tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71598097965078491152024-02-07T21:06:19.321-05:00Crystal's Reading CornerHi and Welcome to Crystal's Reading Corner! This Blog is going to consist of mostly information regarding books and book reviews. Please feel free to comment or make requests. I am always up for a good conversation or book recommendation.Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-74517695968122344752011-04-06T09:25:00.000-04:002011-04-06T09:25:37.515-04:00A busy spring!Wow, it has been a busy spring! I have recently started volunteering for BullyPaws Pitbull Rescue out of Fredericksburg Virginia and it has taken up a lot of my free time! I have also been spending a lot of time planning my daughters 4th Birthday Party that is coming up on April 16. I am hoping after Easter things will slow down a bit. I would like to have a little time to read, and in return be able to write some new reviews since I have seriously been slacking in the review department lately. I recently purchased a Kindle, so I am super excited about that! I am hoping this will help to speed up the time it takes for me to read a book. I am a member of Netgalley, and I have requested a couple of titles that I am excited to read and review. I think this year will bring a lot of great books, and in return keep me quite satisfied with living in the fantasy world and out of reality as much as possible! :-) Take care and Happy Reading!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-2388290511786113462011-01-28T00:30:00.000-05:002011-01-28T00:30:04.637-05:00Find Your Better Half Contest!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cardo;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<div class="post-header" style="font-family: Cardo; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="font-family: Cardo; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; position: relative; width: 488px;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's CONTEST time! The nice folks over at <a href="http://norwoodunleashed.blogspot.com/2011/01/find-your-better-half-contest.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">Norwood Unleashed</span></a> have started a really unique contest and it's going to be for a great cause. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's what you do:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The purpose is to find your dogs doppelganger, a.k.a. a dog that looks similar to yours but is the opposite gender, on <a href="http://petfinder.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">Pet Finder</span></a>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you find the perfect match write a blog post about your findings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then, email the post to <a href="mailto:norwoodunleashed@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">norwoodunleashed@gmail.com</span></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For every entry one dollar will be donated and whoever gets picked as the winner gets to choose which charity the money goes to!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So after searching Pet Finder for a very long time I have finally found matches for my two dogs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is my Barley girl:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q5MzyRqzU2fbB-2RgtT1zmhZscsZnHW7aVoqDCuq_8vdhvTvh-Du0drm4uMXcqXtRmMttMOex5utiRx3qPD8EcBf80QbcZr_7tJ00r5WU4pCY4OhtI56-DOtsSrz7HMuFYLx3x7T0dEr/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Q5MzyRqzU2fbB-2RgtT1zmhZscsZnHW7aVoqDCuq_8vdhvTvh-Du0drm4uMXcqXtRmMttMOex5utiRx3qPD8EcBf80QbcZr_7tJ00r5WU4pCY4OhtI56-DOtsSrz7HMuFYLx3x7T0dEr/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here is her look alike from Pet Finder, his name is <a href="http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18019807"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">Atari</span></a> :-).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFjZJIxiVQMIWwKR8ZeE79tzJ8djjNUWVovGWAojVWj-_n8JCa1_WtvcAQ2Xmml-BUvlwGIA0mRhIPW33XJQJm5R_FnsnYpWrdnIbaqUIps3Ey2aIuoytD-Ks62P-eCPvr5Ik511tkpCH/s1600/TN544.18019807-2-x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFjZJIxiVQMIWwKR8ZeE79tzJ8djjNUWVovGWAojVWj-_n8JCa1_WtvcAQ2Xmml-BUvlwGIA0mRhIPW33XJQJm5R_FnsnYpWrdnIbaqUIps3Ey2aIuoytD-Ks62P-eCPvr5Ik511tkpCH/s1600/TN544.18019807-2-x.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</s></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is my boy Jax:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-74u_PiaGKE0NXjGMdkUJqWI1xF5bmiWkOZoPuu8N1FD5xXPHG_pxcrBaD_iZWp1gAgoGIoccaGCeqxHTkyb5-EnbJt-HZ7wyDNiKqPybTA3nJOVv9en8LcKCLmNk6Emvmw9IblZ_Ovi-/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-74u_PiaGKE0NXjGMdkUJqWI1xF5bmiWkOZoPuu8N1FD5xXPHG_pxcrBaD_iZWp1gAgoGIoccaGCeqxHTkyb5-EnbJt-HZ7wyDNiKqPybTA3nJOVv9en8LcKCLmNk6Emvmw9IblZ_Ovi-/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And this is his look alike from Pet Finder, her name is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;"><a href="http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18421783">Daisy</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">! :-)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStSG_RJ8X2f6hOjPtDWhABNRCVJlyyJoO2bYEbnlPE0kR1dZI6q3k7YOXMM0fsk-kmrhVxMM0uCwczXcADQ6kAoqZ4WzmhVb1FY7hpagSR2fBlsUhM5sG4gPczpx71MAWn6bCMKA-RuTU/s1600/PA190.18421783-1-x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStSG_RJ8X2f6hOjPtDWhABNRCVJlyyJoO2bYEbnlPE0kR1dZI6q3k7YOXMM0fsk-kmrhVxMM0uCwczXcADQ6kAoqZ4WzmhVb1FY7hpagSR2fBlsUhM5sG4gPczpx71MAWn6bCMKA-RuTU/s320/PA190.18421783-1-x.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was really fun to do! Everyone should try it..after all it is for a good cause! ^.~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a></div></div></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-83870960283834675562011-01-26T17:16:00.001-05:002011-01-26T17:21:41.243-05:00Immanuel's Veins<span style="background-color: #93c47d; color: black;">After reading this book over a month ago I finally got my thoughts together and wrote a review. This was a difficult book to review, it was very oddly written and just a little bazaar to me. It has taken me forever to review this book mostly because I wasn't sure what I thought about it, and I definitely didn't know what to write about it. So I am sorry for the delay, and I hope you all enjoy! :-)</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpw23JcHrgW9xucU7oWB8tHY4u-0v8EmNR_dBXJ_7Cb8YUcYk2jAVINX-VlYmvP7FAmmUk9AxJSIQghVo1wpB0cIbOlmcOQNexpEGy2gqx84IxvyiVVoa9tsO7anOz1c7ENUCWzZFejF2/s1600/EV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpw23JcHrgW9xucU7oWB8tHY4u-0v8EmNR_dBXJ_7Cb8YUcYk2jAVINX-VlYmvP7FAmmUk9AxJSIQghVo1wpB0cIbOlmcOQNexpEGy2gqx84IxvyiVVoa9tsO7anOz1c7ENUCWzZFejF2/s1600/EV.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #660000;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em>Immanuel's Veins</em> </span></strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">by </span></span></strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Ted Dekker</span></span></strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><span lang="EN">Immanuel’s Veins is the story of Toma Nicolescu, a warrior commissioned by Catherine the Great of Russia to protect the Cantemir family of Moldavia. Toma and his friend Alek are to protect this family, a women and her two twin daughters, from the threats of the encroaching war. Toma is a well known warrior and is a man who takes himself and his orders very seriously. However, very soon after meeting the eldest Cantemir daughter Lucine, Toma realizes he is in a situation he is desperately unprepared for. He has fallen in love with Lucine and he struggles with the love he carries for her and his loyalty to the empress. He hides his love from Lucine and in return Lucine begins a courtship with a Russian duke named Vlad van Valerik. Toma is instantly put on guard after meeting the duke, and is convinced Vlad is not what he seems. Toma is determined to reclaim the women he loves and expose Vlad for what he truly is, but what Toma finds will test not only his love for Lucine but his belief in a higher power.<br />
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There is a quote written on the back of this book and I find it to be very relevant to this story. “This story is for everyone but not everyone is for this story.” I can honestly say I was not for this story at all! This is the first book I have read by Ted Dekker and I am afraid it is probably my last. My major problem with this story was the inconsistency of the language. The story is set in the 1700s, but the conversations are mixed with colloquial phrases from centuries later. Phrases such as "hunk of a man" and "party pooper" seem out of place in the conversations. I also noted that early in the book there was a part that said “Toma showered and shaved”. Now, this just seemed odd to me, I cannot say with 100% accuracy that they did not have showers in the 1700’s, but I have never heard of this. Another issue that bothered me was the lack of character development. To me the characters were flat and boring. I felt nothing for the main character and on more than one occasion asked myself- should a warrior be this wimpy? <br />
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Now, this leads me to the love/Romance part of the story. There were a few uncomfortable moments for me in this department. For example, Toma’s love for Lucine. Yes, while sacrificial in that he would die for her, it was for the most part a purely physical attraction. I really wanted to see Toma learn what love really was, but in the end the love story was as shallow as the characters themselves. The redundancy of this book also made it difficult to read. There were multiple chapters that seemed to repeat themselves. It felt as though the author rehashed previous chapters but placed the characters in different roles and locations. All in all it really made the reading of this story drag on forever! <br />
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As a Christian I see what Mr. Dekker was trying to do with this story, and I did enjoy the message at the end, and for that I am happy I read this book. Having said that I do feel as though the spiritual lesson in the book was an after thought. I was two-thirds into the book before I felt like this was a Christian based story. This book was just an odd read, and frankly very difficult to finish. I guess when it comes right down to it, I was one of those people that just wasn’t for this story.</span><br />
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</div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></span></a>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-87932865557426129242011-01-11T14:13:00.000-05:002011-01-11T14:13:26.055-05:00Sorry!I just wanted to write and say sorry to all of my followers for not posting in a while. It has been a very busy Holiday Season and New Year. I have gotten a lot of reading done recently and I have a couple of reviews in my head that need to be put down on paper. I am working on my review for Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker. Hopefully, I will complete that by the end of the week! I hope everyone has a wonderful Day!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-79199557449919261422010-12-24T18:10:00.000-05:002010-12-24T18:10:43.887-05:00MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiean2Yt5V-rkshcZdz1_y8K_8iV2HtFGIGJVHE4nINmTYbmSiWPlJmp_S0O-R4nlrCpJZez2ZS_uV0GVEq9GuWawBRTW61Yw3JkFF2TwpHUjA8AbzM9CE93b0z7AM8wVdJd4zGdkC_3CoL/s1600/Barley+Christmas.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiean2Yt5V-rkshcZdz1_y8K_8iV2HtFGIGJVHE4nINmTYbmSiWPlJmp_S0O-R4nlrCpJZez2ZS_uV0GVEq9GuWawBRTW61Yw3JkFF2TwpHUjA8AbzM9CE93b0z7AM8wVdJd4zGdkC_3CoL/s400/Barley+Christmas.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-55057923780290413672010-12-13T15:04:00.000-05:002010-12-13T15:04:40.747-05:00<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">REVOLUTION </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">by Jennifer Donnelly</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "MS 明朝"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS 明朝";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfHZEJgjv47zaRh28P4eJqKR2NOHtVJqVEuBxUKlY84l2rAjDCbd2auu-ETfWwPuBKo7c0SdBy56TtLl0DFO01DwMfp9XeRuGzsOzmLNQebTdl309loLyPX2jy7sfFrogO3Bgl9GExYmD/s1600/7558747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfHZEJgjv47zaRh28P4eJqKR2NOHtVJqVEuBxUKlY84l2rAjDCbd2auu-ETfWwPuBKo7c0SdBy56TtLl0DFO01DwMfp9XeRuGzsOzmLNQebTdl309loLyPX2jy7sfFrogO3Bgl9GExYmD/s320/7558747.jpg" width="216" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Andi Alpers is a teenage girl from Modern day Brooklyn. She is angry and on the verge of self-destruction after her younger brother is murdered in the streets of New York. She is angry that her father has left and angry that her mother cannot cope. Andi’s self destructive behavior has caused problems at school and she is at risk of being expelled from one of Brooklyn’s premier schools. That is until her father intervenes and takes Andi away to Paris with him. While in Paris Andi discovers a diary written by a teenage girl named Alexandrine Paradis that lived over two hundred years ago during the French Revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alexandrine has always wished for fame and has hopes of performing on the Paris stage. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unfortunately, she never gets the chance she so desperately pines for. On one fateful day while performing in the square with her family the Royal family stops to see her perform. The young prince is present and finds Alex quite entertaining. The King and Queen then summon Alex to the palace and ask that she become the personal companion to the young prince. This is the beginning of Alex’s tragic part in the French Revolution, a role she neither wants nor can escape from.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Two girls that live two Centuries apart and yet they are connected through struggles that transcends history and time. Andi has found distraction and comfort within the pages of Alex’s diary, something she hasn’t felt since before her brother died. Andi is intrigued by Alex’s world almost to the point of obsession, and finds her self-going to places Alex would have gone during the Revolution, including the Catacombs. One night while Andi is deep underground in the catacombs under Paris Alex’s diary becomes a little more that just words in a book; they become something much more real.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let me just start off by saying I really, really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was well done and it was very similar to reading an adult historical fiction. The story telling and plot was fantastic, and really brought you into the story. The amount of research that was involved in bringing this story to life had to have been tremendous, and boy did it pay off. The descriptions and imagery used to describe the era of the French Revolution was both eye opening and sometimes quite nauseating. This was a brutal time in Paris’s history and I feel Ms. Donnelly did a stellar job of relaying that to the reader.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Character development is also excellent. Andi and Alex really just take over your mind and heart, and you can’t help but to think about them and hope that everything works out the way it should in the end. The way Ms. Donnelly writes these characters you feel as though you know them, that they are friends of yours. You feel for both of them and sympathies with the burden each of them carry. The supporting characters are also well developed. Virgil is a nice offset to the rather intense Andi. I found that I really enjoyed reading his character and felt comfort in his ability to neutralize some of AndI’s more destructive behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Revolution” is a great read and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Young Adult fiction or historical fiction. However, I did feel that there were a lot of serious topics touched upon in this book. Some of the topics I felt may be of concern for parents of young adult readers were- depression, suicide, death, and of course violence. These topics however were necessary for the progression of the story and without them the story would not have been the same. I feel as though this book had a very positive ending and tells a great story of healing and forgiveness, and the strength one processes to over come difficult obstacles to live a good and happy life.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
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</span></div><!--EndFragment-->Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-68902403522850688812010-12-07T13:14:00.001-05:002010-12-07T13:17:05.996-05:00Teaser Tuesday<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvgQBlHtgScT51vTjbGwnx_7AOuvT89gb7rWJ5gosAto2__6f-1TeF-nc0Q_ONZCEr00SyFPGmnRNRPG08M1YKbEDuMC2UIqc18cGXZeSaATMTSMMts8Ekp5F4UHtLKv1af0zU3WZpHwv/s1600/teasertuesdays31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvgQBlHtgScT51vTjbGwnx_7AOuvT89gb7rWJ5gosAto2__6f-1TeF-nc0Q_ONZCEr00SyFPGmnRNRPG08M1YKbEDuMC2UIqc18cGXZeSaATMTSMMts8Ekp5F4UHtLKv1af0zU3WZpHwv/s200/teasertuesdays31.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Teaser Tuesday is a Weekly Bookish Meme that I first saw posted by Lisa over at <a href="http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/">Bookworm Lisa</a>. The Meme is hosted by MizB over at <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. I thought this would be something fun to do on Tuesdays so this will be my first Teaser Tuesday. Anyone is welcome to participate! Just do the following.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Grab your current read </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Open to a random page </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</strong> (<em>make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!</em>)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Share the <strong>title & author</strong>, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #351c75;">My Teasers:</span></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB70LH_EVFmCHZ4AgJVrOYrFhnj5bTxEftVTS57FqEKPHgcPFRieI-LMVlddTdZZSUStTgEKBrVXRgMYl_No-GPNJXWcwJ0ufkXyoM5zlJnWHmNRn_uJvhERBeshHjkUYlz_waRSPdLm2G/s1600/Horse+goddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB70LH_EVFmCHZ4AgJVrOYrFhnj5bTxEftVTS57FqEKPHgcPFRieI-LMVlddTdZZSUStTgEKBrVXRgMYl_No-GPNJXWcwJ0ufkXyoM5zlJnWHmNRn_uJvhERBeshHjkUYlz_waRSPdLm2G/s200/Horse+goddess.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">" She listened hungrily for the voice of the spirit within, and was relieved each time it spoke to her, not with words but with an intuition in the blood, commands direct to the muscle and bone. She heard without ears the voice older than time."</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">~Page 39 " <strong>The Horse Goddess" by Morgan Llywelyn</strong></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong>PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT</strong> with either the link to your own <em>Teaser Tuesdays</em> post, or share your two ‘teasers’ in a comment here (<em>if you don’t have a blog</em>). Thanks!</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></span></a>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-2744942162562622872010-12-07T10:31:00.003-05:002010-12-07T12:26:30.116-05:00Southern Writers and Okra Picks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="142" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxeSd9ywaWSOizXz3ZYGPt2vaXSzmXBVkusFGkg75uvxWOTfEA6o9I8uER4iPdXyldbyhthhAbM6WV7FdU5GhADzNZfkLPQsG7jE54P9PoE84Av6tcMzPqiscG0JhrbmfHbb-TKSADvae/s320/okra_picks_tagline600x268.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Let me just start off by saying thank you to my fellow blogger Deborah over at <a href="http://lavenroseramblings.blogspot.com/">Lavender Rose Ramblings</a> for posting about this wonderful Challenge! I have included a link to the hosting site for the<a href="http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/okra-picks-challenge/"> Okra picks challenge</a> with all the details and rules. I really liked the idea of participating in this challenge and broadening my reading horizons just a little bit more. I was born and raised in the south and I love to read stories that are based here, and supporting southern authors is just another nice perk! As part of the Challenge we have to select the books we will read, so here are the titles I have selected.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHAmroYea2pIorM99mkwefoSw1UNiYO92z6FvImrvG0wgUmO8c5z0Hlska2D0UAvl-g8jDR2UOs6nR8WdIeFpzOSLjIw79icnx3lhesIKlVnAnE3ZYb4UH_zsi_GvHQsDW8D_TEyOeBOT/s1600/9781595143426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHAmroYea2pIorM99mkwefoSw1UNiYO92z6FvImrvG0wgUmO8c5z0Hlska2D0UAvl-g8jDR2UOs6nR8WdIeFpzOSLjIw79icnx3lhesIKlVnAnE3ZYb4UH_zsi_GvHQsDW8D_TEyOeBOT/s320/9781595143426.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="blurb-listname">Description</div><div>Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the <i>Bones</i> novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage sci-philes who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever. <br />
As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killers scent. <br />
Fortunately, they are now more than friends theyre a pack. They are <i>Virals</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="blurb-listname">Description</div><div>Tom Franklin's extraordinary talent has been hailed by the leading lights of contemporary literature—Philip Roth, Richard Ford, Lee Smith, and Dennis Lehane. Reviewers have called his fiction "ingenious" (<i>USA Today</i>) and "compulsively readable" (<i>Memphis Commercial Appeal</i>). His narrative power and flair for character-ization have been compared to the likes of Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy. <br />
Now the Edgar Award-winning author returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town. <br />
More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LdNp74pYaAWGUHEbYRaDlKTrYkOjASz46AZAHSAz2VHXbXjPh4Ak-3NM76txwIOmwdC4AzuSfJH2-jtiROTQrBqBb-H2YKDzXKL6pwMuVcgvK4_x3mCTHd0Sdxh4TF9lfr4lkB9gXYBO/s1600/9781595542014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LdNp74pYaAWGUHEbYRaDlKTrYkOjASz46AZAHSAz2VHXbXjPh4Ak-3NM76txwIOmwdC4AzuSfJH2-jtiROTQrBqBb-H2YKDzXKL6pwMuVcgvK4_x3mCTHd0Sdxh4TF9lfr4lkB9gXYBO/s320/9781595542014.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="blurb-listname">Description</div><div>"Stay and wait." Anne Brumley heard these words years ago in the bell tower at Saint Michael's Church in Charleston. She's certain they were from God and has been waiting for true love ever since. Saint Michael's new rector may be the answer to Anne's prayers.</div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt7MT6fQfImy7095At-MOaoiBxDPrPTrfA2fvt-3JailEMS0BRYjK24ihFMD8ji0rjwLIQpa5evAmY4mJBE0M9bIf9FwuZ9FpD5S1nip70Vf-_H2378_LFCf9Tn5A87xvd5nOvyCClUvR/s1600/sunshine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt7MT6fQfImy7095At-MOaoiBxDPrPTrfA2fvt-3JailEMS0BRYjK24ihFMD8ji0rjwLIQpa5evAmY4mJBE0M9bIf9FwuZ9FpD5S1nip70Vf-_H2378_LFCf9Tn5A87xvd5nOvyCClUvR/s320/sunshine.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div class="blurb-listname">Description</div><div>In 1962 the Cubans have their Russian missiles pointed right at the sugarcane plantations of Red Church, Louisiana, but nine-year-old Charlie Boone and his gravel-eating younger brother, Jute, are fixed on velvet ants and the declining health of a horse named Lunch Time. Their father has been sent upriver after a botched convenience store holdup and a walloping with a can of Crisco. Their mother, too, has vanished Memaw and Pawpaw insist she disappeared in a hurricane. Buckle up for a big dose of Cajun comedy as Charlie takes charge.</div><div></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPijLhplMYAVpqCxS1f82zz7CaD297DtGWXC4tcdKSYZzr9q8saakget_Hv4_M_O9Q5kHWuf84hU0xRBhwO8mIwHupHW5IAd9OmnknvP73oB6TgNtt4-Dx5YQetYgPrVlSMKrBKUeIW8Au/s1600/Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPijLhplMYAVpqCxS1f82zz7CaD297DtGWXC4tcdKSYZzr9q8saakget_Hv4_M_O9Q5kHWuf84hU0xRBhwO8mIwHupHW5IAd9OmnknvP73oB6TgNtt4-Dx5YQetYgPrVlSMKrBKUeIW8Au/s320/Dream.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="blurb-listname">Description</div><div>The beloved Fannie Flagg is back and at her irresistible and hilarious best in <i>I Still Dream About You</i>, a comic mystery romp through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, past, present, and future.<br />
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Meet Maggie Fortenberry, a still beautiful former Miss Alabama. To others, Maggie’s life seems practically perfect—she’s lovely, charming, and a successful real estate agent at Red Mountain Realty. Still, Maggie can’t help but wonder how she wound up in her present condition. She had been on her hopeful way to becoming Miss America and realizing her childhood dream of someday living in one of the elegant old homes on top of Red Mountain, with the adoring husband and the 2.5 children, but then something unexpected happened and changed everything.<br />
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Maggie graduated at the top of her class at charm school, can fold a napkin in more than forty-eight different ways, and can enter and exit a car gracefully, but all the finesse in the world cannot help her now. Since the legendary real estate dynamo Hazel Whisenknott, beloved founder of Red Mountain Realty, died five years ago, business has gone from bad to worse—and the future isn’t looking much better. But just when things seem completely hopeless, Maggie suddenly comes up with the perfect plan to solve it all.<br />
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As Maggie prepares to put her plan into action, we meet the cast of high-spirited characters around her. To Brenda Peoples, Maggie’s best friend and real estate partner, Maggie’s life seems easy as pie. Slender Maggie doesn’t have to worry about her figure, or about her Weight Watchers sponsor catching her at the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. And Ethel Clipp, Red Mountain’s ancient and grumpy office manager with the bright purple hair, thinks the world of Maggie but has absolutely nothing nice to say about their rival Babs “The Beast of Birmingham” Bingington, the unscrupulous estate agent who hates Maggie and is determined to put her out of business.<br />
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Maggie has heartbreaking secrets in her past, but through a strange turn of events, she soon discovers, quite by accident, that everybody, it seems—dead or alive—has at least one little secret.<br />
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<i>I Still Dream About You</i> is a wonderful novel that is equal parts Southern charm, murder mystery, and that perfect combination of comedy and old-fashioned wisdom that can be served up only by America’s own remarkable Fannie Flagg.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
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So, here we have it the selections for my first Challenge ever! :-) I hope all of you will join me in participating in this fun and very exciting Okra Picks Challenge. I wish everyone a great Tuesday and Happy Reading! ^.~</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-36283458090800709322010-12-05T20:40:00.000-05:002010-12-05T20:40:03.728-05:00Heirloom Gypsy's New Years Giveaway!<center><a href="http://heirloomgypsy.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-years-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><br />
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My Fellow blogger over at Heirloom Gypsy is hosting a New Years Giveway, and I wanted to post something to let all of my followers know about it. She has a beautiful blog and has posted some really interesting things to read and to look at. Please go over and visit her and say hello! :0)<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" />Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-31831643947215778002010-12-05T18:54:00.001-05:002010-12-05T18:57:30.354-05:00Motivation and Procrastination: The dilemma of a book reviewer! This is a short review of Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I am afraid this is not my best review work and I apologize to my followers for that. It has taken me a while to get motivated to write a review on this book, solely on the basis of being disappointed. It's funny how easy it is to review a book you loved reading, but is the complete opposite when the book you were looking toward to reading was such a let down. So, now that I have made an legitimate excuse for my procrastination, here is my mediocre review. Enjoy!<br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #20124d;">Beautiful Darkness By Kami Garcia and Margaret Shohl</span></span></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSJtjgkydCbnqA0YRMgRC9bzTwXCXi2n-vl-f8znF8P2bQHN2iWoCS3TNMpfMx-SFtgSxorsGG2zjRQDa3frs87LbR4JWW4z_zvV419TIYBL__QWo-5ThTBkXrIR1r__7dvORX_A77kSS/s1600/BeautifulDarkness_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSJtjgkydCbnqA0YRMgRC9bzTwXCXi2n-vl-f8znF8P2bQHN2iWoCS3TNMpfMx-SFtgSxorsGG2zjRQDa3frs87LbR4JWW4z_zvV419TIYBL__QWo-5ThTBkXrIR1r__7dvORX_A77kSS/s320/BeautifulDarkness_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="reviewText" id="freeTextreview108372811">What can I say? I loved the first book "Beautiful Creatures", but this second installment just didn't do it for me. The purpose of the second book in a series is to help with the progression of the story, and "Beautiful Darkness" did not deliver. It seemed as though everything that happened in the first book happened all over again in this book just in a different location. The ending was extremely disappointing, and much like the rest of the book I felt like I was experiencing Deja vu. The conflicts between Lena and Ethan left me feeling complacent and made it hard to care about them or their relationship. However, I did enjoy the supporting characters. Link and Ridley were two of my favorites from the first book and they continue to be down right funny, and endearing. I also really enjoyed the new character Liz. I found Liz to be much more likable, laid back, and a lot less annoying the Lena. The setting of this story was also a nice change. We got to see more of the tunnels and how they work. I also found the idea of the great barrier to be very intriguing. I really enjoyed the imagery the authors used to describe this place while the characters explored it. All and all I didn't hate this story but it did leave me feeling unsatisfied and rather disappointed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-72331633865587801282010-12-03T01:30:00.001-05:002010-12-03T17:14:33.567-05:00Barley's Funny Friday!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;">Thank Goodness It's Friday Because I Am Dog Tired!! ^.~</span></span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniyn27Eb9FoiKQ7Bnem2aHKIINo73g8CnPjlppFSCOztxvpQPNUec0uge3_Hz6ww6Uy-CMSJWa810RZ9MRqUsHrS5ePElsfLuK56TnryDXjiT4VhiragES8vM68zVYSD8ZtZbP7GgCvGg/s1600/Barley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniyn27Eb9FoiKQ7Bnem2aHKIINo73g8CnPjlppFSCOztxvpQPNUec0uge3_Hz6ww6Uy-CMSJWa810RZ9MRqUsHrS5ePElsfLuK56TnryDXjiT4VhiragES8vM68zVYSD8ZtZbP7GgCvGg/s320/Barley.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So I have decided every Friday I am going to post a picture of my puppy doing something Funny. She is a real character so it shouldn't be hard. I hope this puts a smile on your face, and makes your friday just a little bit better.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/370/4F604856A45F8F4D04797B1F044DF141.png" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a></div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-73827353230811768572010-12-02T12:12:00.001-05:002010-12-02T12:45:08.969-05:00Third Sentence Thursday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhfcqQqg0MhL95VxWUP8UE9ucLQtFK2OK_cq80pmjcQOAupzjO-bWIrWQWJaTpNoQBFPYG-YWo6CmY2ONcRyG11rvHiLI9Mrk8c6UAtswjgrTeXqnSRWPCK7keTikwLSG4RAyb5QkGpk0/s1600/thirdsthursday1d2+%2528Custom%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhfcqQqg0MhL95VxWUP8UE9ucLQtFK2OK_cq80pmjcQOAupzjO-bWIrWQWJaTpNoQBFPYG-YWo6CmY2ONcRyG11rvHiLI9Mrk8c6UAtswjgrTeXqnSRWPCK7keTikwLSG4RAyb5QkGpk0/s1600/thirdsthursday1d2+%2528Custom%2529.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This is a new meme that I found on my fellow blogger </span></span><a href="http://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Aobibliosphere</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">'s site, and is hosted by </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://snifflykitty.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">Sniffly</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"> </span></span><a href="http://snifflykitty.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">Kitty</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Here's how it works:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence<br />
2) Review this sentence in anyway you want (funny and silly ones are encouraged)<br />
3) Post a link to your review here or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!<br />
4) Prepare for next week</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Third Sentence:</div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">"Circeen Brodie, laird and thane of Brodie, exuded the magnetism of a man born not merely to exist in his world, but to conquer it." The Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning</span> </blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Evxlr3Z26KicN-BsFkLBGUmzFC9MZjnt34ms5pLrmJN54hyphenhyphench6sDFHFQMKUq9_AqdI816GjsG4kisOy7aVKG4_ko8RA6FLg89bbmsiHfYBxa4mqF7cYbVY92NY98rypEt5AOT2zqrVV/s1600/112753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Evxlr3Z26KicN-BsFkLBGUmzFC9MZjnt34ms5pLrmJN54hyphenhyphench6sDFHFQMKUq9_AqdI816GjsG4kisOy7aVKG4_ko8RA6FLg89bbmsiHfYBxa4mqF7cYbVY92NY98rypEt5AOT2zqrVV/s1600/112753.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Review:<br />
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I believe this sentence may be a prelude of things to come, and perhaps hinting toward conquering a little more than just his world ^.~ . This sentence sets the mood of how the character will be portrayed in the later text, it also leads the reader to wonder about what other personality traits our main character possesses.<br />
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Next week: Pick the funniest third line.Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-65653135983053912372010-11-29T13:32:00.000-05:002010-11-29T13:38:39.040-05:00The Versatile Blogger Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUpHjR83bZGkT9PUPzlBSNOhgDQbxOiEQbOBOvWnq04vSZ8l8j8WD4XSfSWtljij0mtX8NPMXHfGsRXhss4xjjNNJn7Z0nzf83RBpP01TWI2z2ixCSE01SK6p_OZ2xObmpR288q5KpQwd/s1600/versatilebloggerawardresized2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUpHjR83bZGkT9PUPzlBSNOhgDQbxOiEQbOBOvWnq04vSZ8l8j8WD4XSfSWtljij0mtX8NPMXHfGsRXhss4xjjNNJn7Z0nzf83RBpP01TWI2z2ixCSE01SK6p_OZ2xObmpR288q5KpQwd/s1600/versatilebloggerawardresized2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Let me just start off by saying thank you to <a href="http://book-kritik.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: magenta;">Book Kritik</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #351c75;"> </span>and <a href="http://kays-brookside-reviews.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: magenta;">Brookside Reviews</span></a> for the two Versatile Blogger awards I received today. I was super excited when I found out, and so amazed at your generosity and support! If you haven't visited these two blog please do so, they are both really wonderful!<br />
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The rules of the reward are as follows:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">2. Write 7 things about yourself.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Seven Things About Me:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. My Favorite Color is<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"> Purple</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">2. I have a 3 year old daughter named <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Scarlett. </span> She is named after Katie Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind".</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. I love <u>ALL</u> animals (even the "Scary"ones! ) :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. I am a Jeweler by trade.</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. I have a 5 month old female pit bull puppy named Barley.</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. I absolutely love Ice Cream.</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. I love researching genealogy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have found so many great new blogs lately, and I am excited to be able to recognize some of them with this award. Congratulations to all of the following for receiving this awesome award!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Recipients:<br />
<div align="left"></div><div align="left"><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://dontbeapitbully.blogspot.com/">Don't be a Pit Bully</a></span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sunnysingstheblues.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #444444;">Sunny Sings The Blues</span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444;"><a href="http://twobibliomaniacs.blogspot.com/">Two Bibliomaniacs</a></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">A Bookish Libraria</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://foreveryoungadult.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Forever Young(Adult)</span></a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://readerrecommended.blogspot.com/">Reader Recommended</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/">Bookworm Lisa </a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://halesalvatoresupernaturalmustreads.blogspot.com/">Hale & Salvatore Supernatural Must Reads</a></span></li>
<li><a href="http://theheartofdreams.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #444444;">The Heart of Dreams</span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://stories-2-tell.blogspot.com/">S2T: Stinkypaw's</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://thebeautifulnecessity.blogspot.com/">The Beautiful Necessity</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://inconsequentialblogger.blogspot.com/">The Inconsequential Blogger</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://goddesslibrarian.blogspot.com/">Goddess Librarian</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://rusticranch.blogspot.com/">Rustic Ranch</a></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://roadsideweirdness.blogspot.com/">Roadside Weirdness</a></span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></li>
</ol></div><br />
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</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-58152443250376980622010-11-24T20:35:00.000-05:002010-11-24T20:35:35.629-05:00Turkey Day!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;">I just wanted to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday! I hope this little break will give everyone the opportunity to look back at the year and find things they are thankful for. I also hope the break gives everyone the chance to partake in some well deserved reading! I will be spending my free time this holiday reading</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Darkness-Kami-Garcia/dp/0316077054?ie=UTF8&tag=crystsread-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Beautiful Darkness</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=crystsread-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316077054" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span> by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This is the second in the Caster Chronicles, so if you haven't read the first installment, I highly recommend it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;">Well, that's all for now. Have a great Turkey Day and Happy Reading!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;">~Crystal*</span><br />
<span></span><span></span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=crystsread-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0316077054&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-44955798420580814422010-11-18T18:17:00.002-05:002011-02-05T22:51:48.170-05:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Angelfire</span> by Courtney Allison Moulton</i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://darkfaerietales.com/wp-content/uploads/Angelfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="555" id="il_fi" src="http://darkfaerietales.com/wp-content/uploads/Angelfire.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="368" /></a></div><br />
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Romance, Suspense and, Kick ass fight scenes! That’s what you’ll get when you read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelfire-Courtney-Allison-Moulton/dp/0062002325?ie=UTF8&tag=crystsread-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Angelfire</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=crystsread-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0062002325" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ellie Monroe is an ordinary girl who loves going to parties, movie night, and hanging out with friends. That is until her seventeenth birthday when she meets the gorgeous and somewhat mysterious Will. Ellie finds herself drawn to Will but is unable to understand why. It isn’t until Will reveals he is her guardian and has been fighting by her side and protecting her for more that five hundred years. Ellie in return discovers she is the Preliator, a reincarnated ancient warrior who is meant to fight the shadowy reapers who kill human kind and condemn their souls to hell. These reapers are out to rebuild Lucifer’s army for the next battle against heaven. It is Ellie’s duty to save the human race and prevent the end of days.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I really enjoyed this book and found the new viewpoint on the “old topic” of good vs. evil a breath of fresh air. I liked the idea of the Fallen, and that they were split into good and evil sides. I also found the premise of the reapers to be quite interesting and ultimately frightening. My favorite part of this book is by far the Fight scenes. Finally, a female MC that can kick some major ass and not go all weak in the knees! Who doesn’t love a MC that can wield blades engulfed in angelfire and kick some Meany butt! Not to mention the sexy tattooed, sword-wielding protector fighting by her side. These fight scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. They are action packed and suspenseful with just enough gore to get the point across. The scenes were written so elegantly that it appears like a movie playing before your eyes, and make you feel as though you are apart of the action!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Character development was good and I felt they all had fully developed personalities. However, I did find it hard to like Landon. I felt as though he was a little over done, and not as endearing as the other characters. I felt as though his outbursts toward Will were a little unprovoked and not believable. Will and Ellie are of course the stand out characters and there relationship is quite beautiful. A relationship forged in battle that has connected them in every way to one another , except for the way they both yearn for. Forbidden to love one another, but live and fight beside one another day in and day out has proven to be too much. Will and Ellie are in love, and the romantic scenes will leave you swooning, if not a little misty eyed. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This story has a very serious and somewhat heavy topic, but it is by no mean weighed down. It is a story of discovery, sadness and most of all love. This book has taken me on an incredible ride to the hell of the reapers, then to the clouds of the angels. I cannot wait to continue this incredible adventure, and I look forward to the day when I can submerge myself in the world of Angelfire once more.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-67393437296230003982010-11-17T13:34:00.000-05:002010-11-17T13:34:21.048-05:00UpdatesWell, I have been working on the blog page today, and have found a background and banner I really like! The page is coming together slowly but surely. Now, to update on Angelfire. I will most likely be finished with Angelfire today, I am about 6 chapters away from being finished and I will start the review then. I am excited and a little nervous about the review since this will be the first time I have submitted a review to a publisher. I also wanted to say thank you to those that became my first followers, I hope this blog is enjoyable and I hope it helps you to chose some great reading material! :-) Oh, and if any of you have any reading recommendations please feel free to leave a comment. I am trying to broaden my reading scope to include a variety of genres, so any suggestions would be warmly accepted. Well, I guess that is all for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy reading!<br />
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~Crystal*Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7159809796507849115.post-91759088088688709232010-11-16T14:41:00.000-05:002010-11-17T11:02:26.004-05:00My First Blog!Well, here goes nothing! This is officially my first blog ever, lets hope it all goes well! :-) I am currently reading<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=crystsread-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0062002325&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7285498-angelfire">Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton</a></span>. I received this book as an ARC and plan to review it once I am finished reading. I plan to be finished reading it sometime tomorrow and hopefully start the review shortly after that. I am kind of new to the whole reviewing thing but have done several reviews for various books on goodreads. If you are interested in reading my previous reviews feel free to have a look, my profile address is as follows <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/cjewell24">http://www.goodreads.com/cjewell24</a> . More updates to come in the next couple of days, once I have finished Angelfire! Talk to you soon.<br />
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~Crystal*<br />
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<br class="clear" />Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01677294030793144547noreply@blogger.com0