep them apart. This was an enjoyable read with the best type of characters; the bad boy and the strong-willed heroine.

Title:		One Night in London

SubTitle:		The Truth About the Duke

Publisher:		HarperCollins

Imprint:		Avon Books

Pub Date:		09/01/2011

ISBN:		9780062025326

Here is another book series about brothers. While I was expecting the book to be about the older brother, I was surprised to find that it was actually the middle brother, Edward that this romance was about. Edward is the responsible one taking care of everything. So when it is discovered their inheritance might be in jeopardy, he immediately contacts the lawyers...the lawyers who just agreed to help Lady Francesca Gordon gain custody of her niece. Of course, the lawyers drop her case to pursue the more prestigious case. This causes Lady Francesca to place the blame squarely on Edward who finds himself agreeing to help her if she can staunch the new rumors. I admit to being curious about the other two brothers so I will definitely read the next books, but more than ever I hope there will be a book about Lady Francesca's niece when she comes of age. Should be interesting.

Title:		No One But You

Publisher:		Dorchester Publishing

Pub Date:		10/04/2011

ISBN:		9781428511484

This Historical Romance takes place in the same world as Leigh Greenwood's Seven Brides series. I admit to really wanting to reread the series...if I wasn't so far behind on all my other reads. I love her books! Sarah Winborne needs a man to help take care of her land, only she can't pay him. The only option for her is to marry someone, but with two young children to take care of, she must be picky in her choice. She didn't mean to say the name she did, but her heart spoke for her. Wonderful book, but too bad that the seven brothers already have wives. This book takes place after Rose, but before the other brothers find wives...let's just say I thought Sarah's daughter would have made a good Randolph.

Upcoming ALA Storytelling 2.0 Webinar

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:57:00 +0000

ALA | Storytelling 2.0

I am very excited because if you click on the link above you will find information posted through the America Library Association website about an upcoming webinar offered through the ALSC.

Storytelling 2.0 is all about making the storytelling experience more interactive using new ideas and technology. This webinar explores how digital resources and tools like websites, social media, iPads, digital cameras, computers, and more can be incorporated into traditional storytelling and programming techniques to enhance the library user’s experience. Also covered will be information about storytelling basics and using storytelling as a marketing tool.

Registration is not open just yet, but four dates have been set:

Friday, December 16, 2011; 11 am Eastern, 10 am Central, 9 am Mountain, 8 am Pacific
Friday, January 13, 2012; 11 am Eastern, 10 am Central, 9 am Mountain, 8 am Pacific
Monday, February 6, 2012; 2 pm Eastern, 1 pm Central, Noon Mountain, 11 am Pacific
Monday, March 19, 2012; 7 pm Eastern, 6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific
Webinar is limited to 100 students.
ALSC Personal Members and Students: $45
Non-Member: $55
Groups*: $195

You can find more specifics through the link at the top. If you have already clicked on it, did you see who the instructor is? I know awesome, isn't it? I am both super excited and intimidated at the same time. Hope to see you all in class. ;) ---JH

Ditch the Onesie/Diaper Cakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:18:00 +0000

If you have an upcoming baby shower, then forget those pink or blue baby booties or the onesie/diaper cakes. Give the lucky new parents something that will make them laugh and possibly feel that they are not alone during those moments at 3am when, yes, they are awake and so is the dear little one.

Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach is a delightfully honest little book that only a parent could truly appreciate. While the artwork is a little odd, the prose is very endearing and just slightly profane. It reads just like a nursery rhyme or bedtime tale about a parent's love for a child, but this is one tale that is not to be shared. Mansbach says exactly what we as parents have all thought at one point or another, even if it might not have been those exact same words.

Prom?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:29:00 +0000

I love this dress! When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was Evie from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. Such an Evie dress!

I know, you are all wondering why I am talking about a prom dress in August when most areas haven't even started school yet, let alone thought about prom. Well, the movie Prom is due to be released on DVD on Tuesday, August 30th. I saw it with a friend and will say that it is predictably cute and feel good. It screams Disney. However, all those elaborate ways of asking people to prom had us shaking our heads.

Neither one of us had ever experienced the prom craze to this extent. Now I did go to prom--three in fact!-- but I was the one who did the asking cause I went to an all girl high school. Yeah, no guys hanging by the lockers or waiting between classes. The first thing I did upon arriving home was to ask my husband,who went to a typical co-ed public high school, whether the elaborate prom invitations really happened. I have been intrigued by prom ever since.I recently read a totally awesome book called Ditched: a love story by Robin Mellom. It is not due out from Disney-Hyperion until January 2012. What intrigued me about this book was that Justina, the main character, finds herself abandoned in a ditch the morning after prom with no memory of the last 12 hours or how she managed to loss her date. It helped that there was mention about a punk tinker bell tattoo!

Justina's dress is covered in various stains serving as a roadmap of the disastrous night before which she spends the rest of the day analyzing with two women at the local 7-11. She tries to piece together what happened and whether her best friend, her prom date Ian Clark, really turned out to be a total jerk. What she learns is that things -- and people-- are not always what they seem.

I really hope that this book gets picked up for a screenplay soon cause it would make an awesome movie. Definitely pick up it up when it becomes available --oh, and pick up Prom too!

Crafter's Annoymous

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:49:00 +0000

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am a crafter.

::Hello Jennifer::

July was a pretty busy month for me craft wise. It all started because my birthday is in July and last year my father sent me a string of faceted ruby beads (the ruby of course being the birthstone for July). I was determined that this year I would make something with those beads. I had an idea in my head and silly me I went to Michaels without one of the beads. I tried to find a bead that I thought would match well. Unfortunately, when I got home I discovered that the stones I bought didn't mesh well with the rubies I already had.

As every crafter knows, what doesn't work with one project can best be saved for another day. It just so happens that I saw a comment on a craft blog about Wholeport sponsoring a Creativity Expo and they were giving away free items on their blog with the condition that they had to be used to create a craft that would be posted on their Facebook page. The prize for the top ten items with the most "likes" would be a $50 gift certificate to their store. Now I have never done anything like this before, but I thought it would be pretty cool. I sent away for #7 the Gold Crystal Circle Beads. These looked perfect to go with the beads I had already purchased. I paired them with some smaller faceted pewter colored glass beads.

closeup of earrings

necklace and earrings together

closeup of necklace details

Please visit Wholeport's Facebook page and click "like" for their page and then for my creation to help support my habit. ;)

Well, remember I said the month had been busy. My crafting did not end there. I also attempted knitting...with silver wire and beads.

I will admit that I am in love with this bracelet and it turned out so well. I got the idea for it from the Michael's website. They have some awesome stuff on there. Unfortunately, I can not find the original link that I used for the instructions. Basically what you want to do is thread your beads onto your silver wire before you cast on. I used a little more than 65 beads and I used a random mix of glass pearl and pewter beads (do those pewter beads look familiar?). Then you want to cast your stitches. I didn't write down the number I cast on, but the wire is pretty stiff so cast on till you get the width you want your bracelet and it should be about right. As you add rows, slide beads up as you knit stitches. Depending on how many you add per row and which stitch you add the bead to, you will get a very cool random pattern. But wait! There is more!

So I received a Facebook message a couple of weeks ago that went something along the lines of "Hey, you knit right?". What progressed from the simple question is my new obsession. I was asked to make a pair of chunky fingerless gloves. Now, my knitting skills are questionable.

Back in the day, my Hungarian grandmother taught me how to knit, but then I promptly forgot all about it until shortly before my son was born about six years ago. I was in charge of scheduling community programs at the library and I found a woman who offered to teach knitting once a week for about a month. Her name was Julia, which was my grandmother's name and since I am a big believer in signs, I decided to take her class as well.

For some reason, I couldn't get my stitches to look exactly like the instructors. We think that my brain has somehow meshed what may have been my grandmother's Continental style of knitting with what I was learning to completely turn my skills backwards. The results can be pretty cool, but I just simply can't follow a patten and hope that it will look like the corresponding image. I guess you could say I have my own style. Because of this, I never strayed from simple knits like throws and scarves. Fingerless gloves would be a challenge, but I was excited to try.Yeah, guess you can say it has been a busy month.

Oh, those rubies that started it all...still sitting in the drawer. But I have some antique copper findings and beads that I know are going to look perfect with it...I promise...really...

Supermarket Saving Simplified

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:42:00 +0000

There is a lot of hype right now about extreme couponing. We have all heard the tales about the woman who got a cart of groceries for only $5. Yeah, in a perfect world we would all have that luck. Now living in an area where my supermarket choices are pretty limited, I will admit I more often than not end up at Walmart or Sam's club to do my grocery shopping. I also don't use coupons mainly because Sam's won't take them and Walmart usually has a cheaper generic.

Really it has been my experience that the store generic item can taste just as good as the brand name. Thanks to the wonderful late Mrs B who taught me 5th grade grocery store math, I am also able to determine looking at the labels on the supermarket shelf which is a better buy: 2 of the smaller items or the larger item (most of the time it is buying the 2 smaller items, bigger does not always mean you are getting the best price). When you look at the shelf label check out what the price per ounce is for the two items. Sometimes it is only a difference of about .02, but all those pennies add up.

So what do you do if there is a brand name item that you really want or need (like Chocolate Cheerios which is really a bit of both. Mmmm...chocolate)? This is where coupons come in handy. The Sunday paper is the best place to look for coupon inserts on brand-name items. Store or product web sites can also be a great place to find coupons since many stores are now accepting print at home coupons. Be sure to check out the stores policy.

You have to love Walmart because they are really competitive for your business. Competitiveness is good for the consumer. You may have seen those "Match It!" commercials, well, it's true.

Click here for the Walmart Matching Policy

Not only will they price match, but they will also accept coupons from other stores as long as they follow the following criteria:

Click here for the Walmart Coupon Policy

Perhaps you don't have time to scan all those ads and websites to find the deals. This is where wonderful sites like SavingsAngel come in very handy. This site costs about $20 a month or $7.99 for a day pass. I was able to get a free 10 day trial to test the site out and I am kicking myself that I had just finished my shopping for the next two weeks because the site it just that awesome. You can choose among major chains to check out their sales for that week and the site will match it up with available coupons for even more savings (in some cases you do need to have those Sunday circulars as the coupons are not always available for direct download). You just click to add items to your grocery list and it will divide that list up by store.

Remember when scouting out the best price you will sometimes have four different stores listed on your grocery list, but you don't always have to drive around town because Walmart has that price matching option available to you (though you will need the original store circular in most cases. It might be a good idea to subscribe to the Sunday edition of your paper). Maybe next time I go to the grocery store I will have joined the coupon game...then again knowing me...maybe not. But it is nice to know that even not living in a major consumer area like up north, I still have my options. ;)

Book Review: Taming of the Rake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Article first published as Book Review: The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels on Blogcritics.

The Taming of the Rake
By Kasey Michaels
HQN Books
9780373775910
07/26/2011

I am not always a fan of Harlequin titles, but Kasey Michaels is one of my favorite historical romance writers, a New York Times Bestselling Author, she must be doing something right. Which is exactly what she has done with her latest offering from Harlequin. The Taming of the Rake is due to be released on July 26, 2011. It is the first book in a new trilogy about the Blackthorn Brothers.

Michaels begins her new novel with an introduction stating that while she has written a few rakes and bad boys, she has never written a bastard, well at least not according to the legal definition. She stays true to the time period by making her three bastard brothers outcasts to pristine ton society.

Oliver “Beau” Blackthorn is the oldest son of an English Marquess. He should have had it all, there is only one slight problem...he is the illegitimate result of the Marquess' love affair with an actress. Young Oliver is immune to the ramifications of what being a bastard means in society because despite the misfortune of his birth, he and his brothers are loved, educated, and rich. He is also a young man in love. Love can put such blinders on everything.

Lady Chelsea Mills-Beckman is witness to these blinders after Oliver proposes marriage to her sister Lady Madelyn, which doesn't go quite as expected. As if the heartbreak wasn't enough for poor Oliver, he is thrashed by her brother for even thinking a bastard could rise above his station in such a way. She was only a child at the time and could do nothing but watch Oliver proudly walk away, bloody and bruised.

Flash forward years later, Lady Chelsea's brother has found religion, at least the kind of religion where women should be subservient. What better way to show his support of his direct link to God then to give Lady Chelsea's hand in marriage to the wet-lipped Reverend Francis Flotley? Desperate to escape her bleak future, Lady Chelsea runs away to the one person who hates her brother more-- Oliver!

All three brothers are named after characters in Shakespeare's plays and the titles of the novels also pay tribute to the bard. Just as in Taming of the Shrew, Lady Chelsea watches as suitors come to pay court to her sister. In this role, however she is cast as the mischievous younger sister. The buildup of Lady Chelsea and Oliver's relationship was very well written and believable. When they first meet, she plays tricks on him like convincing him that Lady Madelyn would be upset to receive the beautiful bouquet of flowers as they make her sneeze. After throwing them out the door, Lady Madelyn is piqued that she did not receive a gift like flowers from her visitor. Lady Chelsea has a good heart, however, as can be seen in the tears she sheds for young Oliver and all the mischief she gets herself into while trying to help others.

It is Oliver who is cast as the bad tempered one, only he didn't start out that way. The prologue was the best part of this novel because Michaels does a wonderful job representing just how naive Oliver was to his own situation. It would take something heart-crushing to turn such a wide-eyed young man into a hardened survivor closed off to love. The proud man who walks through Mayfair with dignity after a beating is a very different man from the one who came to pay court. This set up was perfect for the story and sets the stage for how a good man could possibly turn to vengeance and revenge.

Hopefully, A Midsummer Night's Sin and Much Ado about Rogues will not be too far behind. It will be interesting to see what Shakespearean twists can be applied to the stories about the additional two brothers as they find their true places in society and their hearts.

Book Review: Queen of the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Queen of the Dead (A Ghost and the Goth Novel) by Stacey Kade might possibly be one of those sequels that surpasses the first book. I don't want to spoil the first book for anyone who hasn't read it, but while I did think the book was awesome, I was a little uncomfortable with the stereotypical view that Alona had that everybody wanted her (including females), though that fit in a bit with her shallow personality. The whole point of Alona being sent back from the light is for her to change her ways, right?

Queen of the Dead picks up two months after the first book ends. Will and Alona are still doing their thing helping ghosts atone for their regrets so they can move on to the light. Things get complicated when they meet a fellow ghost-talker who doesn't quite share Will's benevolent attitude towards spirits (Did I mention said ghost-talker is female?). It doesn't help that Alona's mom and dad are both moving on with their lives. Alona feels like she is being left behind and forgotten. Will's doubts over helping her "remind" her family about her previous existence only makes her feel more alone.

When Alona's rash action to take matters literally into her own hands results in dangerous unexpected consequences, a difficult choice must be made that will change their lives and the course of their relationship. The cliffhanger literally had me shocked and surprised it ended the way it did (sorry, no spoilers!). This book isn't due out in bookstores until May 31st, 2011, but hopefully Kade is busy typing away at the next one. ;)