I'm a Book Freak!

HEY JONOWRIMO! (excuse the caps)

2009-10-01T16:11:01Z

Hi Fellow JoNos! (not JoBros, mind you)

Today I'm going to try to write 4:30 EST I'm going to try to write for an hour and then I'm positive I'm going to have a write athon later at night. Please join me on here! Tell me about your progress through out the day! I love writing buddies. If anyone wants to talk more frequently and is comfortable with giving out their instant message name to me I am sekritsister@Hotmail.com.

I'm planning to write 1500 words.

Hope to see you soon!

Emma

Oh ScriptFrenzy.

2009-04-06T01:35:41Z

Script Frenzy is not working for me. I'm not quitting, I'll probably just finish the last week. I'm unmotivated. I want to explore with my characters in my book. I hope I'll feel better soon.

Hmm....that's really it. Sorry!

I am tired.

2009-04-05T00:40:47Z

Um, hello. I didn't really write that much. I just wrote a page.

That's it.

My life is boring. I'm not very motivated.

Blah.

Bye.

DAMN IT

2009-04-03T19:58:54Z

Okay, sorry, I was very very very busy yesterday and didn't do my blog. I need to do a sort of punishment. IDEAS?

I got to nine pages yesterday and I'm on this scene where Vashti is hiking with her best friend Lola, Lola's boyfriend John and Arden, John's best friend. It's pretty funny. I'm loving Vashti already.

I didn't do any more pages today because I'm doing four a day and when I do four a day there's 20 extra pages at the end of the month. And I'm very busy. Um...that's it.

BYE!

BEDA!

2009-04-01T21:27:16Z

Hello Everyone,

I haven't posted since...November right? Lots of new things have happened. I'm doing BEDA aka Blog Every April which was started by Maureen Johnson. I'll be recording my Script Frenzy progress. Script Frenzy is where you write an 100 page script in the month of April.

My Script is like Lost in Austen (look up on IMDB if you don't know what that is) but with Gemma Doyle and a few twists.

Today I was supposed to write four pages, I wrote seven. Formatting is bugging the crap out of me, but I'll get used to it eventually.

Vashti is so awesome. It's harder to mold characters with scripts. I already like her though. Lola and Jaden seem interesting. I know where I want to go with this, so I'm happy. I'm afraid to introduce Gemma. I'm afraid I won't get her just right.

Okay, that's it. DINNER TIME.

:D! See you tomorrow!

Oh. My. God. We've done it.

2008-11-05T15:08:28Z

GUYS!

We have the FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT.

Oh. My. God.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

Doesn't it have a ring to it?

:D We've made history.

http://yaforobama.ning.com/profiles/blogs/2246335:BlogPost:19787

WE DID IT!

OBAMA! Only one night before the Election

2008-11-04T02:18:05Z

Okay, I have not posted a lot these days.

MAVERICK!

Did I get your attention? PLEASE comment on this political post.

GET OUT AND VOTE IF YOU'RE OLD ENOUGH!

There is this guy on YA for Obama named Devyn (he is made of awesomeness) who is doing a whole vlog from 7 pm to 7 am TONIGHT. Please watch his videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/ObamaKid12

GOBAMA!

AWESOMENSS.

The Audacity of Hope Review, and SCOTT WESTERFIELD!!

2008-10-29T02:11:05Z

Ahem. OBAMA!

The Audacity of Hope was amazingly well written, and Obama's ideas to rebulid America are interesting, and well, they just MAKE SENSE. His personal stories are interesting, the pace and format of the book is perfect, and....I could do this all day. Please read it, he is a very interesting, articulate man who is worth listening to. If not voting for.

NOW!

For all of you who love Scott Westerfield (Uglies author) he wrote an article about economic FACTS about the republican and democratic parties. (He's pro-Obama by the way).

DO THE MATH by Scott Westerfeld

Those of you who've read my Midnighters series may remember a character called Dess who's rather fond of mathematics. She thinks the world would be a better place if, every once in a while, people would just do the frickin' math.

So when Maureen asked me to blog about why I'm voting for Obama, I thought I'd follow Dess's advice, and take a long, hard, number-y look at the two political parties.

What I found is rather shocking.

Since World War II the Democrats have been overwhelmingly better at running the economy. Hands down, case closed, beyond any statistical doubt. They've borrowed less money, created more wealth and opportunity, and left the next generation in better shape.

Now these are bold claims, and maybe you're shaking your head. But let's look at the numbers.

First I downloaded the last 60 years of economic history from this handy site. By "economic history" I mean the yearly growth rate of the US economy from 1948 to 2007, expressed as a percent. Then I averaged the data for each president, for Republican- and Democratic-controlled congresses, and for the parties as a whole.

Guess what? The Democrats totally own the Republicans.

Let's start with presidents:

1948-52 Truman (D) 4.8
1953-60 Eisenhower (R) 2.95
1961-68 Kennedy/Johnson (D) 4.85
1969-76 Nixon/Ford (R) 2.8
1976-80 Carter (D) 3.3
1981-88 Reagan (R) 3.4
1988-92 Bush I (R) 2.13
1993-2000 Clinton (D) 3.73
2000-2007 Bush II (R) 2.3

Okay, what does all this mean?

Well, that last number is the average growth rate of the economy during each president's time in office. And the R or D in parentheses show whether that prez is a Republican or a Democrat.

Do you notice something odd? Except for Reagan, the Republicans are all in the 2's, and the Democrats always get 3's and 4's.

In other words, the economy grows faster when Democrats are president. Much faster. This isn't a guess or a judgment call---it's just a fact.

The crazy thing is, it's not even close. The best Republican record (Reagan's) beats the worst Democratic record (Carter's) by only a tenth of a percent. Except for those two, you can compare any D with any R and the Democrat always wins.

So what are the overall averages? Going back to the raw data, I totaled up all years of D versus R control, and here are the results:

Democrats get 4.326 growth per year on average
Republicans get 2.8 growth per year on average

That's about 55% better for D's than R's. That's huge.

For many businesses, it's the difference between making money and closing up shop. For many families, it's the difference between buying a house and being stuck renting. And for a lot of people your age, it's the difference between going to college and living in your parents' basement until you're twenty-six.

Now I realize that folks will come along and complain that this is too simplistic. So let me address a few possible objections:

1) Doesn't it take time for economic policies to take effect?

Good point. So what happens if we shift the data by a year? In other words, every president gets credit for the year after they leave office, instead of the year they come in. Here are those numbers:

Democrats: 4.127 growth per year on average
Republicans: 2.841 growth per year on average

Okay, that helps a little. But the Democrats still do 45% better, which is still a clear lead. And in point 5 below, we'll see that the long-term effects of Republican control are far worse than just slow growth.

2) But Congress makes economic policy, don't they?

Whahaha, this Emu is going to be evil and stop there. If you want to read more, go to www.yaforobama.ning.com

PLEASE! Even if you can't vote, you can help! We need you! (You can prizes too, right now, a signed Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist copy is one of them right now).

Outside Beauty Review

2008-10-23T02:43:03Z

YES! I AM WRITING THIS!!! Finally. Sorry, just YA for Obama and Goodreads has used most of my time.....and, you know, real life. Ahem. SO! Here is Goodreads lovely description of Outside Beauty:

"There's only one way Shelby and her sisters can describe their mother: She's a sexpot. Helen Kimura collects men (and loans, spending money, and gifts of all kinds) from all over the country. Sure, she's not your typical role model, but she's also not just a pretty face and nail polish. She is confident and brave; she lives life on her own terms, and her four daughters simply adore her. These girls have been raised outside the traditional boundaries. They know how to take the back exit. They know how to dodge crazed lovers in highway car chases. They do not, however, know how to function without one another.

Then suddenly they must. A late-night phone call unexpectedly shreds the family apart, catapulting the girls across the country to live with their respective fathers. But these strong-willed sisters are, like their mother, determined to live life on their own terms, and what they do to pull their family back together is nothing short of beautiful."

SO!

Shelby was interesting, I wished there was more about her time with her father, a decent read, not anything special, but a good read.

THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!

Wow. That took me only like, five minutes. My opinion of the book is VERY VERY short. Probably because I read it about three weeks ago.

Currently reading Interview with a Vampire and LOVING IT.

And, again, thank you SO SO SO much for actually READING this thing.

YA for Obama. Join. Now.

2008-10-22T02:18:10Z

I am BEGGING you here. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE join.

I am a member of YA for Obama, and I think you should be too. Here’s why:

- Membership is FREE and signing up is EASY! Once you sign up, you can become friends with loads of other Obama supporters from around the country and the world (including many of the biggest YA authors out there, like Judy Blume, Meg Cabot, John Green, Cecily Von Ziegesar, Megan McCafferty, Scott Westerfeld, and over fifty others!).

- Want to get your views out? Once you sign up, you can write blogs on your YA for Obama page! The blogs are read by many members of the site, and sometimes get featured on the main page for all the world to see! Get famous!

- Got election stress? Frustration? You can hop on the chat anytime and decompress with people who understand your pain. It’s better and cheaper than therapy! You betcha!

- Get some stuff! Starting next week, YA for Obama will be giving all kinds of good swag away to people committed to doing something to help Obama become the next president. Do you work phones? Do you protect the local Obama sign? Write to the local paper? Talk to friends and family? Make videos? Your good work could earn you STUFF!

How do you join? Go to http://yaforobama.ning.com and click on the SIGN UP button. You’ll be set up within a minute or two. You’ll be glad you did!

Please! WE NEED YOU! You get prizes! The EMU is on her KNEES! (She doesn't do this often).

BTW: I have no idea when I will write the reviews....Sorry!

EMU OUT!

Sorry! I have a BILLION reviews to write....

2008-10-17T16:08:08Z

Sorry guys, I've been.....busy.........doing........stuff. Right. Stuff. Ahem. So, lets see how many booksI have to write about:

Outside Beauty
The Audacity of Hope
City of Ashes
Dracula

Uh......yeah. I think I'll start tomorrow! (Kate, I need one of those procrastinator tees as well. Can I join your army?)

MORE IMPORTANT NEWS: Libba Bray is on a European tour! I am very, very, very jealous of all the European fans of Libba Bray right now. Very. COME TO CANADA LIBBA! Please?

So, I shall start with Outside Beauty and The Audacity of Hope. TOMORROW!

My life is incredibly boring, can you tell?

EMU OUT!

TAGGED!

2008-10-09T21:45:29Z

Okay, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have A LOT of reviews to make up for! Anyways, I've been tagged by the awesome reader_meg (still cannot do the link thingy) and now I have to write 12 random facts about myself! Hmm......

1. I love Bob Dylan. Okay, I bet most of you don't know who is he, but the guy OWNS MY SOUL. (Only second to the wonderful and amazing Libba Bray.) He's a music LEGEND. Sure, his voice is unusual and the guitar is pretty simple but the lyrics are AWESOME.

2. I was one of those strange, introverted, creepy children when I was younger. I would point to people and say: "You, YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Okay, maybe I shouldn't have revealed that...

3. I like tigers and lions.

4. I want to go to India someday.

5. Some of my favorite words are blood, lust and desire. (I am quite pleasant aren't I?)

6. I'm Canadian but I love apple pie.

7. The majority of people in my life are completely random and hyper.

8. I force The Gemma Doyle Trilogy down people's throats. t's so good! I must share the love! Must share the love......(Do I sound like a crazed zombie who Libba has created to spread her books around the world?)

9. I'm a vegetarian, but I had bacon once and it tasted sooooo good. I went back to being veggie though.

10. One of my favorite movies is "Spirited Away" which is like anime, but I don't read manga or anything. (Unlike some of my friends.)

11. There are two people who I MUST see before I die:

Barack Obama in a speech
Libba Bray on a book tour.

12. I am so boring that this took A LOT of effort.

Now, who shall I tag??? Hmmm........

I can only think of two people.

shortiesunited and faerie_writer

EMU OUT!

Gorgon Lover

Politics FREAK!

2008-10-04T23:51:50Z

Okay, I'm a CNN addict and Obama lover. I'm pretty left wing, and if you want to talk politics, I'm all for it! There's this INCREDIBLY awesome site called YA for Obama that Maureen Johnson created, and it's great! CHECK IT OUT! Read the articles, discuss, and talk to some fantastic authors! GO. NOW.

www.yaforobama.ning.com

A Curse Dark as Gold Review

2008-09-29T01:22:36Z

Ahem, I've decided that I need to write a new entry! Can you believe it? I'm still writing posts! It's a MIRACLE!

Anyways:

I've been reading this book called 'A Curse Dark as Gold' which is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. And it's fabulous, absolutely fabulous. It's about this girl, Charlotte Miller whose father dies, and she is in charge of the Mill, which is the center of Shearing, her small town. I loved Charlotte, sometimes I wanted to slap her, but her love of her town and determination won me over in the end. It's much better than the orginal. It's more of a mystery (and I LOVE mysteries). Full of suspense and many answers to the traditional story. The miller's daughter finally gets real character as a determined hard working buiness woman, not just a hopeless victim. What can I say? I love retellings! This is the author's first book, I'd definitely read more of her work in the future!

Right now, I'm currently reading Outside Beauty, and I'll give you my review very soon!

As for, you know, my excruciatingly boring life:

You do not want to know, or else I could put you to sleep. A painful sleep. If, Kate's theory is correct, the aliens that have taken over my life are attempting to put me to sleep with the boringness of it all. *sighs* Oh well!

The Foretelling Review

2008-09-18T20:43:56Z

Before I start, here is the description from the lovely Goodreads because I am too lazy to tell you all:

"The Foretelling is a transformative story that asks many profound questions, for which there are many answers. Rain is girl of the Amazon tribe of women warriors, born in a time of blood and fear. As the future leader of her people, she must seek and hold fast to her inner warrior. "

Rain was a very interesting character, on the verge on womanhood. I could relate to Rain because she had no idea what she wanted. Yet she was expected to. The writing drew me in, the characters were interesting. And it really showed me how feminism is all about choices. I liked it this book a lot, a very quick read.

Okay, this is a really funny story:

I went to archery class at night (yes archery, I wanted to become the next Artemis/Athena/ Felicity) and I wasn't doing too well. But whenever I thought of The Foretelling, a got close to the target. Concidence? I think not.

Currently I'm reading 'A Curse as Dark as Gold' which is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, and loving it.

This Lullaby/The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Review

2008-09-17T14:13:19Z

Before I start, yes, I managed to read two books in about 3 days.

I guess I had a lot of time on my hands.

Anyways.....

This Lullaby:

Remy was a very interesting character. But I picked up the book from the beginning because Remy and I had one thing is common:

Our perception on love.

So even when Remy was.......acting like an, ahem, witch, I didn't really notice because I felt I would do the exact same thing as she did. I really liked how there were two sides to Remy. The organizer, and the party girl. That she had those two sides, and it seemed unusual to me, but it made a lot of sense as well. You're doing everything for your mom, planning weddings, trying to get into Ivy League colleges, so you party. You escape. I loved Dexter and his unusual ways. His funny friends and weird challenges. Remy's mom's quirks, writing ways and mulitiple husbands. I don't really have any complaints here. It may have been predictable, but I loved it anyways.

Long Story Short: 5 Stars

Now, for The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Bank, which I managed to squeeze in.

Frankie appealed to me. Interested me. I love books about feminism, so this was right up my alley here. She's smart and driven. Frankie is the kind of heroine I like. The inner circle was interesting, and Frankie's ways of becoming a criminal mastermind are brilliant. This book shows how women are more than adorable. I really liked this book, both of these drew me in much better than Tithe did.

Currently, I'm reading The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman, and I'm liking it. It's very very slim, so I should be able to finish it today. Then, on to City of Ashes!

Tithe and Holly Black

2008-09-12T19:40:28Z

Today, I just finished this book called Tithe by Holly Black. Here is the description from the wonderfully awesome Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch is not human, but she doesn't know it. Sure, she knows she's interacted with faeries since she was little--but she never imagined she was one of them, her blond Asian human appearance only a magically crafted cover-up for her true, green-skinned pixie self. First-time author Holly Black explores Kaye's self-discovery and dual worlds in her riveting, suspenseful novel Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale.

The novel begins in a bar in Philly, where Kaye's alcoholic rock-singer mother's boyfriend tries to kill her. For their own safety, mother and daughter quickly move back to grandma's on the New Jersey shore where Kaye grew up. This ugly turn of events was all rigged by the Faerie world, as it turns out, a world Black describes in deliciously vivid, if rather overblown, detail. Kaye, a drinking, smoking, foul-mouthed high school dropout in the land of mortals, soon finds herself embroiled--as a human sacrifice, no less--in a battle between Faerieland's Seelie and more malevolent Unseelie courts. The beautiful, mysterious knight Roiben, torn between worlds himself, falls in love with Kaye--the brave, clever changeling--against his better judgment. Throughout the electrifying journey to the horrific underworld of this modern faerie fantasy, teen readers will relate to a hard-luck tough girl who feels alienated, discovers her best qualities in the worst of circumstances, and finally finds a place between worlds where she can feel at home."

It was quite good. The writing is well done, and Kaye is smart and interesting. The romance was amazing and I loved the magical courts. Despite all this, I wasn't addicted, and the story didn't really grab me and took me with it. This is because I didn't relate to Kaye at all. This is probably because I haven't lived with a rock-singer parent. I really liked Kaye, but I didn't relate to her at all. Throughout the story I felt more like someone on the outside looking in then being directly involved with it. Another thing I didn't like was how Black kept on writing "Kaye let out a breath she didn't know she was holding." Nonetheless, a good read. And I will definitely read the sequel.

Wow, it seems like after my vehement love of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy and my vehement hate of the Twilight series, I've been sucked of all strong book emotions. It's alright, but I wonder which book will make them switch on again......

I don't feel like reading the sequel right now, and I don't really know which book to read, so, why don't you guys help me! Whether it's a book you absolutely love and want to discuss with me or a book you've been dying to read and want to know my opinion, vote for it! Please vote! I'd really appreciate it.

These are all books I own (I have a book buying issue too, among others). I'm not going to write descriptions out, if that's alright. I'm sure most of you have heard about these books.

(a) InkHeart
(b) Wicked Lovely
(c) A Northern Light
(d) The Foretelling
(e) Looking for Alaska
(f) Lock and Key
(g) The Nature of Jade
(h) A Book of A Thousand Days
(i) Outside Beauty
(j) The Swan Kingdom
(k) The Vanishing Point
(l) Madapple
(m) The Apprentice's Masterpiece
(n) Aureila
(o) Nobody's Princess
(p) A Curse As Dark as Gold
(q) The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
(r) The Secret of The Rose
(s) This Lullaby
(t) Any book you are doggone passionate about!

Okay, here's the options!
I'm going to give you guys TWO DAYS to vote. I have no idea how I will survive TWO DAYS without a book, but I'm sure I will. There's always short stories and magazines!

By the way, thanks to all the incredibly awesome people who concern themself with my pathetic life. You rock!

My Neverending Love of Libba Bray

2008-09-08T16:53:21Z

Now, I will attempt to explain my love for Libba Bray and The Gemma Doyle Trilogy. I first found out about The Gemma Doyle Trilogy at a bookstore when I was visiting a friend. I saw this awesome looking cover and I love the Victorian Era, so I pick it up and look at the back.

"Gemma Doyle is an island onto herself."

"And the story of a girl who saw another way."

I loved it. I fell in love with the book from there. It was called A Great and Terrible Beauty.

I saw other books that I wanted to read in that bookstore, so when I got to my friend's place, I logged on to Goodreads and placed them in my to-read shelf. In January, I read that book. And guess what? I found one of the very first books I was completely and utterly passionate about. (Journey to the River Sea, Princess Pawn and Stargirl being a few others). The characters were real and had faults. The details were fantastic. The dialogue was amazing and the questions that came to the surface made me think. I was surprised with every twist and turn and the relationships shocked me with their bonds. I was addicted. Did I mention the gorgeous Indian boy? Oh yeah, him too. I went out and bought Rebel Angels because it was on hold at my library. I fell in love with the books ALL over again. It was even better than the first. The suspense, action, suprises, deep questions, dialogue. I could go on and on. And then, the book that really changed my life. It was called The Sweet Far Thing. It changed my perception of the world. I wept and wept and wept over the ending. I loved Gemma and her life. I loved her. And after all that pain. I really figured out that Libba Bray did the best thing for her books. For her readers. For me. She gave us a bittersweet ending, and she gave us something to not just think about, but to act on. To vocally love. And I did just that. I'm still doing that. I'm still figuring out Gemma's life and I'm loving every single minute of it. I see people's illusions easier every single day. I see the masks and I know how everything is grey. Because for those who see, the world waits. And when I can truly see clearly, the world will be waiting for me at dawn.

So, did I do that right? I didn't think I could possibly describe my love for the trilogy. Did I? You tell me! Also, you should probably know I get very spiritual sometimes. You have been warned.

I'm a Book FREAK!

2008-09-07T17:49:27Z

Okay, first off, my life is not interesting. Not book worthy. Nothing like that. I escape into a world where life IS interesting. That world is books. I've loved that world since I was little. Where everything is beautiful, kind, evil, and strong. I love that world to pieces. And I escape into it regularly. I could go on and on and on about my favorite books and authors. I both hate and love particular books with a passion, I force books down my friends throats, and over all, I'm just a book FREAK. Now, reading isn't my only hobby. I love politics and learning tips and tricks about the real estate market. (HGTV and CNN can do crazy things to a person). I love music as well. Evanescence, The Killers, the BOB! (Sorry, I have a Bob Dylan issue), Bruce Springsteen, Natasha Bedingfield, need I go on? I'm also insanely weird, and believe me, the thoughts inside my head are interesting. If not random. I've never had a blog for long. I think the longest I've EVER lasted was a month. I'll give myself a week and see what happens. (Betcha this is my only post for this week). Hehehehe.