Let's do another book review, shall we? This time I promise I'll add more plot and less fangirling. Even though this happens to be another one of my favorites.
The Seer and the Sword, by Victoria Hanley. In it there are two main characters: the spoiled daughter of a successful war-waging king, and the sheltered son of a once-prosperous and kind king. The first king overthrew the second, and offered the thirteen-year-old son as a slave to his nine-year-old daughter. She set him free, prompting her father to rethink his strategy and offer the son a place in his academy for training the best warriors.
The daughter is Torina. The son is Landen. Neither has siblings, both eventually sent into exile. Landen's exile I just told you - the result of a threat from an outside force. Torina's exile comes much later in life, the result of opening a door to an insider threat.
You may be wondering about how the title comes into play. Landen's home country had a legendary sword, and the legend was that any daring to oppose its home country was doomed to failure. Considering I told you up front that Landen's country was lost to another king, are you assuming the legend was a lie? Do not judge so quickly; there's more to it than that.
Moving on to the seer. Torina was given two gifts when her father came back from war: a slave and a crystal. The slave, you remember, she freed. The crystal was truly a gift for her, as the former owner specifically said so to her father during his raid. In the crystal, Torina could see both the future and the past. What she saw of the past was always true. What she saw of the future was always true, unless she acted quickly enough to stop it.
Back to the plot. Torina and Landen soon became secret friends, as you might imagine. Time passed, though, and things got in the way. Torina's memory of him dimmed as she became wrapped up in her suitor. Landen's heart never faltered, and he had some very justified suspicions about Torina's suitor.
Then evil struck. Landen was ready for it - expecting it, really. He tried to warn Torina, but she didn't accept his words as truth in time to prevent evil from succeeding - at least for the moment.
And that is when the story truly begins. Go out and get your own copy and find out what happens. Bookstore, library, garage sale, online, whatever. But I highly recommend you get it from somewhere.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Vampires
It used to be that nothing mythical could disgust me more than vampires.
Dragons? Well, in the Bible, they're all evil. But fictional stuff I would read often portrayed them as neither all good nor all bad, so I never really hated the idea of the species in general.
Gryphons? Rotten scavengers with an endless appetite was how I was first introduced to them, but they were more or less just mindless beasts looking for a meal.
Unicorns? Okay, really, what's not to love about these beauties?
Fairies? Disney showed me fairy godmothers pretty early on, not to mention Tinkerbell. As varied as humans, as far as I could tell.
Witches? Often green skin, cackling and flying away on broomsticks. Rude, yes. Gross, yes. Evil, often very much so. But they were a villain I loved to hate.
Werewolves? Ew, I didn't like the transformation thing. But they were dogs, more or less.
But vampires. They disgusted me in every way. Human in form, but with fangs. May I just say - scary! Also, they slept in coffins, for goodness' sake. And they went around randomly biting people, sucking their blood - thriving off of it. And they would often convert the bitten people to vampirism as well. If I needed any more proof that vampires were all-around awful, they couldn't seem to stand the sunlight. What kind of good creature makes sure to stay away from the sun at all costs?
When Twilight started getting popular, I never went and saw it. My parents warned me to stay away from it, and the kind of blind faith I had - still have - in them made me agree.
But then, (I think it was either last summer or the one before; I can't remember when it came out) I saw a trailer for Hotel Transylvania. The fact that vampires were the main characters immediately turned me off, but the level of humor embedded in the trailer eventually made me curious. So eventually, I found the movie. And I watched it.
And now I can no longer say I despise all vampires. They are by no means ever going to make a list of my favorites, but my hate has certainly lessened. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Depends on your own personal viewpoint of mythological beasts.
Dragons? Well, in the Bible, they're all evil. But fictional stuff I would read often portrayed them as neither all good nor all bad, so I never really hated the idea of the species in general.
Gryphons? Rotten scavengers with an endless appetite was how I was first introduced to them, but they were more or less just mindless beasts looking for a meal.
Unicorns? Okay, really, what's not to love about these beauties?
Fairies? Disney showed me fairy godmothers pretty early on, not to mention Tinkerbell. As varied as humans, as far as I could tell.
Witches? Often green skin, cackling and flying away on broomsticks. Rude, yes. Gross, yes. Evil, often very much so. But they were a villain I loved to hate.
Werewolves? Ew, I didn't like the transformation thing. But they were dogs, more or less.
But vampires. They disgusted me in every way. Human in form, but with fangs. May I just say - scary! Also, they slept in coffins, for goodness' sake. And they went around randomly biting people, sucking their blood - thriving off of it. And they would often convert the bitten people to vampirism as well. If I needed any more proof that vampires were all-around awful, they couldn't seem to stand the sunlight. What kind of good creature makes sure to stay away from the sun at all costs?
When Twilight started getting popular, I never went and saw it. My parents warned me to stay away from it, and the kind of blind faith I had - still have - in them made me agree.
But then, (I think it was either last summer or the one before; I can't remember when it came out) I saw a trailer for Hotel Transylvania. The fact that vampires were the main characters immediately turned me off, but the level of humor embedded in the trailer eventually made me curious. So eventually, I found the movie. And I watched it.
And now I can no longer say I despise all vampires. They are by no means ever going to make a list of my favorites, but my hate has certainly lessened. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Depends on your own personal viewpoint of mythological beasts.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Japanese Numbers Puzzles
Japanese number puzzles are amazing. I learned about one when my mom got hooked on it, then I learned about two more when I ran into the game Nancy Drew: Shadow at the Water's Edge. And I completely fell in love with one of them. Let's do a count-off, shall we?
Renograms. This is the one with which I am the least familiar. There is a sheet of squares - some with numbers in them, most blank. The player's job is to connect the smallest number to the greatest number in an unbroken chain of numbers - in numerical order, too, of course. ;D If I were to ever try playing this on my own, it would probably be boring and addicting at the same time. But then again, I've never played it myself, so I don't know.
Sudoku. This is probably the most popular of the three. You have squares within squares: one big square broken into nine smaller squares, each of which have nine more squares. Just like with renograms, some squares are filled but most are empty. In Sudoku, the player has to fill each middle-sized square with the numbers 1-9, but there's more! In each row, and in each column, the player also has to have the numbers 1-9. No repetitions in any of those three regards. I personally found this a bit too challenging to be fun, but my mother and grandmother both love it.
Nonograms. Now we get to my personal favorite! This one also deals with multiple squares, but unlike the other two, this one isn't usually partially filled in when the player gets ahold of it. And instead of numbers going in the squares, there are numbers on the left of each row and at the top of each column. The player's goal is to fill in the squares (just completely darken them out) according to the series of numbers. It's sort of complicated to explain, but once you figure out the basics, it flows more smoothly - and you often get a fun picture in the end! Depending on the level of difficulty, the puzzle can be as small as 5x5 squares, 10x10, 15x15, or however big you want it. I learned by mastering the 5x5's, then moving up to 10x10's, and so on. Now I can do stuff like 40x35 and whatnot.
The best part about each one of these puzzles? They're Japanese, but anyone can learn how to do it! Are numbers universal or something? So far in my experience, it looks that way. I mean, English, Spanish, and French all do the same 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,... Even if we call it something different (one, uno, un), it's still the same 1.
Anyways. Japanese number puzzles. Purely amazing.
My recommendation: Try out at least one puzzle, preferably one of each (though I can't push that one too hard since I have yet to try renograms), and see if any of them catch your fancy. ;)
Renograms. This is the one with which I am the least familiar. There is a sheet of squares - some with numbers in them, most blank. The player's job is to connect the smallest number to the greatest number in an unbroken chain of numbers - in numerical order, too, of course. ;D If I were to ever try playing this on my own, it would probably be boring and addicting at the same time. But then again, I've never played it myself, so I don't know.
Sudoku. This is probably the most popular of the three. You have squares within squares: one big square broken into nine smaller squares, each of which have nine more squares. Just like with renograms, some squares are filled but most are empty. In Sudoku, the player has to fill each middle-sized square with the numbers 1-9, but there's more! In each row, and in each column, the player also has to have the numbers 1-9. No repetitions in any of those three regards. I personally found this a bit too challenging to be fun, but my mother and grandmother both love it.
Nonograms. Now we get to my personal favorite! This one also deals with multiple squares, but unlike the other two, this one isn't usually partially filled in when the player gets ahold of it. And instead of numbers going in the squares, there are numbers on the left of each row and at the top of each column. The player's goal is to fill in the squares (just completely darken them out) according to the series of numbers. It's sort of complicated to explain, but once you figure out the basics, it flows more smoothly - and you often get a fun picture in the end! Depending on the level of difficulty, the puzzle can be as small as 5x5 squares, 10x10, 15x15, or however big you want it. I learned by mastering the 5x5's, then moving up to 10x10's, and so on. Now I can do stuff like 40x35 and whatnot.
The best part about each one of these puzzles? They're Japanese, but anyone can learn how to do it! Are numbers universal or something? So far in my experience, it looks that way. I mean, English, Spanish, and French all do the same 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,... Even if we call it something different (one, uno, un), it's still the same 1.
Anyways. Japanese number puzzles. Purely amazing.
My recommendation: Try out at least one puzzle, preferably one of each (though I can't push that one too hard since I have yet to try renograms), and see if any of them catch your fancy. ;)
Friday, October 4, 2013
Hamsters
I have thirteen hamsters.
Why thirteen? Because I had one and then my aunt sent me twelve for Christmas.
Each of them are so distinctly different, too; I never have any problems telling them apart. Want to know their names?
Oxnard. He likes to eat. A lot.
Howdy. He wears a red apron and likes to tell puns.
Pashmina. She wears a pink scarf and has a little blanket-covered friend whom I unfortunately don't have.
Maxwell. He's tall. And a bookworm. Gotta love them booklovers.
Jingle. He loves music, though unfortunately I don't have a guitar for him to play.
Snoozer. He's always sleeping, hence the name. But can be wise when he's semi-awake.
Dexter. He wears glasses and a bowtie.
Panda. He looks like a panda. And is pretty good with a hammer, too.
Bijou. She wears blue ribbons. And she's French. Can you say awesome?
Cappy. He wears a green cap. He's so sweet.
Sandy. She wears a red ribbon and has a twin brother, whom I unfortunately don't have.
Hamtaro #2. Does this one even need introduction?
Hamtaro #1. My very first hamster, given me by a friend years ago. I love him so much. ♥
I'm sorry, did you think I was talking about real hamsters? Nono, these are all rubber or plastic or something. =3
For those of you who wish to fanrant with me about Hamtaro, I wish I could. But other than what was shown in my GBA game, I don't know anything. Horrifying, I know. Maybe I can correct that knowledge gap one day. I hope so.
Why thirteen? Because I had one and then my aunt sent me twelve for Christmas.
Each of them are so distinctly different, too; I never have any problems telling them apart. Want to know their names?
Oxnard. He likes to eat. A lot.
Howdy. He wears a red apron and likes to tell puns.
Pashmina. She wears a pink scarf and has a little blanket-covered friend whom I unfortunately don't have.
Maxwell. He's tall. And a bookworm. Gotta love them booklovers.
Jingle. He loves music, though unfortunately I don't have a guitar for him to play.
Snoozer. He's always sleeping, hence the name. But can be wise when he's semi-awake.
Dexter. He wears glasses and a bowtie.
Panda. He looks like a panda. And is pretty good with a hammer, too.
Bijou. She wears blue ribbons. And she's French. Can you say awesome?
Cappy. He wears a green cap. He's so sweet.
Sandy. She wears a red ribbon and has a twin brother, whom I unfortunately don't have.
Hamtaro #2. Does this one even need introduction?
Hamtaro #1. My very first hamster, given me by a friend years ago. I love him so much. ♥
I'm sorry, did you think I was talking about real hamsters? Nono, these are all rubber or plastic or something. =3
For those of you who wish to fanrant with me about Hamtaro, I wish I could. But other than what was shown in my GBA game, I don't know anything. Horrifying, I know. Maybe I can correct that knowledge gap one day. I hope so.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wassup
Okay, so today's post will probably be short and more or less pointless, because I'm just in a mood to ramble. Also because I don't have a lot of time before I have to be in class.
Why am I typing this right as I'm about to go to class? Silly asker, it's because I didn't type it sooner.
Why didn't I type it sooner? Because I was studying. And because I slept in about half an hour.
What was I studying for? If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Why did I sleep in? Because normally the sun wakes me up. Today, my eyelids must've blocked it out better or something. But I still woke up before my alarm, so no harm done.
Do I always wake up before my alarm? Yes.
What's with that short response? You're boring me.
Why am I boring me? Because I'm too weird sometimes even for me.
Why am I so weird? I blame genes. My dad is weird. My mom isn't weird, which makes her twice as weird. So I got a triple dosage.
Isn't everyone weird? Yes.
Why am I giving myself a Q&A? I just told you, I'm rambling and I'm weird.
So, yeah, I guess that's about it. Until tomorrow!
Why am I typing this right as I'm about to go to class? Silly asker, it's because I didn't type it sooner.
Why didn't I type it sooner? Because I was studying. And because I slept in about half an hour.
What was I studying for? If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Why did I sleep in? Because normally the sun wakes me up. Today, my eyelids must've blocked it out better or something. But I still woke up before my alarm, so no harm done.
Do I always wake up before my alarm? Yes.
What's with that short response? You're boring me.
Why am I boring me? Because I'm too weird sometimes even for me.
Why am I so weird? I blame genes. My dad is weird. My mom isn't weird, which makes her twice as weird. So I got a triple dosage.
Isn't everyone weird? Yes.
Why am I giving myself a Q&A? I just told you, I'm rambling and I'm weird.
So, yeah, I guess that's about it. Until tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Mysterious Benedict Society's Beginning
Alright, let's see a show of hands. How many of you here have read Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society trilogy? Hmmm, okay. How many of your have read his fantastic prequel The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict? ...Shocking.
Well, if you have a hand that is more vulnerable to gravity than others, I suppose I can excuse your lack of participation. However, if you were just plainly answering that you have not read the above books, shame on you!
Admittedly, I suppose the books are tailored for younger kids. But believe you me when I say they are extremely enjoyable for any age. I got the original book as a way to keep myself occupied during any lulls in our vacation one summer. I liked it a lot, so I bought the other two when we got back. I liked them, too, and then I found out the library had the prequel, so I got and read that.
And that was the moment. Mind. Blown. I loved that book. I loved Mr. Benedict as a nine-year-old Nicholas. I loved his friends. I despised his bullies. I wanted to strangle the head of the orphanage. I admired his good heart. I disagreed with his viewpoint that there's no such thing as a good adult. I ached with pride when he met an adult who went out of his way to assist Nicholas. I squealed with delight every time Nicholas's brilliance shown through. I shrieked with pure ecstasy in the one moment I realized I knew what he was going to do a split second before he did it.
Should I give you a plot summary?
Nah, I'll just leave you with my impressions. Which were nothing but good. So go get your own copy. Whether from a bookstore or library, I don't care. Just read it. And you will fall in love with the little nine-year-old narcoleptic genius (Oh, yeah, did I mention he has narcolepsy? Just another reason to love him!) just like I did. Promise.
Well, if you have a hand that is more vulnerable to gravity than others, I suppose I can excuse your lack of participation. However, if you were just plainly answering that you have not read the above books, shame on you!
Admittedly, I suppose the books are tailored for younger kids. But believe you me when I say they are extremely enjoyable for any age. I got the original book as a way to keep myself occupied during any lulls in our vacation one summer. I liked it a lot, so I bought the other two when we got back. I liked them, too, and then I found out the library had the prequel, so I got and read that.
And that was the moment. Mind. Blown. I loved that book. I loved Mr. Benedict as a nine-year-old Nicholas. I loved his friends. I despised his bullies. I wanted to strangle the head of the orphanage. I admired his good heart. I disagreed with his viewpoint that there's no such thing as a good adult. I ached with pride when he met an adult who went out of his way to assist Nicholas. I squealed with delight every time Nicholas's brilliance shown through. I shrieked with pure ecstasy in the one moment I realized I knew what he was going to do a split second before he did it.
Should I give you a plot summary?
Nah, I'll just leave you with my impressions. Which were nothing but good. So go get your own copy. Whether from a bookstore or library, I don't care. Just read it. And you will fall in love with the little nine-year-old narcoleptic genius (Oh, yeah, did I mention he has narcolepsy? Just another reason to love him!) just like I did. Promise.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
October
Happy October, everybody! I am super excited and slightly worried about this upcoming month.
Why excited? Because I get fall break midway through the month! And I've still got Thanksgiving break coming up in November! Three cheers for October!
And on a less excited but still not worried note, Halloween is coming up too. I actually haven't really celebrated this holiday for a few years, since some kill-joy *coughMomcoughDadcough* decided my brother and I were getting too old to dress up and grab some candy from the neighbors. Grr, I'm never too old for chocolate.
And moving on to the slight anxiety, I now have midterms this month. The joys of college life - double the number of exams you take, just because each course lasts a semester rather than a full school year. Hmm, I had a couple courses in high school that lasted only a semester, and that teacher only gave us exams with the rest of the school.
Of course, that teacher also walked around the classroom during the exam and told us when we had a wrong answer. And then when a classmate or two said the answer out loud, he acted annoyed but not angry. Yeah, maybe I got spoiled. Just a little.
Of course, I wasn't expecting that in college. Who would? I just wasn't expecting midterms to take place in the middle of the semester.
Anyways, back to the bigger topic at hand. October. We all know what comes after October, right? Right: Octember! You'd better get out paper and pencil and start finishing off that list of things you want for the first of Octember. It's going to be a great day!
...Now I'm wondering how many of you actually caught my reference. I mean, the author's pretty famous, and I'd say more or less genius. But no, I'm not going to say any names. Although I just Googled it, and now I'm thinking we may have to wait until after December for Octember to come around... Sigh, the joys of not researching things before you type them and then being too excited about them to erase them...
Oh, well. Happy October anyways, people!
Why excited? Because I get fall break midway through the month! And I've still got Thanksgiving break coming up in November! Three cheers for October!
And on a less excited but still not worried note, Halloween is coming up too. I actually haven't really celebrated this holiday for a few years, since some kill-joy *coughMomcoughDadcough* decided my brother and I were getting too old to dress up and grab some candy from the neighbors. Grr, I'm never too old for chocolate.
And moving on to the slight anxiety, I now have midterms this month. The joys of college life - double the number of exams you take, just because each course lasts a semester rather than a full school year. Hmm, I had a couple courses in high school that lasted only a semester, and that teacher only gave us exams with the rest of the school.
Of course, that teacher also walked around the classroom during the exam and told us when we had a wrong answer. And then when a classmate or two said the answer out loud, he acted annoyed but not angry. Yeah, maybe I got spoiled. Just a little.
Of course, I wasn't expecting that in college. Who would? I just wasn't expecting midterms to take place in the middle of the semester.
Anyways, back to the bigger topic at hand. October. We all know what comes after October, right? Right: Octember! You'd better get out paper and pencil and start finishing off that list of things you want for the first of Octember. It's going to be a great day!
...Now I'm wondering how many of you actually caught my reference. I mean, the author's pretty famous, and I'd say more or less genius. But no, I'm not going to say any names. Although I just Googled it, and now I'm thinking we may have to wait until after December for Octember to come around... Sigh, the joys of not researching things before you type them and then being too excited about them to erase them...
Oh, well. Happy October anyways, people!
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