Lookalikes 118

Queen Geeks in Love by Laura Preble

My Life and Other Catastrophes by Rowena Mohr

What makes me giggle here is both designers decided to pick up on the pink in the sneakers for the title. I guess they are both sort of fun, the only thing I don't really like is the big purple blobby thing on the second cover, but if I'm not mistaken that's done on all the books in that series/collection, still don't like it though.

Thanks to Sarah who suggested this lookalike!

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

Special Delivery!

A few weeks ago I was contacted about a special online campaign for Andrea Cremer's upcoming book Nightshade. Definitely being one for creative advertising and promotion (I still can't get over the Pretty Little Liars Secret Keepers Game) I responded that I was definitely interested.

Flash forward to today when I go to get the mail, only to find out there is a long box in there, so long the mailman used a rubber band to keep the mailbox as shut as he could.

This is what was inside (and yes that's my blanket again - i bet you are getting sick of it):

The little card says "An Invitation"

Inside was a Calla lily (yes it's fake, and yes I had to ask my mother what kind of flower it was) similar to that on the book cover. Ripped up inside were pages of Crime and Punishment and a key that was actually a jump drive, hello awesome!

I stuck the key into my computer and turns out the jump drive was named Alea! and there were 2 files, one that said to watch it first. It was a video from the author Andrea Cremer, personalized for me, she talks a bit about her upcoming book Nighshade and how to start off the book she's creating a prequel in the form of webisodes. Everyone can join in the fun and help Shay, the star of the videos solve a mystery! The first video was on the jump drive and I have to say it's pretty cool. You can watch that and the second episode below.

Also, to join in the fun you can visit Shay's facebook page at facebook.com/shadowshay. I'm definitely interested to see where this online adventure of books and reality goes!

Weekly Dose of Crafts

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


My 2 blankets are getting close to being done yay! Also, I think I'm becoming the master of blurry pictures :( Closest to done is the Granny stripe blanket that you didn't see last week. I decided it was going to be way too large with the stripes going perpendicular to a bed so I flipped the blanket to make it parallel and decided it was almost done (with 3 stripes of each color). All that it needs is a border or edging which I think I've already picked out, we'll see how it looks and some ends need to be still weaved in!


The Summer Garden Granny square blanket is coming along as well. I started putting the squares together! I have 4 of 11 rows attached, so still a bit to go!


Also, I ordered 10 books from Amazon recently and they are starting to arrive, for some reason they are coming in 5 shipments, oy! This is the first of the craft books I ordered that has arrived! And yesterday evening I happened to be near one of the yarn stores I wanted to check out so I went there and got 2 more skeins of this yarn I've been collecting. I think I want to make grannies with it, I think I have 9 colors! But I'm not positive if that's what I'll end up making.

Since I ended up needed far less yarn for the Granny Stripe blanket I think I'm going to use the leftover yarn which is like 15 or so almost full skeins and start a ripple blanket! This time I'm going to stitch it in ROYGBIV and also I think swap in and out a few colors! Who knows, maybe next week I'll already have something to show!

Happy Crafting!

"Waiting On" Wednesday 99

The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer by Emily Martin

Amazon.com:

Join the creator of The Black Apple, Emily Martin, on a trip through her magical world of paper dolls, imaginary places, and clever craft projects.

Inside this book you’ll find 21 sweet, mysterious characters with clothes and accessories all their own—from a busy beekeeper’s daughter to a bird-loving librarian. You’ll also find 16 dolls ready to be designed and brought to life by you! Emily will show you how to draw, paint, and personalize your way to a little paper replica of anyone you’d like.

With basic art supplies and the instructions in the book, you’ll also learn to:

• Make a custom wedding invitation or holiday card
• Color, cut, paste, and frame a unique family portrait
• Design your own paper clothes, shoes, glasses, and the like
• Cut and fold an armoire for doll-sized clothes
• Build a paper theater using one of the TK illustrated backdrops
• Direct a stop-motion film with jointed paper doll actors
• And so much more!

So sharpen your scissors and get ready for a unique and wonderful adventure.

Released November 2nd 2010

I'm sure you guys sometimes wonder if I'm actually a 6 year old child over here writing this blog, and this week's WOW isn't going to do anything to disprove that, yes, paper dolls! But hear me out, I've loved the Black Apple look for a few years now and it just seems like it's going to be AWESOME! I mean who doesn't want to sit down and make themselves a toy sometimes, I know you want to!!!!!

What can't you wait for to be released?

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

Hardcover vs Paperback 97

If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

This young adult thriller takes place in twenty-four hours and explores how people as well as the media can exploit a situation with devastating results, especially when innocent children are involved.

Jack Fountain knows that what’s happened to his family sounds like the most horrible soap opera anyone could ever write. But it’s all true. It happened—to his parents; to his sisters, Smithy and Madison. And to his baby brother, Tris. What made it worse was that the media wanted to know every detail.

Now it's almost Tris’s third birthday, and everything’s starting again. Aunt Cheryl, who’s living with the Fountain children, has decided that they will heal only if they work through their pain—on camera. It will be a field day for the media, and no one, except Cheryl, wants that. Jack and his sisters gear up to keep Tris’s adorable face off-screen, but they quickly realize that there is more at stake than their privacy. The very identities they’ve created for themselves are called into question. What really happened the day of their father’s accident?

The Fountain siblings have less than twenty-four hours to change their fate. Together, they will ask questions no one asked at the time of the tragedy. And together, they vow that this time, they will not be exploited.

Ok, I have not read this book so I'm not sure if the candle means anything but reading the summary it doesn't seem to have anything on the paperback cover. I feel like in general the covers (with some exceptions) for this author seem really dated like the designers are carrying on a look they created for her in the 90s or something. I think overall her bookcovers could use updating.

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

Blog Tour: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Amazon.com:

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilight and as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting—by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin.

I have been barely reading any paranormal for the last year, it just wasn't feeling like my thing and I was getting sick of the repetitiveness but I wanted to read Low Red Moon because of who was writing it. Unfortunately I don't think I was ready for more paranormal.

I was definitely interested in the mystery in Low Red Moon, Avery's parents die and she's found with their bodies but doesn't really remember a thing, besides seeing a flash of silver. That was definitely my favorite part of the story, was it a paranormal creature or something or someone else? I also liked Avery being reunited with her Grandmother, after the falling out her father had with her Grandmother years ago.

Other than that, like I've heard others say this reminded me a lot of a mash-up of a few other paranormal stories, the hint of mystery is there, the romance etc. I was hoping to really be gripped by this story by something fresh and brand new but sadly this didn't happen for me.

I think if you are a paranormal fan though, you might want to check it out!

Low Red Moon will be released on September 14th 2010
Genre: Young Adult
3/5 Stars
ARC picked up at BEA

Center Stage Book Tours

The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

Amazon.com:

It's all about the Attitude

Parker Bell knows the secret to beauty is pretty simple–wearing the right clothes isn't as important as how you feel in them. Popularity is like that too. It's all about attitude. You have to picture who you want to be and then just imagine that's who you already are.

This year Parker and her three best friends have made their way to the top of the populadder at Wallingford Academy. And they're ready to use their Aristobrat status to help spread positive vibes throughout the school. But when the girls are assigned to produce the seriously lame school webcast, their popularity plummets! Will this tragedy destroy the girls' status? Or their friendship? Or both?

The Aristobrats is about a group of girls that while high on the popularity scale aren't really what you would consider mean girls, not really, they really like their popularity but for the most part they are nice to other students which was refreshing!

The book was very current which was good and bad, I loved the idea of someone like Steve Jobs providing the school with all sort of current gadgets like giant screens and tablets and things that let you spy on classrooms making it an ultra-techy school. But at the same time there was so much insider lingo to the girls' group it sort of distracted from the actual story because I kept having to look up the words in the back or if there weren't listed in the Guide to Terms figure it out on my own. Yes, the lingo showed how close the girls were having almost their own language but it made it a bit harder for me, the reader.

I also thing telling the stories from each girl's perspective for say a whole chapter instead of for a bit here and there would have helped separate them more from each other and create a clearer personality for each girl. But if this is set to be a series, which I think it is, maybe the next book will be told for another girl's perspective?

I did really like the plot though, how the girls were assigned to write and film a school wide newshow with other classmates, and also the normal things 8th grade girls go through dealing with cliques and boys etc. Overall, I think this book might be especially enjoyed but Middle Grade/Junior High age girls!

The Aristobrats will be released on September 7th 2010
Genre: Young Adult
3/5 Stars
ARC picked up at BEA

This Week In Books

Sunday:

Handmade Hello by Eunice Moyle and Sabrina Moyle (Bought at Half Price Books- went again!)
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano (Bought at Half Price Books)

Monday:
The Limit by Kristen Landon (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton (GoodReads Swap)

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday:

Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz (Amazon Vine)
John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles (Accepted Review Copy)

Thursday:

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivan (Amazon Vine)
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (Purchased at GoodWill)

Friday:

Along the River by Adeline Yen Mah (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
The Things A Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Jump by Ginger Rue (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
The Exquisite Book by Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski, and Matt Lamothe (Purchased from Amazon)

Saturday: nothing

Lookalikes 117

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

These both creep me out, especially the coloring of the first one. I guess I prefer my thrillers (not that I read them often) more sophisticated looking.

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

Guest Post from Jennifer Solow, author of The Aristobrats

Today I'm pleased to welcome Jennifer Solow, the author of The Aristobrats. When Jennifer mentioned that Sex and the City played a part in her book I had to know more!

What does my new book have to do with Candace Bushnell’s shoes?

I met Candace Bushnell a couple of years ago when I was asked to interview her on stage at The Lark Theater. I was extremely intimidated and it took me something like five days of outfit planning and a whole box of Rembrandt teeth whitening strips just to get to begin to get mentally ready.

Candace arrived at The Lark Theater rockstar-late, chain-smoking, possibly tipsy, impossibly thin, unfairly charming, and of course, wearing spectacular shoes. I arrived nervously early, stone sober, teeth hypersensitive from all that whitening, wiping my sweaty armpits with a piece of Kleenex I found in my car and, luckily, also wearing über-chic footware. Even more über-chic, I thought, than Candace Bushnell’s. Imagine that.

The killer shoe thing gave me the boost of confidence I needed and, thusly, I was able to conduct the interview while projecting a façade of utter poise and élan.

Candace and I sat in the spotlight chatting about this and that (honestly I don’t remember much because of the nervousness-induced amnesia), but I do remember that I had come to the stage armed with not only my gorgeous pair of Pradas, but the knowledge that my interviewee had just signed a book deal to write The Carrie Diaries, the pre-prequel to SATC – the younger days of our favorite foursome of friends.

When I asked her about it, she answered in a way you’d expect an impossibly thin, possibly tipsy, chain-smoking, mega-wealthy author/producer/other important stuff person to answer – she seemed to have absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Well, so there went about twenty minutes of what I’d hoped Candace and I would be talking about on the stage at The Lark, but for weeks I kept thinking about the fab four and their younger days.

I’d already begun work on my own kinda diary-book-thing (and when I say “begun work” I mean four notebooks of emo scribble-babble started and almost immediately abandoned when I was still in high school). So when Dan Ehrenhaft approached me about writing a YA series, I pulled out the old notebooks and the vague memory of a very odd interview with Candace Bushnell and her less-great shoes.

Now I love the Sex and the City friendship. I love the cocktails. I love the clothes. I love the hair. I love the closets. But most of all, I love them. There are days when I wish I could call Miranda and get some sensible advice, meet Charlotte at Neiman’s to talk female issues, go bar-hopping in an up-to-there couture frock with Samantha, then sit down at my typewriter with my mass of Garnier Nutrisse curly blonde locks to write something pithy, vulnerable and wise: “As we speed along this endless road to the destination called who we hope to be, I can’t help but whine, ‘Are we there yet?’”

Almost every female I know can see herself in one of these characters – or an amalgamation of more than one of them. Like I may have mentioned or at least heavily alluded to, I like to imagine myself a ‘Carrie’ with her quirky, mismatched, yet impeccably sophisticated sense of style, her not-to-beautiful-to-hate good looks, her charming insecurities and, I’ll just say it, her extremely perky boobies. But in truth, I’m often more a ‘Miranda’: wound up too tightly, perennially PMS-ing, and waging a war between work and life and losing at both. I’d like to say I have some ‘Charlotte’ in me: Upper East Side ready, innocent and romantic, hopelessly optimistic and unequivocally pretty. But there never was much Charlotte in me. Sorry, I’m just not a Charlotte kinda girl. I’m definitely a Samantha when I can muster her up: when the world feels like it should revolve around me, when I can’t help thinking about the naughty bits of my yoga instructor, when I can pick myself up, brush myself off and keep on walking even though my 5” heel just broke off.

So even though it’s been out for a while now, the Carrie Diaries is not on my bookshelf nor do I plan to put it there. Why spoil the fantasy? But I did spend some time as I was preparing to write The Aristobrats thinking about the qualities that shape characters like those, characters that are able to make such an indelible mark on our emotional landscape. So much so that we wish they were our own friends.

So what would they have been like in their early teens?

Like the older versions of themselves, Samantha, I thought, would be unabashedly self-centered and flirtatious, in denial of any faults she might have and undyingly loyal. I thought Charlotte probably would have channeled her romantic hopefulness into obsessing over what college she’d get into, never getting in trouble for anything, and championing the unfair and unjust. I pictured Miranda a mini-me of what she is now: at odds with her own femininity, quietly smart, and in desperate need of a well-padded bra.

They are not perfect women and they probably weren’t perfect girls. It’s easy to make a list of what they’ve done that we don’t approve of, glaring mistakes that they can’t seem to stop making, or what they’ve worn that we wouldn’t be caught dead in (I mean “you” when I say “we” because I would happily be caught dead in anything they’ve worn).

And in recent years, a.k.a. the zillion-dollar movie franchise, they’ve become glossier than we’d hoped, less fault-filled, more manicured. But in the end, the answer is simple: we love them because they love each other.

So I set out to write characters like that. With super white teeth. Who wear great shoes.

Jennifer Solow, bestselling author of THE ARISTOBRATS

Which Aristobrat Are You? Take the Quiz.

Watch the trailer here.

Weekly Dose of Crafts

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

This week I really got Grannying! I'm hoping by next Wednesday to be actually putting the blanket together! There will be 121 squares, I'm hoping that with a border will be large enough. I made this all with stash yarn, and I sort of overshot and have been running out of colors left and right so we'll see how it ends up!


I also made these slippers based on this pattern. I thought it would be really hard, I mean it's a damn slipper! But it was actually pretty easy to work up! Except that I got as much yarn as the pattern told me too and I still ran out! Oh well!

This is the yarn I used for the slippers and the flower:

Debbie Bills Eco Fairtrade Collection

609 (Purple) 2 skeins
612 (Pink) 1 skein

I think if I were to make the slippers again I would use a different yarn, this yarn turns out to not be so comfortable to walk on even though it was soft to the touch.


And from the leftover yarn from that project I tried out a flower which I attached a pin to (so you can wear it) based on Attic24's pattern here. Sorry for the blurry picture!


I worked a bit on the Granny Stripe blanket but not really enough to be able to tell the difference since last week. I also tried out this pattern but ended up ripping it out because I got it a little off and want to use different yarn, maybe next week that will be back in progress!

Happy Crafting!

"Waiting On" Wednesday 98

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

GoodReads.com:

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Released January 11th 2011

I don't really go for Sci-Fi like ever, but the summary really stood out as different and then I read the first chapter. I'll definitely be buying this one in hardcover, which I never do!

What can't you wait for to be released?

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

This Year in Movies: August

With most of the summer shows over and my crochet habit in full swing it seems I've found some time to watch some things.... er 17 movies and 9 tv shows on dvd to be exact!

Degrassi: TNG Season 1 - Over the years I've had a friend mention Degrassi every now and again, I even caught a few early episodes some random weekend on some random tv channel. Recently John mentioned it to me and I figured now is the time to really watch it... and watch I did. Basically I'm obsessed. It's definitely a great show to crochet to!

Degrassi: TNG Season 2 - I really love seeing how all the kids grow up, and how they look a bit older every year. Also love seeing how they change the opening credits every season or two!

Degrassi: TNG Season 3 - Yup, not nearly done for this month!

Dear John - I thought the ending of this one was interesting, a bit different than the other Nicolas Sparks movies I've seen. I love both of the leads so it was fun to watch.

Degrassi: TNG Season 4 - And still watching....

She's Out of My League - This was a fluffy little movie. Sort of when the Beauty Meet the Geek.

TiMER - I had my eye on this movie for years! I love the idea of it, timers implanted in people's wrists that tell them when they are going to meet "the one" for the most part it definitely lived up to my expectations. Not sure if I totally liked the ending though.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men - Ugh, didn't like this. I wanted to since John Krasinski directed it but it was not my thing at all.

Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger - This movie was totally cute and very original, I really liked it. I started checking out some movies on Netflix Instant view (like the above two) and this was one that was recommended based on other stuff I had watched and I totally liked it!

Youth in Revolt - I love Michael Cera but was sort of afraid I might not like this movie based on the trailer, but it turned out to be just quirky enough and not too over the top like I feared. Good stuff.

Arranged - What a beautiful movie. The friendship between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman that both teach at the same school, I just adored it!

According to Greta - This was a Hilary Duff movie I had heard about, turned out to be pretty good!

Dakota Skye - Random Indie about this girl that knows the truth when people tell lies. Kind of a funny concept.

The Babysitters - This sort of dark and weird movie about babysitters that do more than take care of kids.

Falling Up - I loved the premise of this, a doorman and a girl that lives in the building, fall for each other. I just loved seeing what happens in a building lobby! It starred the guy from Running with Scissors!

Step p 2: The Streets - After watching SYTYCD all summer and hearing about Step Up 3 over and over again, I realized I hadn't seen the second movie! I love dancing movies!

The Neighbor - This was like the month of gimmicky movies, this one was about two neighbors, one trying to get rid of the other and in the end they realize they kind of like one another.

Degrassi: TNG Season 5 - And we are back!

Glee Vol 1 - Have to start getting ready for Season 2. I also watched it to see how the book, Glee: The Beginning jives with the pilot. It sort of did and sort of didn't.

Shutter Island - Ugh. What a waste of time. I was expecting some awesome twist at the end, but it was the most obvious ending. The first thing you think of when you hear about the movie.

Blue State - This was a rather interesting movie, people moving to Canada after Bush won for the second time.

How to Be - Another R. Patz movie. I thought the beginning to the middle was good and then it just got weird at the end.

Degrassi: TNG Season 6 - Yup.

Secret Life of the American Teenager Vol 4 - Why am I still watching this?

Loverboy - 80s movie with Patrick Demsey. Like The Babysitters, it's about a pizza delivery boy that delivers more than pizza.

Degrassi: TNG Season 7 - Oh yeah, and I'm onto Season 8 already.

What did you watch in August you really liked? Have you ever watched Degrassi?

Hardcover vs Paperback 96

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly…and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion…and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

I've had this book on my radar for awhile but was always sort of puzzled by the hardcover, random dress pinned/hanging on a wall? And that Orange is WHOA. And while generally I like the paperback it reminds me a bit of these covers, so in the end it's not really anything out of the ordinary.

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

GIVEAWAY: Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka & Simon & Schuster MG book pack

Who doesn't love some Middle Grade books! I sure enjoy them! I've got a whole pack for you today, featuring Jon Scieszka's Spaceheadz.

The perfect combination of the age old experience of holding and pouring over a physical book with newest media technology that kids love!

Michael K. just started fifth grade at a new school. As if that wasn't hard enough, the kids he seems to have made friends with apparently aren't kids at all. They are aliens. Real aliens who have invaded our planet in the form of school children and a hamster. They have a mission to complete: to convince 3,140,001 kids to BE SPHDZ. But with a hamster as their leader, "kids" who talk like walking advertisements, and Michael K as their first convert, will the SPHDZ be able to keep their cover and pull off their assignment?

The prize pack includes:

Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka
Brixton Bros: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
Amelia Rules! The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular by Jimmy Gownley
Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman
Keepers of the School: We The Children by Andrew Clements

Here's how to enter to win the prize pack!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S. only.

The giveaway will end September 13th 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 marketing firm**

Book Website

Book Trailer (totally cute!):

This Week In Books or the Week with the Empty Middle

Monday:

101 Granny Squares by Darla Sims (Purchased at Joann's)

Half Price Books oh no:
Bite Me! by Melissa Francis
Fools Rush In by Kristan Higgins
Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson
Unbelievable by Lori Foster
Life As I Know It by Melanie Rose
L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Afghans For All Seasons by Leisure Arts Presents

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg (Just Showed Up Review Copy)

Tuesday:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Pre-Ordered from Borders & picked up in store. I still have to read Catching Fire but I couldn't pass up the great discount, it was 50% percent off)

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday: nothing

Friday: nothing

Saturday:

Rich and Mad by William Nicholson (The extremely sweet and kind Carla sent me this book all the way from the UK and it's signed! Thank you Carla!)

Single in the City by Michele Gorman (Accepted Review Copy)
The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
Storyteller by Patricia Reilly Giff (Just Showed Up Review Copy)
The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau (Just Showed Up Review Copy)

Flash Your Stash (of Yarn!)

Tami over at Tami's Amis and Other Crochet is hosting a Flash Your Stash today of yarn. And of course I had to participate. I wanted to add a bit of commentary as well! Click the images to enlarge!

A. This is the yarn I'm using to make the Summer Garden Granny Square blanket from Attic24. It's yarn I already had from my stash, in attempts to try and use it up.

B. This specific yarn is the first I ever bought. I think I was either still in college or had just graduated. I bought it and some metal knitting needles at Walmart wanting to teach myself to knit. It didn't happen and I just threw them in a box for a few years.

C. This is the yarn for the Granny Stripe Blanket from Attic24. I purchased all this yarn to make the blanket. I'm almost done with my first skein of each of the 16 colors and just purchased a whole new set of 16 which will hopefully take me through the rest of the blanket, fingers crossed!

D. This is a bunch of random yarn I bought when I started doing Amigurumi. I bought a bunch of colors I thought I would need so I wouldn't have to go buy something new every time I wanted to start one. Some I've used some I haven't. I really regret buying that electric orange, I guess I thought I would be making some carrots?

E. I bought this yarn to make the cable knit scarf I was working on back in the spring and ended up deciding I didn't want to continue with this specific scarf so I've been using the yarn for whatever now including the first failed beret!

F. This is the yarn I bought and used in my first ever knitting class. Yay!

G. My newest purchases from earlier in the week. Some of it is project specific and some isn't.

H. Here is some cotton I bought when I was learning to crochet, not sure what I had in mind but I used it on a lot of swatches and my first ever Amigurumi, a bunny!

I. After my first Knitting class apparently I decided I would be making a lot of scarves so this is what I bought. Since then I think I've used two skeins to make two hats.

J. The green I purchased with my sister to make her a scarf, still in progress. The purple would be for another of the same.

K. My aunt gave me this last month, I think it was from a friend of hers. I'm interested to try working with this, probably would be good for a scarf yes?

L. This is the yarn for the berets I made, I have one skein left and some leftovers from those and the black purse I made.

M. I bought this to knit some mittens or half gloves or something, still haven't done it!

I think it's fun to see how people's stashes change and grow so maybe this will be a several times a year thing? I'm hoping to now go on a yarn fast and see how much of this I can use up!

Lookalikes 116

Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

Buyology by Martin Lindstrom

Oh simple covers how I love thee! I find the imagery on Nudge a bit stronger and same goes for the type treatment. But thumbs up for simple covers, there should be a lot more out there!

Thanks to Brett Sandusky for this lookalike!

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

Degrassi: The Next Generation Extra Credit #1 and #2 by J. Torres art by Ed Northcott (#1) and Ramon Perez (#2)

Turning Japanese Degrassi: The Next Generation Extra Credit #1

It's the end of Ellie's senior year, and as though final exams aren't enough to worry about, she's been placed in a compromising position by one of her bosses at a comic book company. Is quitting her only option?

J.T. turns to the Internet to help cope with the recent troubles in his life. But now he spends most of his time locked in his room, and he can't seem to move on. Is his new habit just making his problems worse?

I want to start off with some information that covers all 4 of the Degrassi Graphic Novels. They read just like episodes of the show, with two main plotlines. All 4 take place basically in the summer between Seasons 5 and 6 with some overlap into those 2 seasons. I'm not sure if I would suggest them for people that aren't familiar with the show, they just kind of jump in where the show left off so there isn't much framework for someone that is new to these characters.

Also, all 4 are illustrated by different people, I'm going to guess the reason for this was because these all came out in a short amount of time and it would be impossible for 1 person to illustrate them all that fast. Though because of the way the different artists draw the characters it helps that there is a page near the front of each book that shows all the characters who are main players in that specific story.

Onto the book, Ellie's internship at a Comic Book company alternates with J.T.s summer at home trying to get over his trying year. I definitely enjoyed Ellie's story more so, there were some great comic references and we got to see more of the characters in her story.

I enjoyed the art, especially the full page illustrations, they provided more detail and in turn more expression on the characters faces.

I think the author did a great job of staying in tune with the show right up to the signature ending without much resolution (which I found hilarious when I first started watching the show). It's hinted that that things will turn out ok but you never actually see it happen!

Turning Japanese was released on November 21st 2006
Genre: Graphic Novel/TV/Young Adult
4 Stars
Purchased from Amazon Marketplace


Suddenly Last Summer Degrassi: The Next Generation Extra Credit #2

Emma gets her groove back with the help of group therapy and a family trip to New York City. But as she returns to her old self, her relationship with Peter begins to suffer. Is he helping Emma recover--or holding her back?

While coaching at basketball camp, Jimmy finds himself dealing with the fallout of a hazing accident. Was the initiation just a prank, or did it cross the line? When the police get involved, Jimmy is faced with a touch decision?

I think Suddenly Last Summer is my favorite of the 4 graphic novels, and that's probably because part of it takes Emma and Manny and Emma's family to New York City! The other story involves Jimmy at basketball camp.

There is a great montage in the book that shows Emma and Manny in New York and the backgrounds are actual posterized photos of the city which makes for a really nice effect. I really like the sleek and stylized illustration this artist used as well, definitely my favorite of the bunch. I also really liked the Alice in Wonderland references.

All in all another great graphic novel from the Degrassi family!

Suddenly Last Summer was released on January 7th 2007
Genre: Graphic Novel/TV/Young Adult
4 Stars
Purchased from Amazon Marketplace

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!