Monday, May 13, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Young Adult Connection is going to England!
Yes. I'm wicked excited. I can hardly stand it. It will probably be somewhere around July/August. I haven't been back to Europe since we moved to America, well over a decade ago, and I've never been to England. Someday I want to see Ireland and Scotland too, but this trip will probably not be long enough. And the best part is? I get to see my English friends!
<3
I thought it would be fun to write a blog post about traveling, even though it isn't directly related to books. I will probably read on the plane though, so there's that, right? But seriously. Traveling is something I can't not do. I'm obsessed with it. If I can't take a big trip somewhere far away, then I'm planning more local jaunts to New York City or Boston or even back down to Virginia, where I lived for six years. (If you listen closely, you may catch the occasional southern accent.) Part of my obsession with travel is that I love flying. My dad was an airplane guy for almost 25 years, so I really grew up on them.
Living in Germany made it so easy to travel around to other countries in Europe, so I've decided to compile a list of the places I've been, in and out of Europe.
Iceland (Lived there for two years.)
Germany
France
Belgium
Italy
Netherlands
Switzerland
Austria
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
That's all I can remember. And soon I get to add England to that list!
I've also lived in a small handful of American states, including:
California
Washington State
Virginia
Maine
Besides those, I've also driven across the country with my family twice, stopping along the way to see tons of amazing sights. You know what I haven't seen yet, though? The Grand Canyon. I really want to! Who's with me? I'd also love to see Yellowstone and Florida, because I've never been there. Mostly I want to go to Disney World. I've only ever been to Euro Disney, where my fuzzy little kid brain was confused as to why Mickey Mouse wasn't speaking English.
If you could go anywhere in Europe, where would it be? Do you have any suggestions for England?
<3
I thought it would be fun to write a blog post about traveling, even though it isn't directly related to books. I will probably read on the plane though, so there's that, right? But seriously. Traveling is something I can't not do. I'm obsessed with it. If I can't take a big trip somewhere far away, then I'm planning more local jaunts to New York City or Boston or even back down to Virginia, where I lived for six years. (If you listen closely, you may catch the occasional southern accent.) Part of my obsession with travel is that I love flying. My dad was an airplane guy for almost 25 years, so I really grew up on them.
Living in Germany made it so easy to travel around to other countries in Europe, so I've decided to compile a list of the places I've been, in and out of Europe.
Iceland (Lived there for two years.)
Germany
France
Belgium
Italy
Netherlands
Switzerland
Austria
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
That's all I can remember. And soon I get to add England to that list!
I've also lived in a small handful of American states, including:
California
Washington State
Virginia
Maine
Besides those, I've also driven across the country with my family twice, stopping along the way to see tons of amazing sights. You know what I haven't seen yet, though? The Grand Canyon. I really want to! Who's with me? I'd also love to see Yellowstone and Florida, because I've never been there. Mostly I want to go to Disney World. I've only ever been to Euro Disney, where my fuzzy little kid brain was confused as to why Mickey Mouse wasn't speaking English.
If you could go anywhere in Europe, where would it be? Do you have any suggestions for England?
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
AT-A-GLANCE REVIEW: Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey
PUBLISHER: Putnam
RELEASE DATE: May 29th, 2012
A stunning middle-grade debut--full of heart, humor, and nonstop action
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
At-a-glance review: Okay, first of all, this book wins my hypothetical award for the best middle grade cover ever. Look at it! It's a piece of art. Seriously. I love it. As for the story, it was fast-paced, adorable, and just such a fun read. Egg was a well-rounded, well-written character who jumped off the page as a real person, as all good characters should. The writing was beautiful and tight, and I'm looking forward to diving into the next one. I'm so glad I had the chance to read and review this. If you're in the market for an exciting middle grade book, pick this one up! I can't recommend it enough.
As a side note, I'd been saying forever that I wanted to start including more middle grade and adult into the blog. What a perfect book to start branching out with!
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