Weekly Dose of Crafts!

For more crafty goodness be sure to stop over at WIP Wednesday! And this Friday Tami is hosting a Flash Your Stash where we can share pictures of our yarn stash!

So the later part of last week I started working more with those Granny Squares to make this blanket from Attic24. Here are a bunch of middles I made!


And here are the Granny Squares made from the middles I showed last week!


Then this week I went back to the Granny Stripe Blanket, also from Attic24! It's coming along nicely! I've almost used up my first 16 skeins so I purchased a whole new set of yarn that should take me through the rest of the blanket (hopefully!) I was waiting for the yarn to go on sale and this week 99% of it did!


I also bought some other yarn at a few local yarn stores. (Save me!) The yarn in the top row is for two different slipper patterns that I'm hoping to try sometime in the near future. I had to order some more yarn for one of the patterns though. My first special order!

And the yarn on the bottom row was just so soft and little and cute I just needed it. Not really sure what kind of project I can or should make with it. Ideas?


I did try a Granny Square with the cute little skeins though. And since it's a DK weight it made a sweet little tiny baby Granny Square. I added in one of the other Granny Squares just so you could see how tiny it is! It's about 2.5 inches across! I used a 3.5mm hook for that.


And finally I bought a few more books. The one on the left from Half Price Book and the one on the right from Joann's.

Happy Crafting!

"Waiting On" Wednesday 97

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

GoodReads.com:

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Kahn, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

Released April 4th 2011

This sounds sort of like the beginning of Mean Girls which ruled so I'm sure it will be great as well. I'm interested to see what the price of popularity is in this book.

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 95

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

In the wake of her best friend Ingrid's suicide, Caitlin is left alone, struggling to find hope and answers. When she finds the journal Ingrid left behind for her, she begins a journey of understanding and broadening her horizons that leads her to new friendships and first love. Nina LaCour brings the changing seasons of Caitlin's first year without Ingrid to life with emotion, honesty, and captivating writing.

Oooh this is as hard a choice as they come in Hardcover vs. Paperback land. I always really liked the hardcover, specifically the illustration and the title treatment and then I saw the paperback. And what a photo that is! The colors! But that font can go bye bye. Can I get a version with the illustration and title from the hardcover and the photo from the paperback? Pretty please?

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Blog Tour: Waxed by Robert Rave

Amazon.com:

Waxed is the story of three relationship-challenged sisters working together at New York’s hottest waxing salon, catering to socialites, actresses, and regular folk alike.

Yank. On the surface, glamorous Carolina Impresario---big sister and owner of Impresarios---unapologetically wants it all, but secretly she is caught between her successful boyfriend and the only man she has ever truly loved.

Pluck. After a painful divorce, middle sister Anna reluctantly reenters the workforce and puts on a brave face while attempting to raise her children, one of whom is decidedly different.

Tear. Newlywed Sofia is a hybrid of her two older sisters: She loves the idea of a domestic life like Anna’s, but is entranced by New York nightlife and a new best friend, resulting in some major complications at home.

Amid the sticky confines of a perfectly manicured world, these three sisters search for love, friendship, and better versions of themselves.

Waxed is a funny and heartfelt novel that illustrates the lengths to which some women will go to present a seemingly flawless exterior, even when it involves pain. . . .

By the sound of it, Waxed looked like a fun but heartfelt chick lit story about 3 sisters. And in a way it was but I was left feeling like I didn't really know the sisters as well as I had wanted to. I wasn't really invested in their stories. But I will say that the Waxing clients did make for some hilarious moments here and there!

Don't get me wrong all three sisters are experiencing troubles in their lives which make for a really interesting book. But in the end I wasn't very invested. I felt like the sisters a lot of the time didn't even like each other. And the way that the story was told left me waiting a lot of the time to find out what I missed in the gap of time that the author doesn't share with us and I felt the ending didn't have much resolution, it just kind of ended.

Of the three sisters I found Sofia's story to be most interesting. She's a young married woman that's settled into a routine with her husband until a new friend helps her see what kind of fun she's missing, sitting at home waiting for her husband to come home.

Overall, if you are looking for something a little bit different in the Chick Lit genre that's a bit more serious this may be for you!

Waxed was released on August 3rd 2010
Genre: Chick Lit
3/5 Stars
Review copy provided by the publisher

I also have the opportunity to give away a copy of the book!

Here is how to enter!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the US only.

The giveaway will end September 6th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Entries left in the comments of this blog post will not be counted, please fill out the giveaway entry form.

**Prize provided by the publisher**

MacKenzie Blue by Tina Wells

Amazon.com:

Meet Mackenzie Blue, aka Zee

She has it all—smarts, talent, humor, and style. . . .

Is it enough to survive middle school?

Countdown to a 7th Grade Meltdown

1. Your BFF moves away.

2. Someone steals your diary and reveals your deepest secrets—to the entire class.

3. You have one chance to become a rock star and one chance to totally blow it. Guess what!? All three happened to me! School's a disaster already. Don't get me wrong—I love Brookdale Academy and I have a fabulous crew of friends. (At least, I think I do.) But, if I'm going to survive, I need all the help I can get!

I was instantly attracted to MacKenzie Blue because the format includes illustrations (they are so sleek and cute!), journal entries, instant messages etc. I think these sort of things really help reluctant readers when taking on a book, but they are also fun for us that enjoy graphic novel elements and the like!

MacKenzie or as she calls herself Zee is a sweet and spunky little girl! Even though her best friend now lives in Paris she’s already made herself some new friends and takes on the new school year at the Upper School (her first year).

MacKenzie’s problems are pretty typical, new school, new friends, mean girls and a mystery (i love mysteries!) but it’s a fun story that’s sure to be the start of a cute new series!

MacKenzie Blue was released on May 5th 2009
Genre: Middle Grade
3.5/5 Stars
Received for review from publisher

MacKenzie Blue website

This Week In Books Lite

Monday: nothing

Tuesday:

Zombie Felties by Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate (purchased from Amazon)
The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller (purchased from Amazon)

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday:

Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Romeo and Juliet and Vampires adapted by Cladia Gabel (Just Showed Up Review Copy)

Does that look like Keira Knightley as a vampire to anyone else? And a dude with Robert Pattinson hair.

Friday: nothing

*Rocking some granny squares as a background.

Lookalikes 115

Writing Great Books For Young Adults by Regina Brooks

Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? edited by Marissa Walsh

My Life from Air-Bras to Zits by Barbara Haworth-Attard

I think these are great with color and pattern but my favorite would be Writing Great Books for Young Adults because the composition is most dynamic. In the other two there is either a lot going on or the image is so small it doesn't make as great of an impact.

Thanks to Mariana and Sydni who suggested this lookalike!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell

Amazon.com:

Calling all Gleeks!

Get more of your favorite characters in this official Glee prequel!

All great performances deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High--before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn't exactly a perfect melody.

Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all your favorite characters before the show-mance began.

I'm still struggling on how to describe this venture from the screen to the page. There is some good stuff in this book and stuff really not so good stuff. But overall I'm glad I read it.

In this book we get more of everything from the characters, Rachel is more annoying, Finn is a little more dumb, Quinn is meaner. I sort of wish they hadn't been. But I think this comes from being inside of the characters head instead of being a spectator. I did like seeing how Quinn and Puck got together and how Rachel and Finn first bonded, stuff like that.

The book speculates that Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and Artie were all in Glee Club before Mr. Schuester takes over (with Rachel joining in the book). I re-watched the pilot to see how they match up and I can't say I'm fully on board with them already all being in the Glee Club. Of course someone had to be in the Glee Club before, the old memebers wouldn't just all drop out when the old teacher was fired but still, something doesn't sit right with me. Why did they all have to audition for Mr. Schuester and it didn't seem like they really knew each other let alone had already performed as a Glee Club already.

A few horrible unforgivable NO moments I came across included Puck being referred to as Puck Puckerman, when in fact his real name is Noah. And the word Gleeks being uttered in the book. hell no! But besides that it was a fun book and I'm glad I read it. It does have some flaws but I'll live with it. Will be interesting to see where in time the next book, Glee: Foreign Exchange takes place.

Glee: The Beginning was released on August 3rd 2010
Genre: Young Adult, TV
3.5/5 Stars
Purchased at Borders

Weekly Dose of Crafts!

For more crafty goodness be sure to stop over at WIP Wednesday!

Last week I made a bunch of swatches based on Attic24's tutorials, one being the Granny Stripe Blanket. I decided to start the actual blanket last Wednesday afternoon, so the below pictures show a week's worth of work. It's taking so long because I decided to start with a chain of 240 like the pattern maker Lucy did. I might even use it as a winter bedspread when I'm done!


So Wednesday afternoon I went out and bought a stash of yarn to get going on the blanket. I visited both Joann's and Michael's to get just the right colors. I based it on what Lucy had used as much as i could. I ended up picking up another skein on Sunday which isn't pictured and I actually realized last night I got the wrong pink but oh well, live in learn.

Vania’s Choice Baby:
Duckie
Pink Poodle
Sweet Pea
Bluebell
Mint
Goldfish
Cheery Cherry
Berrylicious
Little Boy Blue
Aqua

Vania’s Choice:
Silver Blue
Dusty Rose (not pictured- should have bought Pink!)

Loops and Threads: Impeccable:
Grape
Lavender
Aqua

Red Heart: Soft Baby Steps
Lavender

I'm currently working on my second stripe of each color. I'm definitely going to be needing more yarn, the question is how many more skeins of each. It seems I will be able to get almost three stripes for each color out of a skein but since I'm new to this I'm just going to buy a new round as I go. Even though this is considered cheap yarn since it's so large buying just the first 16 skeins was like $50. This is going to be an expensive blanket.


Sunday I also picked up a Yarn Tainer seen below. Not only does it help keep the yarn clean which I kept rolling onto the floor, if you pull from the middle it keeps it coming instead of having to stop and unravel more yarn every 10 minutes and risking tangles.


I've also started making some more granny square middles in hopes of making Lucy's Summer Garden Granny Square blanket at some point. This is the yarn I'm using, 95% yarn I already had!

Vanna’s Choice:
Wild Berry
Pink
Silver Blue
Dusty Blue
Mustard

Vanna’s Choice: Baby:
Pink Poodle

Loops and Threads: Impeccable:
Aqua
Grass
Rogue

Caron: Simply Soft:
Rubine Red

Red Heart: Soft Yarn:
Guacamole

And finally, yesterday I got an Amazon order that included 2 craft books I really wanted! Zombie Felties which I guess is a somewhat follow-up to Felties (it's designed in exactly the same way) but with different authors. I wonder about the different authors thing, did the original author not want to do Zombies? And then Happy Hooker which I've had my eye on for awhile!

Happy Crafting!

"Waiting On" Wednesday 96

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

GoodReads.com:

New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s new series weaves a mystery of long-lost twins, mistaken identities, a duplicitous circle of friend ...more New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard’s new series weaves a mystery of long-lost twins, mistaken identities, a duplicitous circle of friends, and cold-blooded murder. Combining juicy plot lines, to-die-for lifestyles, a tangled web of friendship and romance, magnetic characters, and sharp-witted narration from the afterlife, The Lying Game is an alluring cross between Pretty Little Liars and The Lovely Bones.

Foster kid Emma Paxton has only just discovered Sutton Mercer, the wealthy twin sister she never knew she had, when Sutton drops off the face of the earth, asking Emma to cover for her at home, school, and with her friends—just for a few days. At first Emma enjoys trying on her sister’s fabulous life: her fiercely loyal friends, her adoring boyfriend, her close-knit family. But as Emma is drawn deeper into Sutton’s world she finds the friends are not so fabulous, the boyfriend is not who she wants to be with, and the family is clinging to long-buried secrets and a veneer of functionality. And worst of all, Sutton may not be coming back. In fact, someone may have made sure she never could…and that someone knows Emma is not who she claims to be. Emma will need all her wits to survive The Lying Game.

Released December 1st 2010

If you've read the Pretty Little Liars series you know just how great this sounds for a new Sara Shepard series, how well it fits with the last! It's definitely my current most anticipated book! I'm so glad she's doing another series instead of say a stand alone book!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Hardcover vs Paperback 94

Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

I always adored the hardcover, was a wonderful and rich photograph. I guess the paperback is also nice but there was something I really liked about the way the kids were set back and there was less color on the hardcover.

Thanks to Gail who noticed the Paperback!

Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

What is Fairy Bread?

Last night I was watching the movie Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger which was rather wonderful. There was a scene where two girls were getting ready for a party, buttering bread and covering it with sprinkles. I thought they were just making something up but then they walk into the party and the mother goes "Oh you brought Fairy Bread!". So I thought to myself is this a real thing? I talked to Adele because the movie was Australian and did some googling and it's indeed real! Why had I never heard of it?

Turns out it's commonly made in Australia for Children's parties. You can read how to make it here. It's rather easy, white bread, butter/margarine and sprinkles! So today I gave it a whirl myself. In most of the pictures I had seen the rainbow colored sprinkles were used but I thought maybe the singular colored more granular sprinkles I had also seen in a few cases might taste better so I made a bit of that too. Turns out I was right, the singular colored sprinkles did have a bit of a sweeter taste and there was less crunching of the sprinkles but I think the rainbow colored ones look a lot cuter! I just used the margarine we had in the fridge but you might be able to get a sweeter taste based on the spread you use.

Overall, I don't think I would eat this often, probably rather have a cookie but it was a lot of fun to learn about and make!

Have you ever heard of Fairy Bread or made it?

Blog Tour: Hannah by Hannah Westberg (Louder Than Words)

Amazon.com:

Hannah is a girl interrupted.

For Hannah Westberg, life has been one big emotional roller coaster. As a girl, her mother was in and out of mental hospitals, so when it was her turn to visit the psych ward following a suicide attempt the summer after eighth grade, she had an idea of what she was in for. But that was only the beginning of Hannah's journey.

Over the next five years, Hannah has engaged in dangerous behaviors--from pill popping and excessive dieting to cutting--and paid a high price. Her depression, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies have landed her in rehab and therapy and with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. But though she may have a label for her mental illness and tools for coping, for Hannah, life is still something she takes one day at a time.

Hannah’s story is a hard one to take in. She lays it out honestly and you feel for her. What I really liked about Hannah’s journey is she admits and realizes what her problems are, and she knows there isn’t some overnight fix but that she has to take it day by day and if she falls off the horse she has to get back on. She was really inspiring.

I found the structure of Hannah to be sort of an issue. Instead of sharing her story in a linear fashion, it’s by topic but the time period she is talking about overlaps with other sections of the book. For instance, when finding out she had an eating disorder I realized that information really impacted a previous chapter, she was discussing events from that same time period but since it wasn’t the topic at hand it wasn’t mentioned at all. I found it hard to piece everything together as far as the order things had happened in and her mind frame, a similar problem I had with last year’s release from the series, Marni.

Overall, an engaging story with a structure that was lacking.

Hannah was released on August 2nd 2010
Genre: Young Adult Memoir
3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Louder Than Words website
Submit Your Story

I also have the opportunity to give away some books from the series!

There will be 4 winners, 1 person will win a set of all three books (Hannah, Alexis, and Rae) and then 3 other people will win one of the books, one winner for Hannah, one for Alexis, and one for Rae.

Here is how to enter!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the US/Canada only (no P.O. Boxes).

The giveaway will end August 30th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

Entries left in the comments of this blog post will not be counted, please fill out the giveaway entry form.

**Prize provided by the publisher**

Crush On You by Christie Ridgway

Amazon.com:

She made knitting sexy.

Now she's taking on a dilapidated winery, three sisters, and the bad boys next door.

The Baci sisters are on a mission to save the winery that's been in their family for generations-by transforming it into the perfect wedding destination. If only Alessandra Baci-affectionately known as the "Nun of Napa"-didn't need the help of tempting neighbor and business rival Penn Bennett.

Crush On You was a fun contemporary romance with a bit of everlasting heartbreak on the side. What I found most interesting about this book was that besides the main romance between Alessandra and Penn there was a secondary romance between Alessandra’s best friend and her cousin, and to me that secondary romance completely stole my heart. It was the story between two best friends, one of whom is about to be married when the other realizes he’s completely in love with her but it’s basically too late to do anything. It was fantastic and I found it to be a lot more emotional than the main plotline.

But onto the main plotline, I liked how Alessandra carried around this heartbreak about her wedding that never happened 5 years ago and because of this, the entire town treats her as the “Nun of Nana” and they handle her with kid gloves. She likes it, she likes it until Penn (a la Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover Home Edition) shows up in town and shows her she’s able to get over this past tragedy and move on as a woman instead of a girl. Their relationship becomes a sort of experimentation in the sexual department, basically to show Alessandra what she has been missing. And on that note it’s rather steamy.

I found the story to be a pretty straight on contemporary romance not really delivering anything groundbreakingly new but it was still fun to read. I love the idea of the trilogy exploring all three Baci sisters finding love. So I will definitely be watching out for the second book, Then He Kissed Me, from the sample at the end of the book it looks like a lot of fun.

Crush On You was released on June 1st 2010
Genre: Contemporary Romance
3/5 Stars
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

This Week In Books Or Hi

Monday:

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green (Accepted Review Copy Via Pitch)
Empty by Suzanne Weyn (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones by Patrick Carman (Just Showed Up Review Copy)

Tuesday:

These are all from one GoodReads swap!

Ain't Too Proud to Beg by Susan Donovan

How to Score by Robin Wells

How To Tempt A Duke by Kasey Michaels

Bound by Love by Rosemary Rogers

My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth

Sizzling by Susan Mallery

Faking It by Jennifer Crusie

How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle

To Sin With a Stranger by Kathryn Caskie

Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe

Wednesday:

Home is Where the Bark is by Kandy Shepard (Won from Fiction Vixen)
Degrassi Extra Credit: Turning Japanese (Purchased from Amazon Marketplace)
Degrassi Extra Credit: Suddenly Last Summer (Purchased from Amazon Marketplace)
Degrassi Extra Credit: Missing You (Purchased from Amazon Marketplace)
Degrassi Extra Credit: Safety Dance (Purchased from Amazon Marketplace)

Thursday:

Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka (Sample copy for an upcoming contest I'm hosting)

Friday: nothing

Saturday:

Entrapment by Michael Spooner (Purchased at Barnes & Noble with Liz from Consumed by Books)

*And yes, that's the blanket I'm working on!

I'm looking to add some cozy mysteries to my collection, any ideas? I like the looks of the food/knitting/chick lit ones!

Blog Tour: Wicked Intetions by Elizabeth Hoyt

Amazon.com:

From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions.

A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .

A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .

Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.

A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE

Being new to the romance genre I knew Elizabeth Hoyt was an author I had to try. What better way to start than with the beginning of a new series! And it did not disappoint.

Instantly I was taken by Temperance, here is a character I hadn't met before, a widowed woman with a large family helping run basically a small orphanage, her day to day problems were very different that the ones of more heroines I have read about. And Lord Caire, he was a lot "darker" than most of the heros I've read about. It was just a really nice change of pace.

And there is also a mystery, an almost Jack the Ripper type mystery and I really think romance and mystery jive very well together! The setting for this story was rather spooky a bad area of London where people get attacked at night, again very different. I also must say it's probably the naughtiest historical romance I've read!

There was also a side story with Temperance's sister Silence (what horrid names this people have!) that I feel isn't quiet over so I hope to see her again as this series progresses. Mysteries still remain but some are solved. I've read a bit of the next book, Notorious Pleasures and it looks like it could be even better!

Overall I think I find myself very much a fan of Elizabeth Hoyt and can't want to read more by her!

Wicked Intentions was released on August 1st 2010
Genre: Historical Romance
4/5 Stars
ARC provided by the publisher

Lookalikes 114

The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler-Corrie

Best Buy online ad

Drama: The Devil's In the Diva by Paul Ruditis

It Started with a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech

This is what i like to call a lookalike trail! And Drama is definitely getting inspiration from Glee for it's look (and also apparently it's story, they are using Glee in some promo I read) I like the use of illustration and photography in the first cover and also enjoy the last, but the last is starting to melt together with a lot of other covers with a similar but different shot.

Thanks to Khyrinthia who sent in the first two!

Have you spotted a Lookalike you would like to contribute? Send me an email!

Recent Giveaway Winners

The winner of the Short Stack giveaway is:

Sarah

Sarah, I have emailed you, please respond back with your full name and mailing address by Monday August 16th to claim your prize!

The winner of the What's Your St@tus? giveaway is:

Jordyn

The winners of Gone are:

Minas
TV and Book Addict

The winners of the signed Willow bookmarks are:

Patricia
Astrid
Lindsay
Taylor/The Library Lurker
Elise
Cass
Liviania
Melanie
Kisha

The winners of Need & Captivate are:

Briana
Elyssa

Girl Parts by John Cusick

Amazon.com:

What happens when a robot designed to be a boy’s ideal “companion” develops a will of her own? A compulsively readable novel from a new talent.

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat his “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Parted from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend. In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uberconnected world.

I adored the premise of Girl Parts, and every single bit of information about the Companions I ate right up, I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the beginning of the book, especially a passage about Charlie (the more quiet and nerdy of the two boys) going out on a date. That entire chapter I envisioned Alec Baldwin narrating a la The Royal Tenenbaums (my favorite movie).

The middle of the book remained interesting, I liked seeing David experience a healthier relationship with his Companion, Rose. And then Rose meeting Charlie and learning things about herself, that even though she’s programed to have her "heart" point her right at David, maybe there are other things in the world.

All the while I expected the book to go someplace and the characters to grow. But I’m not really convinced that that happened in the end and that was disappointing. Also, Charlie and Rose’s relationship ended up going someplace I really didn’t agree with, kind of ruined it for me, sorry.

Overall, I think Girl Parts was a great idea that could have used a bit more fleshing out and a concrete ending.

Girl Parts was released on August 10th 2010
Genre Young Adult
3/5 Stars
ARC picked up at BEA

Weekly Dose of Crafts! (Is Back!)

I haven't done one of these in 3 months how sad! But I wasn't making anything so there wasn't anything to share until today! I've worked up quite a few things to share today! Make sure to stop over at Tami's Ami's and Other Crochet! She recently started sharing all the fun things she's been crocheting and today is a special day, it's WIP Wednesday! So if you want to join her meme, post about your crafts in progress and leave a link over there in the Mr. Linky!

About 2 weeks ago the latest Crochet Today magazine showed up (I love this magazine, it's very contemporary compared to a lot of the other magazines) and there was a section on beginner projects, one being a beret! I just guessed on a yarn and came out with that horribly small tiny useless thing there on the right. I knew I had to get the right yarn to try it again which I did, I made it and it still turned out a bit small (but at least it fit my head this time!) so I ripped out a bunch of the stitches and kind of added my own alternations to the pattern, I ended up making 2 hats so far with my adjusted pattern, as you can see!


I recently bought a little pamphlet type book called Next Steps Five: Crochet Guidebook from Patons and it had this really cute purse so I just had to make it! It took awhile and I was kind of skeptical about how it would turn out while in progress but it turned out a lot better than expected. It's still unfinished because i want to add a lining. I stuck some white fabric into the back for now so you can see the pattern of the bag, cute right?


My major crochet inspiration this week is this wonderful blog called Attic24, the woman that runs it shares such beautiful project, tutorials (with pictures!) it's really just wonderful! She should write a book because I just love her taste and color sensibility!

She had a pattern for what she calls a Summer Garden Granny Square. I had never been able to master the granny square the several times I tried. So I thought I would give hers a try and I did it! I think the trick is to learn with each round being a different color so you can really see what you are doing. The squares from her pattern are on the right along with the Hexagon I also learned via her tutorial! After mastering her granny square I went back and tried to original one I failed at from the Crochet (Klutz) book but with different colors for each row and was able to do it!!!! That is on the left.


I really got going on a roll, Attic24's tutorials really made me feel like I could try anything so I tried a few more of her tutorials! Below is a swatch for a Granny Stripe Blanket. I found it so easy I think this will be my first full blown blanket project.


I also made a swatch for her Neat Ripple Blanket which is a stitch I had been curious about for awhile now and I did it! This would also make a very fine blanket!