Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (October 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 015206396X

Amazon.com Review
If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?

Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.

Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be.

Oh boy.. ok.. well.. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the fall when the next book by Kristin Cashore comes out!

The first few chapters in this book left me wondering if I would really get into it.  The book jumped right into action with our protagonist being labeled a killer and not knowing much more about her, I was .. well.. uncertain.

Then.. slowly and unknowingly, I was being drawn into this book.. and by page 80 when Po became an interest to me, I knew it would be a book I would enjoy!

(excerpt: page 80..........)

"Why do you trust me," she said, "when I left you lying on the floor of Murgon's courtyard?"

He rolled over and sat up, groaning.  He massaged his shoulder.  "Because I woke up.  You could've killed me, but you didn't."  He touched his cheekbone and winced.  "Your face is bleeding."  He stretches out his hand to her jaw, but she waved it aside and stood.

"I doesn't matter," she said.  "Come with me, Prince Greening."

He heaved himself to his feet. "It's Po."

"Po?"

"My name. It's Po."

Katsa watched him for a moment as he swung his arms and tested out his shoulder joints.  He pressed his side and groaned.  His eye was swelling, and blackening, she thought, though it was hard to tell in the darkness.  His sleeve was torn, and he was covered with dirt, absolutely smeared from hear to foot.  She knew she looked the same.. worse, really, with her messy hair and bare feet... but it only made her smile.

"Come with me, Po. she said, " I'll take you to your grandfather."

That was the defining moment when I knew I wanted to know more of Katsa ..and of Po! 

I don't want to give a lot away, but I will say this book about as much adventure as you can possibly want... and..  a love story!   ..but don't worry, it's nothing like a "romance novel" !!

I really am anxious to read the next book, and although Graceling wraps things up very neatly, I was hoping that the next book, entitled Fire would bring Katsa and Po back again.  But upon finding Kristin Cashore's blog I discovered that Fire is a Prequel and indicates that only one character from Graceling is mentioned in the book... however, Fire is still sounding really good!!!  And I will continue hoping that she will find a way to continue the story of Katsa and Po!

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles hb by Patricia C Wrede

This book came in the mail the other day. I had ordered it "used" off of Amazon I only paid 2.74 plus shipping for this book!!!

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is 4 books in one by Patricia C Wrede: Dealing With Dragons, Searching For Dragons, Calling On Dragons, and Talking To Dragons

(hard to figure why I would want this huh? heh!)

Hardcover 617 pages
Publisher: Guild America (1993)
ISBN 1.56865.173.2

Product Description
Collected together for the first time are Patricia C. Wrede's hilarious adventure stories about Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper. Every one of Cimorene's adventures is included in its paperback edition--Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons

I wanted to post about this book for two reasons .... and no I haven't read it yet! but I do like this author and the artwork on the cover is so nice I wanted to share both the cover and the artist with you.....

Cover Art by: Gary Lippincott

This deserves a closer look...

(front cover)

(back cover)

This artist, Gary Lippincott is one of the artists in A Knock at the Door!

I emailed Mr Lippincott and he very graciously gave me permission to put copies of his work on my blog!!! (you will never know how much I would love to own his "Storytime wizard and dragon" !)

As you know I love love love.. dragons..and fantasy, so I can totally appreciate this artist and I hope you can too.. here are some other examples of his very fine work!

(Gandalf!!!)

(my personal fav!)

(love the fairy tree!)

I do like this artist! And really wish I knew what books or such that all of these are on!!

He does Wizards and Dragons and Fairies and Trees! What's not to like??? I sure wouldn't mind owning a print of my favorite one above!!! Anyone want to wish me a Happy Birthday early?? (.....it was worth a try!)

I hope you visit his website here.

He's certainly worth your time to take a look....but be careful.. you might like something!

8 Things Meme

8 Things That I'm Looking Forward too: (this one is difficult for me)

1. no longer living in a dangerous area.

2. reading new books (duh!)

3. having a face life. (ok ok.. so i can't afford that.. but I WOULD look forward to it if I could!)

4. loosing weight (picky picky...once again.. IF i can loose weight I do look forward to fitting in some other clothes!) I told you this "looking forward to is difficult for me!

5.  I know I can't get to 8.. sheesh..

 

8 Things that I did Yesterday:

1. packed a few more boxes

2. loved on booboo kitty

3. did some reading

4. took some photos

5.  fed the cats

6.  watched as the neighbors mowed their lawn! (i do like watching others work)

7.  called Chris and talked to him

8.  wrote up my sunday post.

 

8 Things That I wish I could Do:

1. I wish I could be free of pain (physical and mental)

2.  I wish I could go to England!

3.  I wish I could see the Grand Canyon

4.  I wish I could go to lots more conventions/ shows

5.  I wish I could see the redwood forest

6.  I wish I could live in a log cabin on a mountain

7.  I wish I could have just enough money not to worry anymore

8.  I wish I could be younger again (about 45! lol)

 

8 Television Programs That I Watch:

1.  NCIS

2.  Bones

3.  Ugly Betty

4. Greys Anatomy

5. CSI Miami

6. CSI NY

7. Dancing With the Stars

8. the TCM channel (old movies)

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you would like to participate in the meme please leave a link to your post.

*********************************

Sunday I was sitting here at my computer and I had TCM on the television but wasn't paying much attention when suddenly I heard a familiar voice.... (well a number of them were familiar, but this one made me look up)..

The movie was Walk Don't Run..

Here is the cast.. I think you will see what voice I heard.. (he was the police captain)

Cast & Crew

Cary Grant   as William Rutland   

Samantha Eggar   as Christine Easton

Jim Hutton    as Steve Davis

John Standing    as Julius D. Haversack

Miiko Taka     as Aiko Kurawa

Ted Hartley    as Yuri Andreyovitch

Ben Astar      as Dimitri

George Takei     as Police captain

(No one mistakes that voice!...  no one!)

Here & There...

Ok.. so..

The picture below is Chris.  Everyone knows Chris, he has the blog Stuff as Dreams are Made On.  He's a cutie isn't he?!  He's also my "adopted son".  You'd think he'd give good advice to his second Mom wouldn't you?

Let me tell you what he thought would be a good idea. 

We were talking on the phone the other day.  Among many things discussed we talked about my moving to Florida and the extreme possibility that maybe I could find a small part time job.  You know just one day a week.. or two..but nothing more.  And do you want to know what my cutie pie son suggested?.. (well, I'll tell you even if you don't want to know!)

Cutie Pie suggested I get a job in a book store!

Hello?!

Me?

In a book store?

I thought the idea of working was to bring money home, not owe more than you make!

Can you imagine him even suggesting such a thing?  I mean.. really!  This from a son that has a tbr pile of books bigger than the pile he's read for the last 3 years! (ok, maybe that's exaggerated.. but to be honest, I'm not sure!)

I did kinda get loud on the phone when he mentioned the book store idea.  Heh.. I mean come on baby boy, you know me well enough by now to know I'd owe the dang store more than I'd earn!!!... and so would you!  Afterall... you are my son!   :o)

Just thought I would share that intimate moment between "mother and adopted son".   You have to admit.. it was a precious moment. ... and one we both laughed about the minute he said it! lol.

*********************************************

While we were on the phone I noticed the mailman's truck outside my house.  I knew the mail had come already and said something to Chris..  as always when great minds are thinking alike we both said, "maybe he brought a book!"   Cha!  I do love my son LOL..

And sure enough, later when I went down there I had a wonderful surprise waiting for me... There, in the mail, was an ARC copy of The Language of Bees by Laurie R King !  A new Mary Russell book!!!   

And..

And...

It's signed by Laurie R King!!!!

Oh man!  Is this great or what?!!  The ONLY downside is that I am far enough into the book I am reading that I don't want to set it aside, so this ARC will wait until I am finished reading  "Graceling".   Now the challenge is to not rush Graceling but to still enjoy it. 

Wow.. that will be as hard as walking out of a bookstore without any books!!!  But.. I guess somehow I will manage.

And as if that isn't enough great news there's more!...

I emailed Vickie who was the lady responsible for  my getting an ARC from Laurie R King.. she had this bit of news: 

She's planning two more books using the Touchstone characters, but she hasn't decided on what the next book is after Russell 10 (Working Title: The Green Man), which is the next one.

So there will be yet ANOTHER Mary Russell book AND two more books using the characters from Touchstone, which I really liked them too !!!

It's really something when you find an author that is prolific with their writing and you like soooo many of their books!  I've read all the Mary Russell books and although I can say I have "favorites" of them, they were all great reads!

Gosh!  I'm excited!  First time I've felt like this in some time.  It feels good..

Thank you so much Vickie and  Laurie R King!

More Movie Trivia

Ready for some more Trivia?

The last time seemed to work ok.. so here are some more questions and answers. Maybe the last one was too short.. we'll do more questions this time.

1- Who played Young Frankenstein?

2- Who played General Sherman in "How the West Was Won?"

3- What was the significance of the historical events portrayed in "Midway?"

4- From what was the mask of the Lone Ranger made?

5- Who played the hunchback Quasimodo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

6- Who was the Oomph Girl?

7- What was Marlon Brando's first big film hit?

8- Billy Pilgrim is the main character in what film?

9- Who co-starred in Klute?

10- Who Played Mickey Spilante in Ring of Fear?

11- In what famous gangster film did Marlon Brando star?

12- What singer-actress starred in Cabaret (1972)

13- Name the female co-star in the movie "Singin' In the Rain"

14- What famous singer starred in "Alices's Restaurant?"

15- Who received an Oscar for best supporting actor in "An Officer and a Gentleman?"

16- What was the yearling in "the Yearling?"

If these bold hints don't help....You can find the answers HERE.

Spring has Sprung..

..The Grass has Riz.....

..I wonder where the flowers is...

A post of the last spring at this house..

Wednesday...

So... I heard this "explosion" that sounded like some sort of firework going off.  I looked out just when a louder, BIGGER explosion went off.  I saw, what looked like, a yellow ball of flame, it sounded like a super BIG firework going off on the ground instead of high in the air.....  in the moment it took me to look outside police were all over the place along with the SWAT team!.. all running around and in our local drug dealers home!

so naturally, since it was daylight yet I grabbed my camera...

 

... I didn't see it, but my neighbor said they had two in handcuffs (might have been these two).

... geez... SWAT team !!  oh yeah.. right.. I feel safe...!  Where's MY bullet proof vest?!!

... if you saw our local "dealer" (tall and skinny, he looks like a good gust of wind would take him away).. this could almost be funny. 

They actually (finally!) brought a drug sniffing dog with them!  Maybe this time he won't be home the next day... maybe.. but somehow I doubt it.

Thirteenth Child

Thirteenth Child by Patricia C Wrede

 

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (April 15, 2009)
ISBN-10: 054503342X

Product Description          Eff was born a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he's supposed to possess amazing talent -- and she's supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town. Undeterred, her family moves to the frontier, where her father will be a professor of magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that separates settlers from the beasts of the wild.

First off let me say that I picked this book to read for two reasons:  one is for the "magic" and the other was because I had read other books by this author  (along with Caroline Stevermer called Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot) and enjoyed them so much I thought I would give her a try on her own.

I can tell you right off the bat that I am glad I sent for this book.

The Thirteenth Child is indeed about Eff who is a twin to Lan (who is the seventh son of the seventh son) and the thirteenth child in the family.

In the very beginning you meet Eff and Lan as very  young children (pre-school age) and you meet an uncle who makes Eff feel awful about herself because she is supposedly the bane of the family, since she is the 13th child,  and had no business being alive. And how Lan is their savior being born the 7th son of a 7th son.  It's easy to see the lesson to be learned early into this story when Eff's mother says, "I can see plain enough that an angel straight from heaven itself would grow up crooked if she was watched and chivvied and told every morning and every night that she was sure to turn evil, and I can see equally plain that fussing and fawning over a child that hasn't even learned his numbers yet, as if he were a prince of power and wisdom, will only grow him into a swell-headed, stuck-up scarecrow of a man, who like as not will never know good advice when he hears it, nor think to ask for it when he needs it."

The family moves away in hopes of finding some peace within the family away from tormentors like the uncle and give all the children a chance to become whatever it is that is their destiny.

Every so often the book jumps a few  years as you follow Eff and Lan (and the whole family) thru the life they have chosen in the frontier. 

This is really a well written YA book.  When I am reading it I find I get right into the book and feel as if I am there living the life along with the entire family.  You genuinely get to know how Eff feels about herself as she grows older and almost feel as if the "frontier" is real. (of course, maybe that's just me heh)  One thing that is done to make the frontier more believable is that the author uses some real and some fictional places and creatures.  While there may be buffalo's in the frontier, so are there woolly mammoths, and insects the likes of which have never been seen.

The book ends when Eff and Lan are 18 yrs old.  It basically comes to a conclusion, but if for no other reason than there is many more years for these children to have adventures, that they will be back in another book. The other, very broad hint, is that the entire title to the book reads like this:  Thirteenth Child (Frontier Magic Book).. heh, yup.. there will be more from Patricia C Wrede concerning the Frontier Magic.

  Thus concludes the fifth and final book for Once Upon a Time. (Quest the First)

A Little Something on Ageing

 Sometimes an email really tells it like it is!............

 

 

 

Breakfast
1 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
1 cup skim milk
Lunch
1 small portion lean, steamed chicken
1 cup spinach
1 cup herbal tea
1 Hershey's kiss
Afternoon Tea
The rest of the Hershey Kisses in the bag
1 tub of Hagen-Daaz ice cream with chocolate chips
Dinner
4 glasses of wine (red or white)
2 loaves garlic bread
1 family size supreme pizza
3 Snickers Bars
Late Night Snack
1 whole Sarah Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer)
Remember: Stressed spelled backward is desserts.
If you delete this message, you will gain 10 pounds immediately.
That's why I had to pass this on, I didn't want to risk it.

 

It's scary... the diet is soooo "right on" !  hahahaha.

Chiller Show

It's been a while since there was something to look forward to, and the autograph show was always one for me.. but I had my doubts I would get there... but get there I did!

My friend Michelle and her son Donald, drove all the way up from Virginia (with a bad back) to do the show and so that we could see each other before my move. I was ever so grateful that the weather decided to more than cooperate and be almost summer-like! It was sunny and in the mid 70's!!

Having to severely, (if not totally) stop spending money other than buying what one NEEDS vs what one WANTS, I decided to go anyway and curb the spending instead of not doing any at all.

So I brought my fairly new (yet unread) book of American Prince by Tony Curtis with me since he was to be there to get it signed. I told myself if he charges 40.00 or more I won't do it.. well... he was a dear! photo's and your own book were only 25.00 ! So I got the book signed: (see below)

This isn't the most flattering "now shot" but the only one I got other than a side view. Tony is now 84 yrs old. He starred in films such as: Houdini (1953), Some Like it Hot (1959), Spartacus (1960), The Great Race (1965), and he even did the Flintstone's in 1965 as "Stony Curtis"!

Seated next to Tony was Tippi Hedren, lookin' good as always.

The only other signature I got was from Don Marshall. He did a program called Land of the Giants. (if you are way young it will mean nothing to you) but when I saw this photo from when he was a guest on Star Trek with DeForest I had to get it.

Here is Don signing my friends photo..

It seems Larry Storch from F Troop is becoming a regular at these shows. Have to love the hat with the arrow through it! Although most remember Larry from F Troop he has quite an impressive list of show and movies he was in over his lifetime.

Sitting quietly and contemplating, I saw Meadow Lark Lemon. Anyone who brought as much fun and smiles to people as he had done over the years with the Globetrotters deserves to have me take a photo!

... anyone out there old enough to remember Dobi Gillis??? Well, ol' Dobi (Dwayne Hickman) turned into a painter, and that's what he does today.

Anyone recognize the fellow below without reading his name? Like, hello good looking! What a waste to have covered up all those good looks with makeup!! Hiyas Worf!!

I took the photo below for the Battle star Galactica fans ... this was Edwards first show.

...and this lady sure looks different from her part in Galactica! Pretty Lady! Luciana Carro was a Captain.

Of course a big part of my wanting to go to the show was to say goodbye to Roger and his wife Grace. Such nice people, and although he's done "well" in the art business, I still believe he deserved more recognition.

...and my other "buddy" Ken Kelly...

...this is one of his pieces that he had for sale at the show.

And then there was Walter...

I really wanted to see him once again. That son-of-a-gun looks fabulous for someone 73 yrs old! Makes you wanna slap him upside his face and say "get wrinkled dammit!"

...case in point I look older than he does!...grrrrrrrrrrrr

The only other photo I got into was with Lou Ferrigno. What a sweetie this man is. I worked with helping him out in CA over 12 yrs ago and each time he came east here he remembered me by name. Now he's a HUNK!... errr, maybe I mean Hulk?! heh.

Ok.. and last but not least........... I have to tell you all... I fell in love at the show!

Yep.. Garrett Wang ! I always thought he was a cutie pahtootie..but in person.. wow.. we are talking "WOW" in caps!.. and what a nice guy! (made me wanna steal him away and find a fountain of youth.. fast!)

Once my girlfriend and I had procured our wants we went out for dinner..

Well.. with one stop along the way...

Barnes and Noble..

Need I say more?

Let's see now... Since tomorrow is Bad Blogger day.... that would be a point for Cath for The Graveyard Book and a point for CJ for Looking Glass Wars!

After time well spent at Barnes & Noble (btw: 2 of the 4 were Pressie's!) we then went to dinner at a Chinese Restaurant.

All in all.. a nicer day than I've had in a long time... but sad in the end when I had to make one last pass and say Goodbye... knowing I will not see Walter or Roger or Ken or any of them again. Sometimes the nectar of the fruit is bitter sweet. But I will call it a good day.