Book Review: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

I felt like it was time for another book review. That, and I felt bad because I haven't been keeping up with my "Blog every Friday" thing. I'm not making excuses, but I was busy last weekend. That's another story though. ANYWAY, this morning (when I was supposed to be writing a "mini essay" for history) I finished reading The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer. That was a good book. So, here I go again, click the jump to read more!

Summary:
The blurb from the inside of the book cover.
"Riley, an orphan living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, a former illusionist turned murdered, who now uses his conjuring skills to gain access to victims' dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant assistant along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI's Witness Anonymous Relocation Program (WARP) Riley is unwittingly transported via wormhole to modern day London - with Garrick close on his heels.

In modern London, Riley is aided by Chevron Savano, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent. Together Riley and Chevie must evade Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip through the wormhole. Garrick is now not only evil, but he also possesses all of the scientist's knowledge. He is determined to track Riley down and use the timekey in Chevie's possession to make his way back to Victorian London where he can literally change the world."

Books and Movie "Adaptations"

This may be a touchy subject for some. Book movies, or movie adaptations of books. I'm going to talk about them. This might get interesting.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because recently (actually about three weeks ago), I went to go see Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. In 3D! Long story short, it was a great movie. It still isn't the epicness that the book was, but it wasn't a complete embarrassment like The Lightning Thief. Seriously, TLT wasn't just a bad adaptation of a book, it was a bad movie in itself. Sea of Monsters, however, was better. Like I said, it didn't live up to the book, but then, when does any movie do that?

All in all, I recommend going to see it. I have some other things to say about it, but I'm going to (try) to put it in a "spoiler" (it means you can choose to show or hide the text) in case you haven't read the book or seen the movie.

More SoM Stuff:

- As far as I can remember, it was never explained why Percy resented Tyson. A lot of the campers were teasing him about it, but I don’t think there was anything about him being embarrassed by his father, stuff like that.
- The part where Movie Annabeth said, “Was that Ethan Nakamura, Chris Rodriguez, and Silena Beauregard?” I almost screamed. Just no. No no no no no no.
- It would’ve been nice to see some development in the relationship between Annabeth and Percy. Right now, it seems a lot like, “Oh, a quest? Since you’re so stupid, I’ll come along to keep you in line.” Not like, “Well we’re friends, and friends look out for each other (plusIkindofhaveacrushonyou)”
If they had included the part with the Sirens (Annabeth listens to the Sirens and almost drowns/gets killed somehow, then tells Percy about her fatal flaw) that might’ve helped. I mean, Percy saves her life! Or the part on Circe’s island where Percy turns into a Guinea pig (I would’ve loved to see that). There, Annabeth saves him. And let’s not forget that she hugs him after that.
- Finally, Tyson. If you watch(ed) the movie, you’ll know what I mean.

Otherwise, click the jump to read more about books and movies, because I'm not just going to talk about Percy Jackson.
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Blue Cookies & Coke

(Yes, I see you snickering. I mean the soda.)

I promised I'd try to blog more often, but that really hasn't worked out, has it? Anyways, I am now unofficially done with school, so hopefully I'll make more time for blogging.

A couple of posts ago. I wrote that I need to blog more about Percy Jackson and all, so if the title wasn't enough of a clue... ta-da, here's that post! (And if you have no idea what's going on, you may as well turn back now).

Alright then, I'll try not to spend too much of your time fangirling, but I need to blog more, and this is a good topic to talk about. Not that anyone will read it, but here it is anyway. So... enjoy!

Some time ago, my friend Emily came over for the afternoon, and we made blue cookies. Sure, they turned out a little broken 'cause I put too many chocolate chips in, but they were blue! Also, there was Coke involved (see left). And, for some reason, orange cupcakes? Just ignore those. They have no significance.

If you're looking  to make your own blue cookies, I found a recipe here. Just FYI, You don't need to use cranberries like the recipe says, and instead of using a cookie cutter, I used a pizza cutter thingy. It explains why my cookies are so misshapen.

And um... click the jump for more!

Things Change. Get Used to it.

This might make some people mad at me.
Not that it really matters, because no one really reads this, haha, but still. Anyway, this blog will probably focus on music and other nonsense surrounding it. For starters - GUYS. Rise comes out in FOUR DAYS. Listen to the singles:

Sick of It
American Noise
Rise
Not Gonna Die

...Anyway.

The real reason I decided to blog is this: People complaining about the ways bands sound. I was listening to one of the new Skillet songs for like the hundredth time, so I flipped through some comments on YouTube. People say things like, "I miss the way they used to sound..." or "This is so different from the way they used to be..." And I think, "No DUH." Of course a band is going to sound different album to album. I mean, what do you expect? They get new members, listen to new music, get influenced by different things. Case in point - listen to the following Skillet songs in order. It's the first track off of their last four albums.

Alien Youth (Alien Youth)
Forsaken (Collide)
Rebirthing (Comatose)
Hero (Awake)

To those of you who actually listened to those songs, give yourself a pat on the back. Anyway, do you see my point? The band's sound changed through time. It's perfectly normal for that to happen. There's no use in complaining and saying, "I wish they stayed the same" or "What happened to the old [band]?"

Click to make it bigger!

And yes, I do understand that even if a band stayed the same way, people would still complain. I saw
this graphic (see right) once on Anberlin's Instagram page. Seems about right to me. No matter what you do, people are gonna criticize. Still, I think some fans need to realize that bands will change. That's just the way it goes - nothing can stay the same forever.

Which leads me to my next topic.
Click the jump!

Bookaholicism

The other day I was called a "bookaholic," and I wasn't sure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. Whatever it was meant as, it got me thinking that my little blog could use some love, and what better topic to talk about than books? Exactly. There is nothing better. So be prepared to read about books and my obsession with them.

Alright, so I guess I'll start with what I've been reading lately. A couple of weeks ago, I read Define "Normal"  by Julie Ann Peters. It was a pretty good read actually, and not what I expected. The main characters are two girls named Antonia (who seems like the stereotypical "good girl") and Jazz (who seems like the stereotypical "punk girl") who are forced into this sorta peer counseling thingy at their school. And if it's starting to look like one of those "becoming friends against all odds" stories, it's different than that. But if you want to know more, check it out on Goodreads (see the link above). Better yet, read the book!

What else have I been reading... well, other than re-reading a number of Percy Jackson books (we'll get to that later), I read Independence Hall by Roland Smith, the firs in his I, Q series. It wasn't exactly my favorite book of all time, but it was good enough to hold me over until I went to the library next. I picked it up at a used book sale for a dollar or two, so it was worth the price I paid. Anyways, it's about a guy named Q (short for Quest) and his step-sister, Angela. It's a little harder to explain in a few sentences, but I will tell you that there is spying involved, so if that sounds good to you, check it out on Goodreads too.

I guess I'll keep talking. If you want to hear me talk (obsess) more, then click the jump!

Sorry it's Been a While

I've been busy with... stuff. Like school, my birthday, solving the world's problem, and other nonsense. So, what do I have to say? Well, I've decided on a summer writing project, I saw a play, and there are some singles out for Rise. I'll start with the play.

(L to R) Hillary, Stargirl, and Leo.

I recently went on a school field trip to see a play adaptation of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. If you've never read the book (you totally should though), I'll try not to give anything away. Anyway, the play stayed pretty close to the plot of the book (unlike a certain movie adaptation of a certain book that I won't mention aloud), and I really enjoyed watching it. The Stargirl is a great book that I think anyone would enjoy.

(L to R) Leo and Kevin from Stargirl

writer also left the ending alone, which I was grateful for. I'm afraid to say anything else, but I will say that

The photos of the Stargirl play are from The People's Light and Theatre website.

And now... Oh, right, my project. Click the jump for more!

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Blogging Because I Feel Like I Should

First of all, Happy Easter!
Okay, now that that's out of the way, I just felt like blogging because there's a lot of stuff I want to talk about, and just one of those things isn't enough for a whole post to itself. I'll probably jump from one thing to another without much explanation, so hopefully I won't lose you. I've got some stuff about Rise, Kristen May, and some other stuff that I'll think of as I write. So here goes nothing...

Album art for Rise.

If you read my last post, you heard me fangirl about Skillet's new album, Rise. If you missed that, here's what it said: Rise is Skillet's first concept album, it's being released June 25, and the first single from it, "Sick of It" is being released on iTunes April 9. If you want to know anything else, go read my post. :P Anyways, I have more news for you! The album art for Rise showed up on Facebook and Instagram recently! So there it is, on the right. I think it's pretty cool, and for some reason, I think of the album art for Comatose when I look at it. Does anyone else?
On the subject of Rise, Skillet also posted another teaser for "Sick of It," and personally, I think this one sounds better than the previous teaser. I can't wait to hear the whole thing on the ninth!
Oh, just thought of something else! So, click the jump to read about the new Percy Jackson movie and Kristen May singing "So I Thought."