tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55014439231293622572024-02-21T05:58:57.121-08:00Reading is Dreamysablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-24839537902004260392011-11-12T06:01:00.000-08:002011-11-12T06:01:27.144-08:00Chronicle Books Haul-idays giveawayChronicle books is running it's 2nd annual giveaway, where 1 lucky blogger will win their choice of $500 worth of books. They are also giving away $500 worth of books to one lucky person who comments on someone's blog post about the giveaway. They are also offering $500 worth of books to the winning bloggers <br />
charity of choice.<br />
<br />
This means you can take part in one of two ways:<br />
<br />
If you have a blog:<br />
Post a list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500 that you’d like to haul in, and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to WIN your list of books! And, one of your readers who comments on the post will win the list too!<br />
Last day to submit entries is December 2nd!<br />
<br />
Check out the<a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/"> publisher’s Web site and make a list of books</a> up to $500.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/happyhaulidays/">AND, officially sign up at the Chronicle site with your post url here</a>.<br />
<br />
If you don't have a blog, or are simply looking for my entries:<br />
<a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/happyhaulidays/">Visit other blogs</a> for your chance to win a haul of Chronicle Books! Each of these blogs has posted a list of books valued up to $500! One blogger and one commenter on the winning post will each WIN the list!<br />
<b></b> <br />
so, here are my picks: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/new-releases/setting-the-scene.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPpztQ02HGNdJUK_dkHdtIZJZ4o6fbQTtEH6n_OzER2pu1_H-mOpgFA_G9_aPQnJk8Kp4DrW0rBklz81Sstj7BCmYvAEL250p0MneBv8RBj4WMYnhb2LsXjgBJaZ7MPqUxnBpgYYHWjEY/s1600/setting+the+scene.jpg" /></a></div>Setting the Scene - $60.00 <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/bestsellers/f-in-exams.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcNcCpYM97QCbfprp7ZHGjedvBDCzBezs1CnpWnhKtqMqG3lBYQa4DrX79FLkhKtL07nI1vLYQe9MTcXmLMYpDMR2weHbE5yTrN6ButDKp6ox7mVJCtkIebxPd81DfvYGqy2-OmIm6KW2/s320/F_in_Exams.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>F in Exams - $9.95<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/bestsellers/kokeshi-kimonos.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHH3vcXmxCgfPOWOXjWsJcIj7kqIOmWh71zlSLkkbBeSErzRjrRWfVHs-bw6ow3TIm8sMlrNG_eJYVEMD6O3TGAufGRpMhqxqJxf_aEQP1ScUJeX_DyGNZM1uvnLiRWiusGi7FL64b9fta/s1600/kokeshi+kimonos.png" /></a></div>Kokeshi Kimonos - $17.99<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/collectibles-nostalgia/hong-kong-comics.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6UoMl9bpdMBoEPM00JXQV_w1GO8G_RNfvzWChYiA4t67Q8Lfia2AhMkKBoetag5pav6Y2tsDd2evpTfEGRJJPGbpG8sJ-_oTzdNMBQqdVesVZebnDoACJwCndnx746cNZsEipFFOeaZp/s1600/Hong_Kong_Comics.jpg" /></a></div>Hong Kong Comics - $25<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/collectibles-nostalgia/the-games-we-played.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kWXifQ-KW_cSUaiSEPKpHFNU_n3DyEnzsjqZ7rrdXTUBTNiagIeObQRYSd1bOO5rxzQbcvCsu8K9k2HJwA9HWLT4KM4wHYvUmk-DQRXs8auoIlh_QALC2LH32PSm-E0nviJ7HEujtNSV/s1600/The_Games_We_Played.jpg" /></a></div>The Games We Played - $24.95<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/collectibles-nostalgia/the-art-of-vintage-dc-comics-75th-anniversary.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz4xM_S1gDR16cRuXhaVNqk4cF09MkLnzxc6j_PhcZEXit-oYmuY-jyad5mgwPkHOc0RETSeaAeIQzjw8Rs1AeggM6pgLR3bvn7zTjCxBdajYPdOzLNvsi6CD2NVlRdjixriP9sVan5h6/s320/The_Art_of_Vintage_DC_Comics_75th_Anniversary.png" width="243" /></a></div>The Art of Vintage DC Comics - $18.95<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/collectibles-nostalgia/the-jedi-path.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdjnLhcJRrL64XuvckyLlNXHO1aoMWqSWTsJP5PaHclz6eY6ra8A2Gisn8wWUkG2IwvcqprU6oAk2Op41sBoX1cHFrQtNnXdJU-ae6UN7QG8wsq0llY1_Spbbs4b655XwNWpHBw5KJt8f/s320/the+jedi+path.png" width="229" /></a></div>The Jedi Path - $19.95<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/collectibles-nostalgia/the-art-of-pixar.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnY8cwOXgYaoF9en27yRlYydCAzwDq5HUpaunYN99j1WhTVDvve8lOATkEDyRhsNsA-UQvhyphenhyphenQiDYFyv2VDk7xGdJxGxAFdtmN5-ly_FQpoHJ7x_ZRj-xUxH7ZfJdRn_dwRHPjsjSlUGNH/s1600/the+art+of+pixar.png" /></a></div>The Art of Pixar - $50.00<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/art-design/graphic-design/cartoon-modern.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwUVZKw0ohnEcKuiPrl3bt4W0dlRCHd_1a5ElfNUUl_MIJbX7jJG2QBE6xuL2D6XXYCwLoV533el9nMfco1vKqWt8HS-nxKPx7EP2hlpapOok-gkA7F2WnMxjmstE5DpTYxhO6UyHnKt7/s1600/Cartoon_Modern.jpg" /></a></div>Cartoon Modern - $40.00<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/kids-teens/non-fiction/education/the-art-of-instruction.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWbB1SVBRYkBFuf4pP89KQru_qFyQDm5U0qEC1HGeoy-cN7qa8qncM8-84AHM0nbwtpNQVks6DK1GIoCmRwsqEYsMkRz_TGB9_lU_qmnxNF2RqviJ5fsutfHbcKZGD-PxWeLoEy0d-xi3/s1600/instruction.jpg" /></a></div>The Art of Instruction - $35.00<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/film-movies/wookiee-cookies.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0yVBkpCxGY7PLbctMRu-SAVx37frnpXyaIFmovsLEi0WAEHOcTJ7pRAjn7jVTTh8RYP9Vd5o2GP67irUav7SDrDwH8zh9O9J4OF6UJUBMN0ImzUsy8txSMau6k2DBxSz_slBmMjfvPaR/s1600/Wookiee_Cookies.jpg" /></a></div>Wookiee Cookies - $18.99<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQnQ086xjR46_K2xM7gneZjAtn0CS4W1XiUn_g-tuN5pf9czGnOWnc3ODjffAeFnH217lqtmNQ-ONZhlNByYZokCCjK2Da89e2dgNmxOevbLSfF_gcwhwEgbYq58tG-_UBVfLUjS1Syl8/s1600/The_Wildlife_of_Star_Wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQnQ086xjR46_K2xM7gneZjAtn0CS4W1XiUn_g-tuN5pf9czGnOWnc3ODjffAeFnH217lqtmNQ-ONZhlNByYZokCCjK2Da89e2dgNmxOevbLSfF_gcwhwEgbYq58tG-_UBVfLUjS1Syl8/s1600/The_Wildlife_of_Star_Wars.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Wildlife of Star Wars - $22.95<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/film-movies/art-of-the-modern-movie-poster.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5CZQr-RCt2gtECW55FPL-55zisuEeDzjW8UwdnrclRM7gHpapvE0K_JmYINlXI42b9cmDfEZyWp6ycwlfs3eDVuZLh6TdAMN_2WYVpc9YE_7PEephCNrKv_jeYW7-T10iLcPV-5vjGdW/s1600/Art_of_the_Modern_Movie_Poster.jpg" /></a></div>Art of the Modern Movie Poster - $75.00<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/film-movies/rogue-leaders-the-story-of-lucasarts.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujxC2d6lzVUwgHKDIxh8CPgrJN-lWFPVNtAbGJsAx1lp2tdTG4F4oBJVClNNZysmAwwTsnS-9tjLx31YKluwUPcmNpylNo5XbXEK79XQlTmg5XhcdBFsuTNEzADD96hy1T9gyJ1QCzxuh/s1600/Rogue_Leaders_The_Story_of_LucasArts.gif" /></a></div>Rogue Leaders - $60.00<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/pop-culture/film-movies/the-art-of-star-wars-comics.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEkBayCH5nFUt6aYOf0gEwKUZjMSu67LXPR7dqCwuQQVhDqYmYtd7jGLAvFMjwwMUBhx3cjJsyTX3YZ6Txh_ALnsK0VtFfnH1r7xrjOBuhfFXpeWHf-QNfPP-uV7e7D4l8vp943nswO-o/s320/The_Art_of_Star_Wars_Comics.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>The Art of Star Wars Comics - $18.95<br />
<br />
That is $497.68 worth of books. Not quite as close as last year (I had $499.59 then), but I'm still pretty close.<br />
<br />
If you've posted your list on your blog, please let me know in a comment, I'd love to take a look.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-10325410415594066032011-11-04T15:24:00.000-07:002011-11-04T15:25:05.573-07:00The book I'm most thankful forAuthor Beth Revis is having a great, amazing giveaway on her website, and all you have to do to enter is write a blog post about the book that you are most interested in, and fill in the form on this <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2011/10/show-gratitude-for-booksand-win-19.html">POST</a>.<br />
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<br />
<center><a href="http://dft.ba/-win19"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JX4ViRN6sy_PoZB4iqXzS_Ikon3e7i7TAeCk5gA-REV7NZQxiZByvFOWXjAV58Ox11pmq4jf9UeH-yhQ6bara83kkRUEU0SxmByt8ZtMZsZrT289YxN49ThaFWm4v_VIFQaSU30C_iC7/s1600/november+giveaway+static.jpg" width="400”" /></a></center><br />
So, What book am I most thankful for? Well, I could say Harry Potter because I fell in love with that series, and never tire of the story, bit I think I need to go back a little further than that. If you've followed my blog, you may have seen this book on one of my Childhood Favorites reviews. Its the book that made me fall in love with reading and storytelling, written by an author who is one of my all time favorites: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.<br />
<br />
Why do I love this series? Well it's kind of hard to say what first made me fall in love with it. I was young when I first read it, but I remember falling in love with both Anne and the plot of the story. I loved her friends and adored her love interest. It set the ground work for what I look for any any story of any genre that I read. (A good plot and good characters)sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-37991414328026401712011-10-29T09:24:00.000-07:002011-10-29T09:24:05.622-07:00My Top 5 things about HalloweenI love fall and I love Halloween, so what are my favorite things about Halloween?<br />
5. Dolloween...ok, no one outside of my small group of doll collectors in Michigan has ever heard about it, but when I think of Halloween it is always associated with what we called Dalloween. A Halloween party by all of the Michigan ball-joined doll collectors, where we all brought all of our dolls, the only time of year you'd ever see that many dolls in one place at one time.. <br />
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4. The Candy. I mean, really, who doesn't love the Halloween candy? I don't go Trick-or-treating anymore, because I'm too old, and I don't pass out candy because I live in an apartment with a locked security door, but I work at a grocery store and get to eat lots of candy during our Halloween events.<br />
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3. Which leads directly into my next favorite thing about Halloween...Trick-or-treating. I use to love getting dressed up and going around the neighborhood with my friends, and not just for the candy, but the whole experience. As I got older, I loved being on the other end of that experience, being the one passing out the candy.<br />
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2. The costumes. The cool looks that others come up with , the chance to be someone else for a brief moment, its what Halloween is all about.<br />
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1. my absolute favorite thing about Halloween, though, are the pumpkins. I love carving them (one year my roommate and I carved about 10-15 of various sizes) and I love seeing what others are able to do with them, especially those who can sculpt the flesh of a pumpkin into things I never knew a pumpkin could be...sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-78959142554029749952011-10-18T17:29:00.000-07:002011-10-18T17:29:45.345-07:002 Weeks, 3 Book Signings, Total AwesomenessThis has been a great couple of weeks, and it makes me so happy that I live in Lansing. <br />
It started out with the "Smart Girls Kick It" tour, which made its final stop in Lansing. I was thrilled when I heard they were coming, since I missed Kelley Armstrong the first time she came through this area. I was beyond thrilled when I realized that this was the only stop where Carrie Ryan joined them. I got there an hour before the signing, and stayed four hours after it started, so I could get all of my Armstrong books signed. It was a great signing, they women were all entertaining, and had a great banter. I really hope that they make it this way again sometime. I don't want to go into what they discussed since I can't remember what they wanted kept secret. I will say that they did a lightening round of questions, where you could ask anything (the more embarrassing the better) that they could answer in thirty seconds. Very amusing. One of the great things about the signing (and there were many) is that almost all of the authors there had a story in Enthralled, so it was like having a souvenir of this signing in particular, getting them all to sign it. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVi5Hz2ktxD21zfLWaA8rKimOuoJNkjWrW_6E2YJYJYvxMN9VBPZOnOFqRHt18rYH-gFZz5k9HKMsurlStDkJ5nEmIJWE5dGwpNNDdcoqd7k90ncy30uFzLyFk7MK7LpTkBUKnRKaiHyeY/s1600/enthralled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVi5Hz2ktxD21zfLWaA8rKimOuoJNkjWrW_6E2YJYJYvxMN9VBPZOnOFqRHt18rYH-gFZz5k9HKMsurlStDkJ5nEmIJWE5dGwpNNDdcoqd7k90ncy30uFzLyFk7MK7LpTkBUKnRKaiHyeY/s320/enthralled.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>This signing was followed by a signing last Thursday with Lisa McMann, promoting her new books, The Unwanteds. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_V5WBzepv8AjwrR4LBLo9wV2lZjVbGVI-RwYSQ4b65RuV0CsujqZmRsKdVIMI_l6NI0q_yJswfagDJ0TMCc4TUIZ_O8hY22qUlvThbTJ_zmAswQAZFLNmWC43alFag6kbFIgbXNGY17/s1600/Unwanteds_FINAL_LR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3s_V5WBzepv8AjwrR4LBLo9wV2lZjVbGVI-RwYSQ4b65RuV0CsujqZmRsKdVIMI_l6NI0q_yJswfagDJ0TMCc4TUIZ_O8hY22qUlvThbTJ_zmAswQAZFLNmWC43alFag6kbFIgbXNGY17/s320/Unwanteds_FINAL_LR-1.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>It was really interesting listening to her talk about how involved her family is in her writing process. Her son even drew a postcard that she is giving away as a limited edition with the book, and she's hoping that will be giving away new limited edition cards with each subsequent book in the series (looking like 7 right now). I was so worried that my copy of The Unwanteds wouldn't arrive in time for the signing, since I ordered it from Barnes & Noble's website, on a 1-3 day shipping, and it took 5 days to arrive! It arrived the day of the signing. <br />
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Today, I was lucky enough to go to another signing. This time Mike Mullin came promoting his debut novel, Ashfall. Only four people showed up for the signing, but this meant that we really got to have a great discussion with him, learning a lot about his passion for Super Volcanoes, his writing process, his research, and what dystopian novels he'd recommend (including The Hunger Games, Epitaph Road, XVI, and Bumped, as well as classics like Z is for Zachariah). He did a taekwondo brick break for us, at the beginning and the end of our discussion. When he signed our books, he also signed a piece of the broken cement for us all, its definitely the most unique souvenir from a signing that I've ever gotten. It might make a good bookend. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vm6Dh7Hqz9ll_K556memesGimhmKzrLrz_eERJVS4UtNzgmpvAmdHxtogZ2olvQDuPH5TpCYkW-8Nte76koz-r82oNrs1R7SU1lvd5uAWDpECZ07Sy1A-zeWZsqTEjJyrwnnyQLjr3Wn/s1600/Ashfall-Mike-Mullin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vm6Dh7Hqz9ll_K556memesGimhmKzrLrz_eERJVS4UtNzgmpvAmdHxtogZ2olvQDuPH5TpCYkW-8Nte76koz-r82oNrs1R7SU1lvd5uAWDpECZ07Sy1A-zeWZsqTEjJyrwnnyQLjr3Wn/s320/Ashfall-Mike-Mullin.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-27603425203426240612011-10-02T18:09:00.000-07:002011-10-02T18:09:28.194-07:00Collection of Ball-Jointed DollsAnother contest on Princess Bookie's blog. This time you write about what you collect and why. <br />
Well, I do love to collect books and manga of course, and I have tons of them.<br />
The one thing that I really love to collect though, is Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. I adore all of mine, and often wonder where I can get money to buy more. <br />
Here are a few pictures of my collection:<br />
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<a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/?action=view&current=Farce01b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/Farce01b.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />
cause this is a book blog, how about a doll in front of a book (cause my little vampire looked cute in front of it)<br />
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<a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/?action=view&current=WadeWMoney06b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/WadeWMoney06b.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />
Trying to help me get money for more dolls and books...lol<br />
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<a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/?action=view&current=bookshelf01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/bookshelf01.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />
some of my dolls and some of my manga<br />
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<a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/?action=view&current=AllDolls02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/AllDolls02.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />
a large part of my collection<br />
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<a href="http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/?action=view&current=work17.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/sablelexi/work17.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />
just cause he's cute...lol<br />
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Yeah, I love my collection of dolls.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-53995832092392006332011-10-02T17:52:00.000-07:002011-10-02T17:52:26.826-07:00Mini-challenge: Favorite 5 of 2011Another challenge at<a href="http://www.princessbookie.com/2011/10/contest-craze-favorite-books-of-2011.html"> Princess Bookie</a>. This time, you have to tell the top five books that you've read in 2011. And the winner will receive a mystery box of books.<br />
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My favorites are:<br />
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1. The Hunger Games (the whole series, I'm counting it as one)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wRLdEtWLQ4t0IEjNMkvwhs-iR0GrrRi5Zh_oODT9Wvwi5TBp6xZRicXe4WWeaK2QyFZZ9xShS99xTtVoqtCPUi_VRxkXCKw_pZeRLJgvDxHF5RiXriH1ZcV-PFtp5lUP4E2QWNo1qE7y/s1600/the+hunger+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wRLdEtWLQ4t0IEjNMkvwhs-iR0GrrRi5Zh_oODT9Wvwi5TBp6xZRicXe4WWeaK2QyFZZ9xShS99xTtVoqtCPUi_VRxkXCKw_pZeRLJgvDxHF5RiXriH1ZcV-PFtp5lUP4E2QWNo1qE7y/s320/the+hunger+games.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>I don't really think that I have to explain why this made my list. My friend kept telling me that I needed to read these books, and I kept thinking I would eventually. I'm really glad I finally did.<br />
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2. Leviathan (and Behemoth)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwASOyEjjvK7k3DxeVd69NJ4bT5GgBLaCKnLhkte9f1YKRfyT9FXJ0PHyJdKaj6YFkUVTksuQlw9_v4Ib8kQXKlZRW7fQ3BGLFVJgD2FPPHe00aLbL7XIDIxGEdP28ua5Ota6mg6aODHqn/s1600/leviathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwASOyEjjvK7k3DxeVd69NJ4bT5GgBLaCKnLhkte9f1YKRfyT9FXJ0PHyJdKaj6YFkUVTksuQlw9_v4Ib8kQXKlZRW7fQ3BGLFVJgD2FPPHe00aLbL7XIDIxGEdP28ua5Ota6mg6aODHqn/s320/leviathan.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>I bought this book because I loved the cover. When I finally read it I absolutely fell in love with it. The whole world is beautifully built and described, and I love the pictures in it. <br />
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3. Firelight<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxq0bl59bpRcqJmN6XlpOaprfXeUmm4BhSEPavgGzRwZfMVlXZYZS9KFXWAtMlHxTo_e9h8IBw_AtdlGMRZDMtRkBlLodv2PVHGIMu6JUjHjI5v4C6tP5hznzCCBzIGR9mYHa3Bxi8nTN/s1600/Firelight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxq0bl59bpRcqJmN6XlpOaprfXeUmm4BhSEPavgGzRwZfMVlXZYZS9KFXWAtMlHxTo_e9h8IBw_AtdlGMRZDMtRkBlLodv2PVHGIMu6JUjHjI5v4C6tP5hznzCCBzIGR9mYHa3Bxi8nTN/s320/Firelight.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>I seriously wanted to read this book, and couldn't really explain why. I'm just glad that I did, because i really enjoyed it.<br />
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4. Forgotten<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkk4HTknTaTKYczjrjQQa7MccCQTBYAekADhbtEMcER3Ambsq_pXEYBAeoxn__etVl_dAxRQmKK8NouL6DTKC5Y87c3vtL-AK-eWVTdnXj1FBKalNW7TnTi6iH2QeUfKUR6dbzgTHf8a2/s1600/forgotten2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkk4HTknTaTKYczjrjQQa7MccCQTBYAekADhbtEMcER3Ambsq_pXEYBAeoxn__etVl_dAxRQmKK8NouL6DTKC5Y87c3vtL-AK-eWVTdnXj1FBKalNW7TnTi6iH2QeUfKUR6dbzgTHf8a2/s320/forgotten2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>At first I didn't have any interest in this book, but I picked up a free sample of it at my local bookstore and it intrigued me. To my surprise I really enjoyed it. <br />
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5. The Gathering<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjOIqBWVyQb8UEKH9AiCXUgeSfOUEZCaX4vXhvhQhUtSkanPRgyNZ5AiRqwg18v_zUwjNSY0GgzKK8pe5357Q8Unolx1lCDOIjUsvF1et9Tb79GPCqcmayjgvoTERTRKpoEdLVItv4OWH/s1600/the-gathering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjOIqBWVyQb8UEKH9AiCXUgeSfOUEZCaX4vXhvhQhUtSkanPRgyNZ5AiRqwg18v_zUwjNSY0GgzKK8pe5357Q8Unolx1lCDOIjUsvF1et9Tb79GPCqcmayjgvoTERTRKpoEdLVItv4OWH/s320/the-gathering.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan, and this first book in her new YA series was not a disappointment. It just makes me want to read more.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-61958199038025291582011-09-20T17:18:00.000-07:002011-09-20T17:18:16.753-07:00Mini-Challenge: Scariest WordAs Part of <a href="http://www.princessbookie.com/2011/09/contest-craze-contest-list-cindys-blog_16.html">Princess Bookie's Contest Craze</a>, The Non Reluctant Reader is hosting a mini-contest called <a href="http://readerbenji.blogspot.com/2011/09/contest-craze-scariest-word.html">Scariest Word.</a><br />
<br />
For this mini-contest you had to:<br />
<ul><li>Open a book you are currently reading.</li>
<li>Turn to page 13th Chapter.</li>
<li>Scan for the scariest word.</li>
<li>Type the word into a Google Images search, and select a picture that you can stand.</li>
</ul>My Book is Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7797032-spell-bound"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJO90y8117_YihYNhjt5DotG3uCMZ9dfruVxyny9eChAnmUEBcnfC5tEgJfFbm_WGSUZZwJOBl9ytwkP-3cYCxv6rXv8ja0gKCKerMuH9J6NM2UlnUiCl3UnT3n4AV3W9JJKBLyFcZTZ0/s320/armstrong-spellbound.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>The scariest word in my chapter was Zombie<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBICvrklEa0-sXonyzEWkGrpZQRV4Y0N0Xsdy4I2esqI_rIK6l1VBJrbUsqzZUIpWxaQMSPVrtKh-mezT2fnDifO-oNQ8B0MNdU1wLgART0IN5AflkzES2i-OVDuSDLb0L6mKsGVe3ZTTZ/s1600/zombie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBICvrklEa0-sXonyzEWkGrpZQRV4Y0N0Xsdy4I2esqI_rIK6l1VBJrbUsqzZUIpWxaQMSPVrtKh-mezT2fnDifO-oNQ8B0MNdU1wLgART0IN5AflkzES2i-OVDuSDLb0L6mKsGVe3ZTTZ/s320/zombie1.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-87615415207091870722011-09-18T08:19:00.000-07:002011-09-18T08:19:31.481-07:00Mini-Challenge: Lucky Number 7As Part of <a href="http://www.princessbookie.com/2011/09/contest-craze-contest-list-cindys-blog_16.html">Princess Bookie's Contest Craze</a>, The Elliot Review is hosting a mini-contest called<a href="http://elliottreview.blogspot.com/2011/09/contest-craze-mini-challenge-lucky.html"> Lucky Number 7</a>.<br />
For this mini contest you have to:<br />
<ul><li>Open a book you are currently reading.</li>
<li>Turn to page 7.</li>
<li>Count to the 7th word.</li>
<li>If the word is an article (a, an, the, etc), go to the next real word.</li>
<li>Type the word into a Google Images search, and select a picture that you can stand.</li>
</ul>My book is Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7826116-behemoth"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVUs4_xFmiOnDQVCJQZZT_BELFIjcBFRg8T5lfpvRLZ9ykM68oX7PEYCDyWt07CRmbH2zAkdQjsMENFwRtwx-jKXX4POs1TLfSxuaeFuuqCYeUfZYOI58kAfM4pZPZ78IzI2tyeZWjfi7/s320/behemoth-by-scott-westerfeld.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The 7th word was to, so I went to the next word: Constantinople.<br />
My picture:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeNoJutQvh1Y7bmJzdBvU-P6vZWl-6QLmFQOG44CoHaTZ8qbnGp6142l0aLZLVEtAH0JsiMq2ZEFVW_0plt6OTnv6MvlF1xSfFO1FDgvoKAJamqmB0R7O7FaDgiy-wERgix0BnJjz4iFN/s1600/The+Fall+of+Constantinople%252C+29+May+1453+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeNoJutQvh1Y7bmJzdBvU-P6vZWl-6QLmFQOG44CoHaTZ8qbnGp6142l0aLZLVEtAH0JsiMq2ZEFVW_0plt6OTnv6MvlF1xSfFO1FDgvoKAJamqmB0R7O7FaDgiy-wERgix0BnJjz4iFN/s320/The+Fall+of+Constantinople%252C+29+May+1453+II.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-40195274939559075312011-09-17T19:45:00.000-07:002011-09-18T06:55:52.003-07:00How I said goodbye to BordersBorders hasn't exactly been my bookstore of choice for years. There was never an actual Borders here, and Waldenbooks closed about four years ago. Still, I would go to Ann Arbor frequently for the shopping (gotta love the used bookstore there...<a href="http://www.dawntreaderbooks.com/">Dawn Treader</a>) and we never failed to stop at Borders. So when I heard it was closing I vowed to visit there as much as I could before they closed. My total savings at Borders was about <b>$700.</b><br />
<br />
When the sale was at 60% I didn't pick up much, just three books (not pictured):<br />
Changeless by <span class="ptBrand"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Carriger/e/B002BML6TE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4?qid=1316309052&sr=1-4">Gail Carriger</a>; Blameless by Gail Carriger; Rampant by Diana Peterfreund </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigthzTg_I8mk1eNWtpSzVUyg-E6nIMda1zh-QVWxOdP0XXLPMBNo4I_-DNGnOhxx0y-AuQhVukUhYDlWDRvwwQzcRSPtNmlpmszyPB7fXAbD1vsGYco6WXRuY3X16-fn670Ar2nEyO86mX/s1600/P9170442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigthzTg_I8mk1eNWtpSzVUyg-E6nIMda1zh-QVWxOdP0XXLPMBNo4I_-DNGnOhxx0y-AuQhVukUhYDlWDRvwwQzcRSPtNmlpmszyPB7fXAbD1vsGYco6WXRuY3X16-fn670Ar2nEyO86mX/s320/P9170442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCJ9pcH7VkEufk8LerrwGBsr_Z3gNTps8nv5ZH7lPX1qGGeHL-rCKz-lcBjB7Cq2cf7ZIcK-4V7410uvXx2Z6kZgEbyL-Mf988CiLvl8WUN08qQNBjOZjvcV_v-fPwTn2F1ly70Csp0Dy/s1600/P9170443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCJ9pcH7VkEufk8LerrwGBsr_Z3gNTps8nv5ZH7lPX1qGGeHL-rCKz-lcBjB7Cq2cf7ZIcK-4V7410uvXx2Z6kZgEbyL-Mf988CiLvl8WUN08qQNBjOZjvcV_v-fPwTn2F1ly70Csp0Dy/s320/P9170443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">When I went back the signs said 70%, but I actually got everything for 80% so I bought quite a bit more (Oh and by buying 10 or more items I saved an extra 15%). Including these YA books:</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Wither by Lauren DeStefano; Possession by Elana Johnson; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Forgotten by Cat Patrick; Hourglass by Myra McEntire; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith; Crossing Over by Anna Kendall</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Rotters by Daniel Krauss </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">And these manga:</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Arisa 4-5; Love*Com - 6; Shaman King - 24</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">The final time that I went back all YA books and manga were $1.00 so my friend and I hit up three different Borders (one was still at 80%) and I totally cleaned house (at the two stores with $1.00 books I also saved an extra 15%) The most I paid was 3.30 on three manga, the least I paid was only $0.40!!! </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">I picked up these books (all for $1 or less): </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Heartless by Gail Carriger</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Silver Zombie by Carole Nelson Douglas Timeless by Alexandra Monir</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Spice & Wolf vol. 2 by Isuna Hasekura Gone by Lisa McMann</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Red is for Remembrance AND Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> The Line by Teri Hall </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Monster High AND The Ghoul Next Door by Lisi Harrison</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> The Twelve Kingdoms: The Vast Spread of the seas by Fuyumi Ono</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Daywatch by Sergei Lukyanenko </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Leven Thumps and the Ruins of Alder by Obert Skye</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers XVI by Julia Karr</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Misfit by Jon Skovron Siren by Tricia Rayburn</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> In Dreams Begin by Skyler White</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver; The Dark Devine by Bree Despain</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Angelfire by Cournety Allison Moulton </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> 13 to Life by Shannon Delany </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink</div><br />
<span class="ptBrand">And these manga at 80%:</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle - 28; Love*Com - 5; Peace Maker Kurogane - 4</span><br />
<br />
<span class="ptBrand">And these manga at $1.00 or less!</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> 13th Boy - 2; Angel Diary - 13; Black Bird 2, 5; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> B.O.D.Y. 5-8, 10; Demon Sacred 1-3; Dengeki Daisy 1-3; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Dragon Girl -1; Hero Tales - 2; Honey Hunt - 5; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Legend - 3, 6, 9-10; Oh My Goddess 36-37; Mixed Vegetables 7-8; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Nana 17, 19; Ouran High School Host Club - 14; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Panic X Panic - 2; Papillon - 5/6; Portrait of M & N 1, 3</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Rin-ne - 4-5; S*A - 9-12; Sakura Hime - 3; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Sand Chronicles - 8; Shaman King - 27-29, 31; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Spiral Bond of Reasoning - 6-7; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> The Stellar Six - 1 </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Stepping on Roses - 2-4; Sugarholic - 2; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Tsubasa those with wings - 2-3; Vampire Knight 8-9; </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> Very! Very! Sweet - 1, 6; Zombie-loan 7-8, 10</span>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-6860448637486872062011-09-17T17:29:00.000-07:002011-09-17T17:29:49.886-07:00Mini-Challenge: Top five 2012 booksAs part of a mini challenge at http://www.princessbookie.com/2011/09/contest-craze-mini-challenge.html<br />
<br />
I'm writing a post about the top five books that I'm looking forward to in 2012.<br />
1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8664345-the-calling">The Gathering </a>by Kelley Armstrong due out April 2012 <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5CBdUou2LUhPHJUg0avvqdXf2lxj1SmnfPD90NP85dyuydp9W9iVljvgnjCr1c3GBvhA6Qi_6wi5o0bSpWDImstVCgX_hWAsq69j8S0Cx3PhnXdxz9eYWSiaKbbq4KgKPaIkXq7lTYVZ/s1600/the+calling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5CBdUou2LUhPHJUg0avvqdXf2lxj1SmnfPD90NP85dyuydp9W9iVljvgnjCr1c3GBvhA6Qi_6wi5o0bSpWDImstVCgX_hWAsq69j8S0Cx3PhnXdxz9eYWSiaKbbq4KgKPaIkXq7lTYVZ/s320/the+calling.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
2.<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11112619-fever"> Fever</a> by <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name">Lauren DeStefano</span> due out in February </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqlL9Lo3d9OHRqv-Nc8zgdxqR9SIqcuAlEcXyrM5yqZdOLRRRJh-LUm5czKMXKZcphM5b0mNHwsUY6fUWG1diGLIbwNZbKuk2uhs867soeRZ8Q6SgIgNN2hIWprFuXjoKkQCre3MUZcrc/s1600/fever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqlL9Lo3d9OHRqv-Nc8zgdxqR9SIqcuAlEcXyrM5yqZdOLRRRJh-LUm5czKMXKZcphM5b0mNHwsUY6fUWG1diGLIbwNZbKuk2uhs867soeRZ8Q6SgIgNN2hIWprFuXjoKkQCre3MUZcrc/s320/fever.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><br />
</span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"> 3. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194425-when-the-sea-is-rising-red">When the Sea is Rising Red</a> by Cat Hellisen due in February </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtL5GZZP-Zxq_ZDHw-VNfU7PbYLtSonhquyJS72tIL7ZnOroGU2RKjotZC-LNrfIE_82iq5ekY1HkNHQRftGDV8wTq1kBKNDNi5vcNXgK3rJ-uLUvXoGUkgoQRJS9D_6CBaKMS8akM4fb/s1600/sea+rising+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtL5GZZP-Zxq_ZDHw-VNfU7PbYLtSonhquyJS72tIL7ZnOroGU2RKjotZC-LNrfIE_82iq5ekY1HkNHQRftGDV8wTq1kBKNDNi5vcNXgK3rJ-uLUvXoGUkgoQRJS9D_6CBaKMS8akM4fb/s320/sea+rising+red.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name">4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235712-cinder">Cinder </a>by Marissa Meyer due out in January </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuSoF8q60HYVGPSQn9FLol2IDTFMi8PuurcTaOfPTew6OsrAyxQHc4ehCb_NIufNbuJo0TLjmEsI1_lhjr3KD6mzquHz6xo7TX3AtR8Jyhs0QvQP2AgJi-5Xni1pYFTb0euiqnZ9QEjxY/s1600/Cinder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuSoF8q60HYVGPSQn9FLol2IDTFMi8PuurcTaOfPTew6OsrAyxQHc4ehCb_NIufNbuJo0TLjmEsI1_lhjr3KD6mzquHz6xo7TX3AtR8Jyhs0QvQP2AgJi-5Xni1pYFTb0euiqnZ9QEjxY/s320/Cinder.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name">5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11735983-insurgent">Insurgent </a>by Veronica Roth due out in May</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdQ4mM9hrlKPYxZlKJtewL5_qwsROzctSr3bcTcdDudpR3pxXtywe3k6deQqeR2aKL_2PUOXHJ4iRiiLYqWsPCLQA-flv28Oo6vIDSMTjnMmngM-eRl8pipeUXriJnE7itgqFTGyO99Up/s1600/insurgent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdQ4mM9hrlKPYxZlKJtewL5_qwsROzctSr3bcTcdDudpR3pxXtywe3k6deQqeR2aKL_2PUOXHJ4iRiiLYqWsPCLQA-flv28Oo6vIDSMTjnMmngM-eRl8pipeUXriJnE7itgqFTGyO99Up/s1600/insurgent.jpg" /></a></div><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"><br />
</span></span>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-78477197383649259022011-06-20T18:05:00.000-07:002011-06-20T18:05:03.212-07:00I'm back after a really long absenceThank you all for still following, even though I have been absent for awhile. I know my last post promised that I was back and would start posting soon, but unfortunately my family suffered a loss shortly after that post was written, and I've been dealing with that. I believe that I'm back now, though things will be slow at first, just a post or two a week for awhile. Hopefully I'll do a giveaway in a month or so. Winners from my last giveaways were contacted, and were Heather and Tenku. If you have won a giveaway and haven't received your book, just let me know and I'll see what I can do, its possible someone got missed in the jumble. sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-52230514890426497712011-05-02T08:06:00.000-07:002011-05-02T08:06:36.166-07:00Sorry about the absenceI'm really sorry that I've been away a lot recently and haven't even posted the winners of the last two giveaways. I will have that done by the end of this week, for sure. What ever virus I have has been hitting me hard and I haven't had a lot of energy to do much, but I'm optimistic that I can get back on track soon, so I hope that you'll stick with me a bit longer. I have a few books that I really enjoyed that I'll be reviewing very soon, as well as some manga. And of course there will be a giveaway coming up in a few weeks. sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-10337451382994993922011-04-20T11:44:00.000-07:002011-04-20T11:44:34.545-07:00Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Book GiveawayOoops this was supposed to be posted last night. Not sure if I'll get back on the list for the hop or not, but I'll post this at least for my blog followers anyway. :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3_rPjFKnxAyO9VdyaBVtdmrM5tEzGnBVrnHipROfLgkhHw85Dp3E5z8FsbIVk4wpzBiD-AAYAIe6-x9SilFmaBWsNgWA24rnhGiKfdcnP2CMtO8viptncTApp7728gMoc1ZOzv28pxVn/s1600/hoppyeastersidebar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3_rPjFKnxAyO9VdyaBVtdmrM5tEzGnBVrnHipROfLgkhHw85Dp3E5z8FsbIVk4wpzBiD-AAYAIe6-x9SilFmaBWsNgWA24rnhGiKfdcnP2CMtO8viptncTApp7728gMoc1ZOzv28pxVn/s1600/hoppyeastersidebar.jpg" /></a></div>ts Time for another Awesome Giveaway Hop. I'm so glad that you stopped by!!!<br />
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For this giveaway I decided to giveaway one of the books that I am looking forward to buying in May, as well as two that I just purchased that are out this month. This will be ordered from the Book Depository if you are international. If you are in the US, I reserve the right to order the book from a store of my choice.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">So what Book have I decided to giveaway? How about one of these:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> To enter all you have to do is fill out this<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGpIX1c0UHJqd0RsRjFsM3QycjBoVkE6MQ"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>FORM!</b></span></a> <br />
Since this is a quick hop, I'll make it easy. Just be a follower and tell me what book you want if you win. You'll get 5 extra entries if you were a follower before March 1. Good luck, and don't forget to check out all the other blogs! <br />
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</script>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-78305838423151896902011-04-16T18:20:00.000-07:002011-04-16T18:20:42.853-07:00Favorite Manga #1: Sailor Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtqxVrSkprgxs2WiruP8awns8Ca4ZaxoK4S_wEI1l_svFKTAJ5c0nli-Ga85mecOkiL0MEAQz8zZMe_kmjnHRkMtrZKtOzPVgjI4_Qef7ZWTD7IYzLKPwglzALcSW77dTye60KLvyHDxL/s1600/sailor+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtqxVrSkprgxs2WiruP8awns8Ca4ZaxoK4S_wEI1l_svFKTAJ5c0nli-Ga85mecOkiL0MEAQz8zZMe_kmjnHRkMtrZKtOzPVgjI4_Qef7ZWTD7IYzLKPwglzALcSW77dTye60KLvyHDxL/s320/sailor+moon.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis: </b></span><br />
Usagi is a normal, ditzy high school girl, until she finds out she's the reincarnated Princess of the Moon, with the power to transform into the magical girl, Sailor Moon. With the help of the other senshi (warriors) who are all named after the planets, and are the reincarnation of her soldiers on the moon, she fights to save Earth, and later the galaxy. All while dealing with school and falling in love!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4-LWbMQRlCZFmKBoWDNBH_50BoDJZHWvSppHe1RRmS5m-bB2ofcY0lBgjk0x2DRyi_oZJIvwYijuR8jtYSz8Yp1vRn95FQabwRK6aZXYAznC0Yw-P_4w_f-7XkfTzyU6PmtttFT_vQxv/s1600/5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4-LWbMQRlCZFmKBoWDNBH_50BoDJZHWvSppHe1RRmS5m-bB2ofcY0lBgjk0x2DRyi_oZJIvwYijuR8jtYSz8Yp1vRn95FQabwRK6aZXYAznC0Yw-P_4w_f-7XkfTzyU6PmtttFT_vQxv/s320/5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Characters:</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw8kGkOLsXFnTZ6Q2ok3gXsXLzmsMZTbjyW8Z-F_GggnQ4gR3aDrhhNpCxzyfBNVK_9ZKNWbYZMlM17Ox5f18xurbgi7cQPolRhEDXzrDkm9Tww_KV4Tv61gYUdYRlGQ14-_sMU7txCnZ/s1600/Usagi_Manga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw8kGkOLsXFnTZ6Q2ok3gXsXLzmsMZTbjyW8Z-F_GggnQ4gR3aDrhhNpCxzyfBNVK_9ZKNWbYZMlM17Ox5f18xurbgi7cQPolRhEDXzrDkm9Tww_KV4Tv61gYUdYRlGQ14-_sMU7txCnZ/s200/Usagi_Manga.jpg" width="165" /></a><b>Usagi </b>(Sailor Moon): In the beginning, Usagi is a ditzy, crybaby. She's not the brightest girl. But she's kind and understanding. While she might not enjoy fighting at first, she loves her new friends, and eventually embraces her role. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAs7Na9kFyLm47UbvOrV1hn0OR8mFBjtzzeCHEG1SwhyphenhyphencGdelzt32vzKPRhKDliwoHRLUJnTSxJfoKOy_l6lIClqUKE4r1i2x0e64MCOKt_VgKtUBA-brXxuPTccUihh3bDh3wur8ZuRs/s1600/sailormercury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAs7Na9kFyLm47UbvOrV1hn0OR8mFBjtzzeCHEG1SwhyphenhyphencGdelzt32vzKPRhKDliwoHRLUJnTSxJfoKOy_l6lIClqUKE4r1i2x0e64MCOKt_VgKtUBA-brXxuPTccUihh3bDh3wur8ZuRs/s200/sailormercury.jpg" width="140" /></a><b>Ami </b>(Sailor Mercury): A classmate of Usagi, she's a shy, extremely smart bookworm. She's also the most level headed of the group, and wants to take care of people. She's also the technophile of the group.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9ZsB0pbKMHQBWT2PBD8XDp_8FLD5LqCw_GHh58AwaNXf7Gf8ZYcptg6Fo_CQwUFFbcLTpDa8Wdukt5WdwIS5VCe9k0qxOb8ZZJuLw6F4bhQL6HOkxpZG_HnPhE8oF48qXewdgGOzp-My/s1600/sailor+mars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9ZsB0pbKMHQBWT2PBD8XDp_8FLD5LqCw_GHh58AwaNXf7Gf8ZYcptg6Fo_CQwUFFbcLTpDa8Wdukt5WdwIS5VCe9k0qxOb8ZZJuLw6F4bhQL6HOkxpZG_HnPhE8oF48qXewdgGOzp-My/s200/sailor+mars.jpg" width="140" /></a><b> </b><br />
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<b>Rei </b>(Sailor Mars): She's serious, and often gets annoyed by the fact that Usagi is such an air head. She works as a shinto priestess which gives her special powers to dispel evil spirits even before she became a senshi. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-TLrswQe_Y_OyXZJkGZtAGa84pBUS0Z1iqadmhogm6eh42QapaZ2Kep7kjiw6rsKsYoJDyBPjxqXRNCzPK4lfuf5CMsMzZlBXkAwOD5LewWBEFCeLVODrgcROZnPoSjKHEyvRa0-8RV3/s1600/sailor+jupiter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-TLrswQe_Y_OyXZJkGZtAGa84pBUS0Z1iqadmhogm6eh42QapaZ2Kep7kjiw6rsKsYoJDyBPjxqXRNCzPK4lfuf5CMsMzZlBXkAwOD5LewWBEFCeLVODrgcROZnPoSjKHEyvRa0-8RV3/s200/sailor+jupiter.jpg" width="108" /></a><b> </b><br />
<b>Makoto </b>(Sailor Jupiter): The athletic member of the group, she's very tall and strong. She lives by herself since her parents died years before, and enjoys domestic duties as well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCM7bElwM3FY42-k9sVLfgZR0dt3llctTN_E5-gt6RTl9YvfH2sJB1X5XJTHoNndPtibIAUf9P5S9rKCOPJ8QG6stAYEy0Lrwu0JBq9d2VyK6ioIf63h0oUC2ZEHaAquoKlDYd5Dy6jqR/s1600/sailor+venus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCM7bElwM3FY42-k9sVLfgZR0dt3llctTN_E5-gt6RTl9YvfH2sJB1X5XJTHoNndPtibIAUf9P5S9rKCOPJ8QG6stAYEy0Lrwu0JBq9d2VyK6ioIf63h0oUC2ZEHaAquoKlDYd5Dy6jqR/s200/sailor+venus.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Minako </b>(Sailor Venus): She was the leader of the four guardians and dreams of becoming a pop idol, and actively pursues this dream.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
***Sailor Moon has been out of print in the US for a few years, but starting in September of this year it's being re-released by a new company, which will hopefully mean better translations, and of course it won't be flipped.*** <br />
Sailor Moon was the first anime that I watched, the first manga I read, and even one of the first J-dramas I ever saw. I'll admit the stories all meld a bit in my head, since its been a couple of years, and I sadly borrowed the manga instead of buying it, so I can't reread it, yet. But one thing will always hold true. I love this story and I love these characters. Yes, the magical girl defending the Earth has been done before and since, but there's something about Sailor Moon that draws you in and makes you remember it. There's a reason that you go to an anime convention today, 14 years after Sailor Moon ended in Japan, and still find Sailor Moon goods at most booths. I am a serious fan, probably obsessive at one point, since half my walls were covered with Sailor Moon posters (I still have a few hanging up). I highly recommend if you like manga, especially manga for girls, that you read this one. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Art:</b></span><br />
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I started with the anime and I'll admit that the manga art was a bit jarring at first, since it is a slightly older series. There are manga out now that are prettier than this one, but I still enjoy the art style here. It really grows on you. I'd give it a 4 out of 5.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-90325158374632843472011-04-14T12:03:00.000-07:002011-04-14T12:05:48.676-07:00Favorite Manga Recap 16-2We are almost to number one, so I thought I'd quickly recap what got us here.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">#16:<a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-16-tramps-like-us.html"> Tramps Like us</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Don't be fooled by the concept of Sumire keeping Takeshi as her pet. For </div><div style="text-align: left;"> her he's simply the replacement for a dog, There is a enough romance and </div><div style="text-align: left;"> comedy in this story to keep it interesting through all 14 volumes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> #15: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-15-rave-master.html">Rave Masters</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Like many shonen manga (boy comics) Rave goes from one arc to the next, </div><div style="text-align: left;"> each with its own major villain all leading up to one final boss. Unlike many </div><div style="text-align: left;"> series though, this one does not seem to drag, and each arc does further </div><div style="text-align: left;"> the main plot. </div><div style="text-align: left;">#14: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-14-tsubasa-reservoir.html">Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle</a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Since the only goal at the beginning is to find Sakura's feathers, the story is </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> at first broken into mini-arcs that have little connectivity. For this series, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> this method works well as darker, heavier arcs are often followed by lighter, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> funnier ones to keep you on your toes and prevent the story from being too </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> much.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">#13: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-13-kare-kano.html">Kare Kano</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It's a great story of a high school life and love, following them through their </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> relationships, not just with each other but their friends as well. You really </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> get to know and like the whole group and the ending (which takes place ~16 </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> years later) gives you an insight into all of them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">#12: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-12-kamikaze-kaitou.html">Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne</a> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> This falls into the category of a magical girl series (ie. it's about a girl who </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> transforms to fight evil) and like all good magical girl series, it still manages </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> to be unique and entertaining. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, as with many of Arina Tanemura's </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> series, there is a full resolution to the story (something frequently lacking in </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> many Japanese stories).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">#11: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-11-fruits-basket.html">Fruits Basket</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This is a cute story that touches on (but never dwells to long) in the darker </div><div style="text-align: left;"> aspects of the family's drama. You become invests in the characters and </div><div style="text-align: left;"> hope that not only does the curse break, but they they are able to be happy.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#10: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/favorite-manga-10-hikaru-no-go.html">Hikaru no Go</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> You would think that a manga where one of the main characters is a ghost </div><div style="text-align: left;"> would be more supernatural, but this is one of the most realistic stories I've </div><div style="text-align: left;"> ever read. I knew nothing about Go before I started (and little more now) but </div><div style="text-align: left;"> ate the story up.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#9: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-9-d-gray-man.html">D. Gray-man</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Its another quest story, as they are searching for the greatest innocence, but </div><div style="text-align: left;"> the story is darker and often more series than a lot of other shonen manga. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> There is sadness and drama as well as action.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#8: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-8-skip-beat.html">Skip Beat</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: small;">There are dark moments in the story as we are dealing with up and coming </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> stars who will sometimes stop at nothing to get what they want, but we also </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> have Kyoko's insecurities and vengeful nature that make from some great </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> comedy and heartwarming moments as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">#7: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-7-fullmetal-alchemist.html">Fullmetal Alchemist</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This is such a great story, with a large cast of characters, so often you get </div><div style="text-align: left;"> to know more of whats going on because you are not just stuck with the </div><div style="text-align: left;"> main character the whole time, but even though you see what the villains are </div><div style="text-align: left;"> doing, the deeper meaning is still a mystery.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#6: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-6-angel-sanctuary.html">Angel Sanctuary</a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> This is a complex story that, at times might be confusing, its also rather<br />
slow to start, taking the first three volumes to build up the basis for the<br />
whole rest of the story. If you stick with it thought, you'll find a story with<br />
lots of depth, with a cast of characters you really get to know and care<br />
about, learning about their past as well as their present.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#5: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-5-hot-gimmick.html">Hot Gimmick</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Don't be fooled by the initial premise, while Hatsumi may agree to be Ryoki's </div><div style="text-align: left;"> sex slave, there is no actual sex slaving going on. have a soft spot in my<br />
heart for characters like Ryoki, who aren't sure how to express positive<br />
emotions, and struggle to show the girl they love how they feel.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#4: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-manga-4-boys-over-flowers-hana.html">Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango)</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> So much of this series is the dramas of their relationship. But all that drama </div><div style="text-align: left;"> just makes you hope more and more that these two can make it work and<br />
figure out how to be together, because through all their differences they really<br />
love each other.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#3: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/04/favorite-manga-3-full-moon-o-sagashite.html">Full Moon: O Sagashite </a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The story in the manga is perhaps darker and sadder in a lot of ways than the </div><div style="text-align: left;"> anime, and there is also more connection and character back stories.If you are </div><div style="text-align: left;"> interested in Japanese pop idols, this story might be interesting to you. If you </div><div style="text-align: left;"> are like a cute romance, this one might also be for you.</div><div style="text-align: left;">#2: <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/04/favorite-manga-2-cardcaptor-sakura.html">Cardcaptor Sakura</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I absolutly adore this story. Sakura is a very likeable character and Li-kun is </div><div style="text-align: left;"> my favorite character in all of manga. Clamp does a wonderful job of weaving a </div><div style="text-align: left;"> story of adventure and growth and young love around Sakura and her </div><div style="text-align: left;"> adventures to get the cards.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, what will number 1 be? Well I will let you know on Saturday. but I'll give you two hints until then. It's a shojo title and it was my very first. If you know manga, that might just be a giveaway there. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-13691015409517065622011-04-13T19:51:00.000-07:002011-04-13T19:51:15.982-07:00Favorite Cover of the WeekIt's been a couple of weeks since I did this, but I'm back at it. Today my favorite cover of the week is Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner. I love the detail on this cover. It makes the Museum look like such an interesting place to visit, so many things to see. I haven't read the book yet, but the cover alone makes me want to see what is inside.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQuL3A0OGDfoIbA_qz8y_nemF9q4dxCwEfVDIDI0vpOO2U2MzRgOqR35eXmDWOWhEE5L8fQxqMp67vq_La2TTiD3eqMfpnIFy1Gz16zn2h0zZRD3Y9rodbj7Q9gioOpTZlTo2Dvu8rHQa/s1600/MuseumThieves-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQuL3A0OGDfoIbA_qz8y_nemF9q4dxCwEfVDIDI0vpOO2U2MzRgOqR35eXmDWOWhEE5L8fQxqMp67vq_La2TTiD3eqMfpnIFy1Gz16zn2h0zZRD3Y9rodbj7Q9gioOpTZlTo2Dvu8rHQa/s320/MuseumThieves-Cover.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-92187512687210447162011-04-13T19:47:00.000-07:002011-04-13T19:47:54.399-07:00Favorite Manga #2: Cardcaptor Sakura<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRHqDDM4e4UqMnjXs-Ice71KFHTedeLORwmxmYHR8D9yXQdp75zIRijP9gHDZEWZfJXUMJ_C3T8AsyDCeSRYQ_MFxpqsKqNsoLqGfssZ5BS04A0BjqilxL1mFc2oQXeuJEBATyTFLJQKR/s1600/cardcaptor+sakura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRHqDDM4e4UqMnjXs-Ice71KFHTedeLORwmxmYHR8D9yXQdp75zIRijP9gHDZEWZfJXUMJ_C3T8AsyDCeSRYQ_MFxpqsKqNsoLqGfssZ5BS04A0BjqilxL1mFc2oQXeuJEBATyTFLJQKR/s320/cardcaptor+sakura.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
After ten year old Sakura accidentally unleashes a set of magical cards from their book, the Clow, it falls upon her to find them and seal them. To help her, she has the guardian of the Clow, Cerberus (Kero) who usually takes the form of a stuffed bear, and her best friend, Tomoyo, films everything (while also providing Sakura with a costume for each adventure). Syaoran Li (Li-kun), a descendant of Clow Reed, the man who created the cards, shows up to fight her claim on them. In the end, who will seal the cards and will simply sealing them be enough?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-zg7_rj69uwIq2bd5UANnbNKTxPZBBM3pkWPT363p7c6_tAKXmgL4ZhnadJKy6hdOIyQ2uu8E3Ay2gmNDKMmCrVUPZ1iiEgTsZmDH0kBVD3dTP90jKyj5Is3lBLVTXKDBWpc7wXkJpk5/s1600/5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-zg7_rj69uwIq2bd5UANnbNKTxPZBBM3pkWPT363p7c6_tAKXmgL4ZhnadJKy6hdOIyQ2uu8E3Ay2gmNDKMmCrVUPZ1iiEgTsZmDH0kBVD3dTP90jKyj5Is3lBLVTXKDBWpc7wXkJpk5/s320/5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Character:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7SOWJPoODAIRM1EGo4WEooo9CmbDLfAYbTyL_9mZmSwLUdPEfbYtvU9PFLlCEaZNjPuPAD8RzZkFcf-SrFOdDetklLnMNgEnS3MdaD3tsaWKC3zOkh4W86YTB2z1Q5miHOtgFaY4tbhX/s1600/SakuraManga37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7SOWJPoODAIRM1EGo4WEooo9CmbDLfAYbTyL_9mZmSwLUdPEfbYtvU9PFLlCEaZNjPuPAD8RzZkFcf-SrFOdDetklLnMNgEnS3MdaD3tsaWKC3zOkh4W86YTB2z1Q5miHOtgFaY4tbhX/s200/SakuraManga37.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9N5sCgpwQj-_wUK-LRpvRKgIo7iQg3T08E7_tzx4tKxaYdLXe6G9JK6_O2MT6CrdIbIl9qdlhvwGSc4tJV05iJ5VbEND_RCZEPL7P2PRsiTFvMt5Q1spTV4EaUc_iG-mm0NIXeCLWEUhj/s1600/SakuraManga7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><b>Sakura</b>: Sakura is a spunky girl. She's a friendly, cheerful and well liked girl. When she releases the cards, she doesn't back down at all from her responsibility to collect them. She's an absolutely adorable, likeable character, and its great to watch her grow and learn as the story progresses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWmoTavT_ohcBro3yp0dT0T2wgN8tg2nJwEaOGTp6xgM1H2EaFpV6SUKJ7WaE3Nl02THOoyeSokNThzZ6RbtHjpfl2zOqxiIJH_Y0ZcjDbz8VMXapcMgFXCwmtiO35as6wiKIf6TLynYE/s1600/Kero10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWmoTavT_ohcBro3yp0dT0T2wgN8tg2nJwEaOGTp6xgM1H2EaFpV6SUKJ7WaE3Nl02THOoyeSokNThzZ6RbtHjpfl2zOqxiIJH_Y0ZcjDbz8VMXapcMgFXCwmtiO35as6wiKIf6TLynYE/s200/Kero10.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<b>Kero-chan</b> (Cerberus): While he was put in charge of guarding the book of the Clow and selecting a new master for the cards, he fell asleep on the job, thus allowing Sakura to open it. So he decides that she shall be the new master. Kero is a bossy, demanding character who's a bit of an ego maniac. He spends a lot of his time playing video games and eating sweets. Still, he knows his stuff when it comes to magic and is a big help to Sakura.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut1jW_CcJH6aLCcNw4guDYFjF0jYqw2MtJfHBEQiduANSn16kC_4VCpNzbtqfJt_pHlXG-K3x70IAdjHzkqQ8yuy9fbtBi0Um2AkRkvXMlBRAjoshWie8TlwSlanhTL8PduWZil-U-_U1/s1600/Tomoyo9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut1jW_CcJH6aLCcNw4guDYFjF0jYqw2MtJfHBEQiduANSn16kC_4VCpNzbtqfJt_pHlXG-K3x70IAdjHzkqQ8yuy9fbtBi0Um2AkRkvXMlBRAjoshWie8TlwSlanhTL8PduWZil-U-_U1/s200/Tomoyo9.jpg" width="193" /></a><b>Tomoyo: </b>Tomoyo is Sakura's best friend and cousin. Her mother owns a very popular toy company, so she has a lot of money that she willingly uses to help Sakura out (though mostly just by making her outfits). She often talks very formally and acts more mature than her classmates. She's a very kindhearted girl, who just wants to be Sakura's friend and help her find love. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iFha3OUOFbpL_leR1TQBSiAcypYvi7hK1dPx_wItNoO1-cobrGdhyphenhyphen7sPYxKXAhYUSlpPZj00oULHuCagIupWfH0mwSX9CKB1cyIOFwZDOEyl0bF-JdUZqIIT_JzNyqg80dKaQF9KxqZ2/s1600/li-kun5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iFha3OUOFbpL_leR1TQBSiAcypYvi7hK1dPx_wItNoO1-cobrGdhyphenhyphen7sPYxKXAhYUSlpPZj00oULHuCagIupWfH0mwSX9CKB1cyIOFwZDOEyl0bF-JdUZqIIT_JzNyqg80dKaQF9KxqZ2/s200/li-kun5.jpg" width="183" /></a><br />
<b>Li-kun:</b> Li can come across as harsh at first, and thinks that he and not Sakura should become the master of the Clow since he's descendant of Clow Reed. Eventually he becomes friends with Sakura and cares deeply for him. He can be awkward and uncertain of how to deal with and show his feelings. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
I originally watched the fansubs of all 70 episodes of this anime and loved it. I then borrowed the manga from some friends and I found that it was equally as enjoyable as the anime. There were differences (more cards in the anime and an extra character) but both were good. I absolutly adore this story. Sakura is a very likeable character and Li-kun is my favorite character in all of manga. Clamp does a wonderful job of weaving a story of adventure and growth and young love around Sakura and her adventures to get the cards. If you enjoy a magical girl story or think you might, then Cardcaptor Sakura is a must read. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Art:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1c-tGdkGUux7_I6dmrX9LoRZT8bxQ_Aty9tTBGcuatb2s-vyVKml-GeDY7ULAgcljwkHJnkr98L5dJYMfFY4E4TyBGgVWq6Jd543CvV6t82eYVq10aYCL15tRVb9smo3a89P198xbVFC/s1600/ccs9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1c-tGdkGUux7_I6dmrX9LoRZT8bxQ_Aty9tTBGcuatb2s-vyVKml-GeDY7ULAgcljwkHJnkr98L5dJYMfFY4E4TyBGgVWq6Jd543CvV6t82eYVq10aYCL15tRVb9smo3a89P198xbVFC/s320/ccs9.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Cardcaptor Sakura is an older Clamp manga (when compared to ones like Tsubasa) and its a different style, but its equally beautiful. An easy 5 out of 5.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-64821342237679141122011-04-12T18:09:00.000-07:002011-04-12T18:09:20.170-07:00Sorry about more delaysIt must seem like I'm making excuses, but seriously, this has not been my month. Just about got through things with everyone else, and then I go and develop an upper respiratory infection that's had me out of commission for a few days. Hopefully I'm on the way to recovery now, or at least can stop panicking about whats wrong since I had a doctor look at me. At any rate I'm going to try and post 4 reviews this week, a recap of my manga top 15, and the winner of my last giveaway. I may have to double up a couple of days, but it'll all happen. Starting tomorrow.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-85107273491964815922011-04-09T07:40:00.000-07:002011-04-09T07:40:26.290-07:00Underrated Review: Violet Wings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_svnKTfpm1pUpqSoCo0MhjvO1oNDTLYlLkNky4l3TGOhyfDub32A0nzp_d_upXRbXBpIzKKFpumqvWB4w_0QPQLzqhCDGE-8ud56Rchsyves8MsYjBB95Tpr-r_WFq0SlPNQ6Aq83XdTl/s1600/violet+wings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_svnKTfpm1pUpqSoCo0MhjvO1oNDTLYlLkNky4l3TGOhyfDub32A0nzp_d_upXRbXBpIzKKFpumqvWB4w_0QPQLzqhCDGE-8ud56Rchsyves8MsYjBB95Tpr-r_WFq0SlPNQ6Aq83XdTl/s320/violet+wings.JPG" width="217" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
Zaria is a young fairy who lives in the world of Tirfeyne, a world populated by fairies, genies, leprechauns and the like. Contrary to popular believe, magic can not save these people from physical harm, and so those who inhabit Tirfeyne are forbidden from being seen by humans after the first gun was fired at one of their kind. Its believed that Zaria's own parents and brother died on Earth because they broke this rule. Unfortunately for Zaria, it may now be her turn to break that rule. After she turns fourteen, the age when all fairies and genies find out their power level, she meets a fairy who's more powerful than any Zaria has ever heard of. And that fairy wants Zaria's mother's spell book. The only place that Zaria can think to hide it, is Earth.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review: </b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IyXcDz_WvaGN1XsvAF1c53_Z3rZXaG6EqflgiTlHh54GxIMK5zcn_n3cbCJs1Z4aT9wK_XDyHGBbBMzeJZrQZ-cw1d9KtU3KOpGkTh7Hu9A5Mtha_4AKdWz0S5OkkdHfz1mwb8AxxnI/s1600/4starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IyXcDz_WvaGN1XsvAF1c53_Z3rZXaG6EqflgiTlHh54GxIMK5zcn_n3cbCJs1Z4aT9wK_XDyHGBbBMzeJZrQZ-cw1d9KtU3KOpGkTh7Hu9A5Mtha_4AKdWz0S5OkkdHfz1mwb8AxxnI/s1600/4starrating.jpg" /></a></div>First of all, sorry if my Synopsis sounds a little disjointed, I was trying to describe the world and Zaria's plight without giving anything away. I personally didn't like the description on the book, because it sounds as though Zaria's mother and brother disappear together and that is not exactly what happens (it didn't even mention her father).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Character:</b></span><br />
<b>Zaria:</b> At times Zaria doesn't make the brightest choices and can be more of a follower than a leader (in the beginning at least), but I sum most of this up to being a naive fourteen year old, in a world where being fourteen means you still have to life as a child in an area designed only for children and their parents. Over all though, I liked her as a character. She's got spunk, and she never backed down. I was always rooting for her to succeed.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
In this book, each chapter is headed with a snippet from a history book of the world of Tirfeyne. At first I found it distracting because I couldn't always see a connection between that snippet and the chapter at hand. By the end of the book though, the purpose of those snippets became abundantly clear, they gave you, the reader, a much better understanding of the world quickly and easily. Yes, she could have written it in as part of the plot, but I think it would have started to get difficult for young readers this book was intended for.<br />
I thought the world and how it worked was creative. While much was explained in those snippets at the beginning of chapters, important things were discussed in the chapters as well. Knowing how the world was divided (ie. who lived where), knowing how they determined a fairy or genies power and what it meant, and how a fairy godmother or genie godfather were all shown to the reader, and it made the world more real.<br />
I found the plot interesting and engaging. Zaria's journey to earth, her dealings with the evil fairy, and the realization that more may be going on in her world than they knew all kept me interested and wanting more.<br />
Most importantly though, I kept wondering, how the story was going to end. It seemed like a lot of major plots were introduced that couldn't be solved in one book, and for awhile I was afraid that was exactly what was going to happen. I was very happy when I got to the end of the book and realized that it was the start of a series (at least I hope more books are on there way, because this was left very open ended).<br />
Perhaps my biggest problem with this book is that the chapters were all so short. In other books, most of these chapters would have been sections in larger chapters. For some I saw the reason to shorten them and have them stand alone, but for others I thought they would have worked just as well combined with the chapters around them.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-73605325338032613652011-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:002011-04-07T11:40:16.287-07:00Childhood Favorites: Emily of New Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocjTt2sTgZRs12TkH6Tgm86UkelGXIWm-RBGNISF1Z3RBSDaB2txQ_EteZKa27r9H5xDFQu9-9emzyYXTwPDYqo2ZDLGhUZf5GF9kfXxp-1fERy0qMA4HDu2gEWg93FfQoA5gulcRG8Dx/s1600/emily-of-new-mmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocjTt2sTgZRs12TkH6Tgm86UkelGXIWm-RBGNISF1Z3RBSDaB2txQ_EteZKa27r9H5xDFQu9-9emzyYXTwPDYqo2ZDLGhUZf5GF9kfXxp-1fERy0qMA4HDu2gEWg93FfQoA5gulcRG8Dx/s320/emily-of-new-mmon.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
After her father dies of consumption leaving her an orphan, Emily is sent to live with her two aunts and her uncle at New Moon Farm on Prince Edwards Island. While her aunt Elizabeth is stern and her classmates might be cruel, Emily deals using her wit. Eventually she makes three wonderful friends, Teddy, the artist, Perry, the world traveler, and Ilse, the tomboy (Emily herself is a writer). With there help she just might come to love New Moon. As the series progresses, Emily and her friends deal with school and love and life. Can they all follow there dreams and be happy, or will the troubles of life stand in their way?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV9-c0RDzxYdlj7lrg-dw7ZFE8z5Uz-AnJbz6fm78cFBTiYmGASA7bn46b8ofZzVc_phF_uouXW4RtU5yIvbWKUvRMXWltpbDKJLHeESxcBekosBnx5M8COLFTd5JPcaKqvyJDrU45ijn/s1600/5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV9-c0RDzxYdlj7lrg-dw7ZFE8z5Uz-AnJbz6fm78cFBTiYmGASA7bn46b8ofZzVc_phF_uouXW4RtU5yIvbWKUvRMXWltpbDKJLHeESxcBekosBnx5M8COLFTd5JPcaKqvyJDrU45ijn/s320/5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Since my last review was of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, I couldn't resist having today's be Emily of New Moon. I love this story as much as the Anne series. It's somewhat more realistic, and some of the things that happen to Emily are much darker and sadder than the things that happen to Anne. Her ability to deal with what life throws at her is not extraordinary (she doesn't always overcome everything easily), but that makes for a good story. If you enjoy the Anne series I highly recommend this one. If you've never read the Anne serie, I still think there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one. And, if you didn't enjoy the Anne series, don't rule this one out, since it is more like real life it might be interesting to you.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-87783236065802328082011-04-05T18:23:00.000-07:002011-04-05T18:25:31.055-07:00Favorite Manga #3: Full Moon: O Sagashite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9uTts7BiCVuSJCxxZ5DK-JxtmYR5KpNcxgw4afx2kZGOWajv1qKMNrWkePkoPvFhd4wAQ2PEjLNVbEDa-h5twL7rlLbWj3SqZFDF743vT5Qv_9M4vpn0P94l0eYX3t9nnXee6I-hyP6c/s1600/full+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9uTts7BiCVuSJCxxZ5DK-JxtmYR5KpNcxgw4afx2kZGOWajv1qKMNrWkePkoPvFhd4wAQ2PEjLNVbEDa-h5twL7rlLbWj3SqZFDF743vT5Qv_9M4vpn0P94l0eYX3t9nnXee6I-hyP6c/s320/full+moon.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who's only dream is to become a pop idol, so she can be seen by the one she loves, but she has a sarcoma which needs surgery that could damage her vocal cords. When she sees two shinigami (death gods) who say she only has a year to live she's desperate for her dream to come true. Since she wasn't supposed to know she was going to die the shinigami make an agreement with her. They will let her transform into a healthy 16 year old version of her self to try and become a singer as long as she doesn't fight them when it comes her time to die. Will on year be enough to become a singer and reach her lost love?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHNnhDuX9tssGFpORgOkjmR3wrqrmYp9F8Sm5wrJECZnIt9XhqY5eW-KDzykovhV2OoTftAo4wMlfQnBvjcPXZMON1bEVNicMqaJYYPiAJPu3Srmqv63iXcJWCunXr7TZ94CXn2RMEmQk/s1600/5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHNnhDuX9tssGFpORgOkjmR3wrqrmYp9F8Sm5wrJECZnIt9XhqY5eW-KDzykovhV2OoTftAo4wMlfQnBvjcPXZMON1bEVNicMqaJYYPiAJPu3Srmqv63iXcJWCunXr7TZ94CXn2RMEmQk/s320/5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Character</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzIlrzG1W6fRpZZCZcWv-LPpK5gjBYANNcABDOSbY7BYCkQ5jyNeAzhA_PavrwUEgh_EgmbeTEP15UnMu391_eTvngkHibv5RQjMTdp8TlLkzOW_izztJvP3atjsGZoz-T0lkiMs2k4co/s1600/Mitsuki3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzIlrzG1W6fRpZZCZcWv-LPpK5gjBYANNcABDOSbY7BYCkQ5jyNeAzhA_PavrwUEgh_EgmbeTEP15UnMu391_eTvngkHibv5RQjMTdp8TlLkzOW_izztJvP3atjsGZoz-T0lkiMs2k4co/s320/Mitsuki3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Mitsuki:</b> Mitsuki is a sweet girl who has a pure heart. She never hides why she wants to become a singer (she loves singing and wants to be seen by her lost love, Eichi). She is very dedicated to succeeding and won't allow anyone, even her grandmother, to stand in her way, but she also won't fight dirty to get where she wants. She's an all around likeable character.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_HK_MMD2XKniEJK1f_KsCQqxI9BMvN8Ly_GgRUCHepuSk-czRyvdQijAM3VD9r1J0r28v6dApMyTcDRCnErOjhjTyhPBwfZ6kj2iy8l_T_RBIdJt02ATm3gjWaFXSxD1E6Qn1Fh5nbdw/s1600/takuto9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_HK_MMD2XKniEJK1f_KsCQqxI9BMvN8Ly_GgRUCHepuSk-czRyvdQijAM3VD9r1J0r28v6dApMyTcDRCnErOjhjTyhPBwfZ6kj2iy8l_T_RBIdJt02ATm3gjWaFXSxD1E6Qn1Fh5nbdw/s200/takuto9.JPG" width="153" /></a> <span style="font-size: small;"><b>Takuto</b></span>: A shinigami in training, it was his idea to allow Mitsuki the chance to become a singer, though he did not expect her to succeed. At first he doesn't remember his life as a human, but as he does, he feels even more drawn to Mitsuki. I find Takuto to be a completely adorable character. He's a nice guy, though a little rough around the edges, and he had trouble dealing with his grown feelings for Mitsuki, especially knowing that he and his partner will be the ones to take her life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HGUL4s-wrkvAayZDd6jNPosB1Bt6p_6EzEbHzQ7MEsXqe428HfYumefI_BN7UUPtgkR5PfVLnkbx5bMBDYRGxnFlR4wUFRocIDwhlayYbVEaagloG0V6c_TfTL6-tPm8HkAd70sgvUuZ/s1600/Meroko+%2526+Mitsuki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HGUL4s-wrkvAayZDd6jNPosB1Bt6p_6EzEbHzQ7MEsXqe428HfYumefI_BN7UUPtgkR5PfVLnkbx5bMBDYRGxnFlR4wUFRocIDwhlayYbVEaagloG0V6c_TfTL6-tPm8HkAd70sgvUuZ/s320/Meroko+%2526+Mitsuki.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Meroko: Meroko is Takuto's partner and training him how to be a shinigami. She acts infatuated with Takuto and wants to keep him away from Mitsuki, but her true reasons are surprising. At times she can be spoiled an unlikable, but eventually she and Mitsuki become friends, and she has a surprising connection to Mitsuki. <br />
(Image is of Meroko and Mitsuki)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
I originally watched the 52 episode anime and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the sound track as well as the story. When I first tried to read the manga I got a poorly translated scanlation, and was confused, but I loved the anime so much that I gave it a second try. I am so glad that I did, because I loved the story in the manga as much as the anime. While the story in both is similar (Mitsuki is dying in a year, and wants to become a singer to reach Eichi, so she gets the shinigami to help her). Much of the rest of the story is differento. The story in the manga is perhaps darker and sadder in a lot of ways, and there is aslo more connection and character back stories. I adore both versions of this story and think that if you like one version you should look at both. If you are interested in Japanese pop idols, this story might be interesting to you. If you are like a cute romance, this one might also be for you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Art:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7q7f7Zvwu9sJBlDb4A4dswz5NXbgFyfqA9imC1PZZ3Qqq53Y_x0UQqnhzuLOwRYy5gPSoTmWgzEKzh7Q1UY-xt-ZEfXvJcw_qqATw3-U7pQtrxFD0wNmE5Ja3vor0G7NV118_psbQ8MJ/s1600/fullmoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7q7f7Zvwu9sJBlDb4A4dswz5NXbgFyfqA9imC1PZZ3Qqq53Y_x0UQqnhzuLOwRYy5gPSoTmWgzEKzh7Q1UY-xt-ZEfXvJcw_qqATw3-U7pQtrxFD0wNmE5Ja3vor0G7NV118_psbQ8MJ/s400/fullmoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Ok, I said it back in my review of Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, and I'll say it again, Arina Tanemura is my absolute favorite manga artist. I enjoy her stories a lot, but its her artwork that really takes my breath away. She has a lot of line work and its just amazing to me. Full Moon is a great example of why I love her art so much. Its just beautiful. A strong 5 out of 5. (if you like her art style, you might also check out Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, which is also a good story, and beautiful artwork)sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-21870496055017113662011-04-05T17:33:00.000-07:002011-04-05T17:33:52.759-07:00Back on schedule...sort ofThis has been a tough couple of weeks for me...heck a tough couple of months. Last week I thought things were heading back to normal and then more bad news came out of left field. For now things are better though, and I'm back on schedule...sort of, since I'm going to offset everything by a day this week, and hopefully nothing will happen this time to put it on hold again. <br />
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Next week will be the end of my manga countdown, so on Monday I'll do a recap of 14-2, and then Friday will be number 1. The week after that I will reevaluate my blog schedule. I may go down to a guaranteed 3 posts a week, so that I can focus more on reading. <br />
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For those waiting for the announcement of who won my Amazon giveaway, I will be announcing it tomorrow.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-26636762733212573792011-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:002011-04-01T16:29:19.680-07:00Childhood Favorites: Anne of Green Gables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghvAHDaKK6p5qf80HHwT4XxR48wT3MCML43gsWsWVxcUWfXYl33wGuHc-IVeOWFJXpJUgj7HfVF7ScmYfljrX2AnYqXcW_XJAS5DnzrJkiWHoxfREaTi9Y_3h3LStEo1UdjQ2mYgOAwUm/s1600/anne+of+green+gables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghvAHDaKK6p5qf80HHwT4XxR48wT3MCML43gsWsWVxcUWfXYl33wGuHc-IVeOWFJXpJUgj7HfVF7ScmYfljrX2AnYqXcW_XJAS5DnzrJkiWHoxfREaTi9Y_3h3LStEo1UdjQ2mYgOAwUm/s320/anne+of+green+gables.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
Anne is an imaginative, intelligent and daring, but what she is not is a boy, and it was a boy that Marilla and Mathew intended to adopt to help them around the farm. Anne is what they got. At first they didn't think they would keep the eleven year old girl, but soon they couldn't imagine life without her. The first book follows Anne's childhood adventures in Avonlea, from accidentally dying her hair green to accidentally getting her best friend drunk. As the series progresses you watch Anne grow and mature, go to college, get married, have children of her own, and the series finalizes with you watching her children grow up.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-7lLO9ualIOi96zLj5VFliIMBfVf87YodMEVoWH_OGawQyOunrNYozaGYsvHdsMy65BOIo4T4C6rmaxNcNJtR45gUl-X_Jeksipw7sYWCNJnyzi5nzlHEsf2B86SlUDAo36EkQDQtXSU/s1600/5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-7lLO9ualIOi96zLj5VFliIMBfVf87YodMEVoWH_OGawQyOunrNYozaGYsvHdsMy65BOIo4T4C6rmaxNcNJtR45gUl-X_Jeksipw7sYWCNJnyzi5nzlHEsf2B86SlUDAo36EkQDQtXSU/s320/5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anne of Green Gables is one of the first series I really remember reading. I'm sure I read The Boxcar Children first, but when I think of my first I think of the Anne series. I would have to say that I fully credit this series with my love of books and readings. I loved it so much that I had to have every book by Lucy Maud Montgomery (sans all the short story collections). I enjoyed Anne's attitude and loved the mistakes that she made and the adventures that she went on. As she grew up, she didn't get boring, her adventures just changed and I enjoyed them just as much. While this is historical fiction, and therefore might not be for everyone, I would still encourage everyone to give it a chance. sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-50154596363875013082011-03-29T13:01:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:01:28.646-07:00Recent Reads Reviewed: Gods of Manhattan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNdF2mADQaknGfTJcvu28JuPqi5y9doKi1y6saXvpFCAry6p6QUasupxXMEc6Pn2mX5ke5Yi6APPDSKKQbtgwtoHSicb3ykof8Ag9ufw4IHj4yZt9D3DWQGyytKRc_GKmqH5NReYI8tT2/s1600/gods+of+manhattan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNdF2mADQaknGfTJcvu28JuPqi5y9doKi1y6saXvpFCAry6p6QUasupxXMEc6Pn2mX5ke5Yi6APPDSKKQbtgwtoHSicb3ykof8Ag9ufw4IHj4yZt9D3DWQGyytKRc_GKmqH5NReYI8tT2/s320/gods+of+manhattan.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span><br />
Rory Hennessey has started seeing things, and it has him worried. He's always been able to see the secret behind any magicians' trick, but meeting the magician Hex, he's suddenly seeing even more. There's a cockroach riding a rat, an Indian (Native American) on the corner, and the gargoyles on the building next door are moving. When he finds out all these things are part of the spirit world Mannahatta, home of the spirits of famous people who lived and died in Manhattan and came becomes Gods because they were remembered. What is more, these Gods believe that Rory, being the only living person who can see their world, is also destined to save Mannahatta, and along with it Manhattan. The problem is, Rory's world revolves around his mother and his sister, and they are all that he cares about.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OWHaG5WUqy_eJCKVuIAV7Wfd13BLAiP4KdRFkgHFBR4wnLzRm72SyZTljXvzTA3JDKoJj2jzsMrafLiUa_POcWEbT1EQu9yKtma8qEXH1S4YsxusxMYyGAoHYQfY1Ra6KNgYtc8G0jXu/s1600/4+point+5starrating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OWHaG5WUqy_eJCKVuIAV7Wfd13BLAiP4KdRFkgHFBR4wnLzRm72SyZTljXvzTA3JDKoJj2jzsMrafLiUa_POcWEbT1EQu9yKtma8qEXH1S4YsxusxMYyGAoHYQfY1Ra6KNgYtc8G0jXu/s320/4+point+5starrating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Characters:</b></span><br />
<b>Rory Hennessey:</b> Rory's is basically a good kid. He doesn't get into fights and he takes care of his younger sister while their mother works. All he wants to do is make sure that his family is safe. In reality, this dedication to his family makes Rory a rather sad character, at first. He has no friends and doesn't think he needs them. When he is told the path he's chosen isn't necessarily the right one, he's not sure he cares as long as it saves his family. The rest of the world doesn't matter. Of course, Rory is a hero though, so you see him grow and look beyond himself and his family to see that maybe there's a way to do both.<br />
<b>Bridget Hennessey:</b> Rory's younger sister doesn't want to be seen as a normal little girl. She doesn't play with dolls, and the only barbie she owns is called "Malibu Death Barbie." She's a kid who wants to take action and kick butt, and definitely doesn't want Rory to go on an adventure without her. She doesn't want to just tag along though, she wants to help; to fight and maybe even safe the day. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot:</b></span><br />
I think I bought this book because I had finished Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and wanted to enter another world of magic and the like, that took place in a variation of our world. Honestly, when I thought about it being about famous people who became gods after death, I kind of expected it to be a bit of fluff; a lot of comedy about who they had been in life. That's not what I got. In fact, this book was far deeper and darker than I expected. It was so much better than I expected. They didn't spend a lot of time with a bunch of gods based on people that we knew a lot about (they show up and its interesting to see them rather than amusing), instead focusing on lesser spirits who'd never been human, Rory and Bridget, and other individuals who made up the inhabitants of Mannahatta. This is a wise choice since it prevents huge restrictions on the plot (no saying there's no way that guy/girl would do that). <br />
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I would have immediatly moved on to book two of this series if I hadn't just received my copy of The Dark and Hollow Places in the mail, and that took precedent. I will be finishing this series soon though. I can't wait to see what happens next. Its well worth the read.sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501443923129362257.post-53643746701345925292011-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:002011-03-28T19:00:36.115-07:00Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop Winner!!!!We have another WINNER!!! Time for a another CELEBRATION!!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhKccJDRQirWgAfreQ6lxvq2KykLPttLBxP8bbtojROhyphenhyphenrvtKcbmsIJuSjaNvlZQ-iZgG5dNxBg5LFOOWF9JHn6NHMHFdfNOt6W3RlAoMEqr8XVSBVJGnU6C6NsvtngcR0BsXC6f6G4np/s1600/Kero14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhKccJDRQirWgAfreQ6lxvq2KykLPttLBxP8bbtojROhyphenhyphenrvtKcbmsIJuSjaNvlZQ-iZgG5dNxBg5LFOOWF9JHn6NHMHFdfNOt6W3RlAoMEqr8XVSBVJGnU6C6NsvtngcR0BsXC6f6G4np/s320/Kero14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lets Congratulate our winner: Aylee who has chosen to receive a copy of Red Glove!!! They were lucky number 197 on my scale of 2-1098 (1 being column headers)!!! They have been contacted and have 48 hours to get back to me. <br />
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If you didn't win, be on the look out for more giveaways. I will be participating in the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop April 20th to 25th. And if you haven't already, there's two days left for my Amazon Gift Card Giveaway <a href="http://readingisdreamy.blogspot.com/2011/03/oopps-i-missed-post-and-giveaway.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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(image above is of Kero-chan from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_Captor_Sakura">Card Captor Sakura</a>, the work of the wonderful and amazing group known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLAMP">CLAMP</a>.. this exact image can be credited to <a href="http://yumiforever.blogspot.com/">Natsumi Yuu who's blog is My Life...it is my dream</a>)sablelexihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01587106780565870965noreply@blogger.com0