Don't Judge a Book by its Cover (But You Will Anyway)

Gosh... I couldn't think of anything to blog about this week. For once, I'm at a loss for words. I guess I'll just keep writing and see what happens!

Well, last Tuesday (the 8th), The House of Hades FINALLY came out! If you don't know, it's the fourth book (or "penultimate" - second to last (yes, I learned that word when the book was released)) in the Heroes of Olympus book series, which is an extension of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series."Maybe I'll review it sometime, but right now, it's so new and I don't want to accidentally spoil anything. I think it's safe to say that it was a great book though. I can't believe I have to wait another year for the next one. Oh, and I also think it's safe to post the dedication of the book:

"To my wonderful readers:

Sorry about that last cliff-hanger.

Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA.

But seriously, I love you guys."

That really made my day when I read it. Probably the best book dedication I've ever seen (so far).

On that topic, did you know there's a book coming out called Percy Jackson's Greek Gods? You can read more about that here. Oh, and the cover is pretty!

You know what? I'm going to talk about book covers, at least to start off. I don't know why, but I need something to talk about. It's Thursday night as I'm writing this, so I got a little desperate. Anyways, click the jump to read more about books and covers!

E-Books Don't Smell Good (But They Are Convenient)

Reading Only the Good Spy Young
on my iPod touch

Lately, I've been reading the Gallagher Girls book series by Ally Carter (great books, by the way. Like Alex Rider, but more for girls). I had just finished reading Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, and went to the library to get the next few books. However, much to my dismay, there were no more Gallagher Girls books on the shelf. After researching the four libraries I have cards for (yeah, I know it's obsessive), I learned that only one library had the next book, Only the Good Spy Young, and it wasn't going to be available until the end of October! Desperately, I tried to find another way to read the book. I soon came to the conclusion that the only way to continue the series was to use a new technology, foreign to me.

E-Books.

(You can all gasp in horror now)

I'll be honest: the E-Book experience wasn't all that bad. At first I was pretty nervous because I was reading from my iPod touch. I don't own a Kindle or a Nook or a whatever. All I had was my iPod and its rather small screen. And then I remembered that I read other stuff on my iPod all the time (articles on the internet, stories I've written with friends, etc), so I figured it wouldn't be too terrible. And I was right. After the jump, you'll see that I wrote a PROS/CONS list for E-Books (like Cammie Morgan does all the time). So read on!

Polyvore

Whoo, another Friday post! I'm so proud of myself!

My Thalia Grace outfit

Anyway, happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a good week. So anyway, I'll be honest with you, I had no idea what I was going to talk about this week until I decided I could share my Polyvore creations with you guys. I know it's kind of a random topic, but it is a topic. If anyone has any suggestions on what I should post about next, leave a comment! I read all of them.

Alrighty then, for those of you who don't know, Polyvore.com is a website where people create different collages using the internet. Many people (including me) design outfits with it. I actually found it through the blog Console to Closet, which features outfits based on different video game characters. You should check it out, while you're here. It's an awesome website, and the ownder does a great job with her outfits.

I haven't tried any video game outfits yet, but I have made some outfits based off of book characters. Right now, I just have Percy Jackson characters, but I'm thinking of doing one for Alex Rider. Oh yeah, and I've done some for my own characters too. Anyway, you can check out my profile and see all the goodies, but I'm gonna post some more images after the jump, so click that "More" button to see them!

Or, if you don't that's fine too. Anyway, see you next Friday!

Uprise Festival 2013

Hello everyone! I'm soooooo sorry I missed posting last Friday! Things got really busy. I had school to do, and then as soon as I was done I had to pack up and leave for Shippensburg for Uprise Festival 2013. It was worth it though - I had a blast! So I have some pictures here, and maybe links to

The main stage.

videos if I can find any.

For those of you who don't know, Uprise Fest is a Christian music concert that takes place at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds every year. It starts on a Friday night and then goes all day Saturday, so it's kind of a condensed Creation Festival. I went last year to see Disciple and Thousand Foot Krutch, and it was great. This year was even better. Altogether it was me, my dad, and my friends: Aaron, Steven, Steph, Brittany, Jordan, Patrick, and Jessica (not the same Jessica as last year though). Click the jump to read more, see pictures, and maybe some videos if you're lucky!

The Post About Writing And Stuff

Oh look, it's Friday.
I should've just saved yesterday's post for today. Oh well, I'm sure I'll come up with something to write about. In fact, I think I already have.

Alright, this is going to be short and sweet since I just gave you guys a big book review yesterday. (You should go read it. And the book, while you're at it.) I thought I'd share my little (actually big) writing project, Subject 10. I have the first eleven chapter, including the prologue, in a Google Document. So... It would mean the world to me if you guys would read it and tell me what you think. You can comment on this post if you have something to say, and I take all advice seriously (okay 99% of it). Anyway, click the link below to read it!

Subject 10

Oh yeah, I'll put this in my writing tab too. And since every post needs pictures, here are some pictures of Addison from my story.

For whatever reason, I
can't replicate her hair...
Addison Sparks (c) Me
Art (c) Me

Addy in a dress. This
isn't from the story.
Addison Sparks (c) Me
Art (c) Me

Finally, you can check out my Sketchbook and my other writing! I'll post again soon, I promise!

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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