Showing posts with label Michael Crichton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Crichton. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Liebser Award a Zillion Times Over

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post lately; I was away from wi-fi for a while, and for the past week I was super busy interning with a kid's writing program. Now, I'm sick in bed, so I thought I'd take the chance to finally write this post. I really should have posted before now, because I've been nominated for the Liebster award by four different blogs! I'm very happy about this, because the blogs that nominated me are among my favorites, and it's really an honor. I'm also happy that so many blogs have nominated me. All and all, I'm very happy about this. For the Liebster award, you write 11 facts about yourself, answer 11 questions by the blogger who nominated you, and pass the nomination on.

Facts about myself:
  1. I recently got a pixie cut - I was wary at first, but I love it now. 
  2. My favorite thing about blogging is other bloggers. This means YOU!
  3. I watched Godzilla v. Monster Zero last night, and it was awesome in a totally campy way. 
  4. I dislike the number four.
  5. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be the Swiss Alps. 
  6. I love animated movies.
  7. I made a list of stuff I want to do by the end of the summer. It has things like "ride the freaky upside down ride at the fair", "tie dye stuff," and "stage a flash mob." 
  8. I love love love to dance. I will never forgive my mother for not getting me dance lessons when I was five years old and told her it was my life's ambition to become a ballerina. 
  9. Nowadays, since I can't be a ballerina (thanks, Mom), my life's ambition is to travel the world. 
10. I've recently become kinda addicted to Polyvore. Is anyone interested in book-related fashion sets? 
11. I have a collection of stuffed and ceramic skunks. 

(I've decided to only answer three questions from each blog that nominated me, to keep this post from being waaay too long)

Ella from Gorilla Legs - This blog is always so fun to read. It also wins for best blog name, hands down! 

If you could go back in time, where would you go?
The 1920's! 
What  book are you currently reading?
Congo, by Michael Crichton, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, by Meg Medina (who I got to meet through my internship!), Till We Have Faces, by C. S. Lewis, and I'm listening to Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett (as an audiobook). 

If  you were trapped in a vat of food, and had to eat it to get yourself out of there, what food would you want to be trapped in?
Mmm... Maybe potato chips? It's so easy to eat large amounts of those things. Strawberries would be nice, too. I also like the idea of a vat of jello, just because I think it would be fun to smush around in while I ate. 

Cecily and Gwendolyn from Their Harangues and their Fancies - A terrific blog about nothing in particular - always cool, fun and interesting. 

Hidden Talent? 
I can ice skate fairly well. 
Favourite place in your home country?
Silly Brits with your weird word-spellings...it's spelled favorite
New York! I haven't been there in quite a while, but I love it and I'm beginning to get a hankering to go back...
If you were guaranteed success in any career, what would you do?
I'd become a writer, which is what I plan on doing anyway. 


Chloe from Rhinestone Moon writes all about high fashion and is pretty awesome in general. 

Who was your first music obsession?
When I was about four or five, I loved Christmas songs. Don't judge. 

Who is your favorite designer?
Dior! I love his "New Look." 




What historical character living or dead would you hang out with?
Instead of Gandhi or someone like that, I think I'd be somewhat shallow and choose Louise Brooks, flapper icon and my all-time favorite actress. 





Tara A. From Unlocking Pandora's Box - what's with all the awesome blog names? Seriously, though, check this blog out!

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Ramona Quimby! My roommate at camp recently told me that I reminded her of Ramona, and I consider it one of the biggest compliments I've ever received. Roughly 80% of my childhood was spent wishing I was Ramona, so now I feel my childhood wasn't spent in vain. 
Traditional books or Ebooks? 
Traditional!
Spicy of bland food? 
Spicy!

I pass the nomination on to:

For My Own Satisfaction - http://formyownsatisfaction.blogspot.com/
Contemplating the Complexites - http://wastelandsofwisdom.blogspot.com/

My questions: 
What's the best prank you've ever pulled? 
What do you like most about blogging? 
A book that made you think for days:
Do you like to keep things messy, or clean? 
If you had an infinite amount of money, what would be the first thing you'd buy? 
What's your favorite movie and why? 
What's your favorite book and why? 
A guilty pleasure: 
If you could be one person, living or dead, for a day, who would it be? 
Something insanely cool that the rest of the world needs to know about? 
Something that makes you really, really mad? 



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Book List!

          I'm very sorry I've taken so long with this post. I would tell you that I've been busy, but that's a pathetic excuse, and besides, "I've been lazy" would be more accurate. To make up for my laziness, I'm going to write a whole lot of mini-reviews on the books I've been reading lately.


Sphere, by Michael Crichton:
 I have to admit, I love science fiction. Michael Crichton, who wrote the original Jurassic Park novel, is terrific. Sphere is engrossing, creepy, and thought provoking: exactly what a good sci-fi novel should be. I love the premise, too - the military ships a group of scientists down to a research station in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where an unmanned spaceship encrusted with centuries of coral was discovered. It's not the spaceship itself they have to worry about, though, it's the mysterious and otherworldly sphere they find inside. 

   

Grendel by John Gardner and Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney:
Frankly, I expected Beowulf to be dry and incomprehensible (I had to read it for school), but Seamus Heaney's brilliant translation proved me wrong. It definitely wasn't an altogether easy read, but the poetry was so deliciously rich that I couldn't help but enjoy it. John Gardner's modern novel, Grendel, takes the monster antagonist of Beowulf  and digs into his thoughts. It's completely different from the original epic - it focuses on the psychology and emotion of the monster, whereas Beowulf only highlights heroism. 




The Diviners, by Libba Bray
I have a weak spot for all things 20's. Louise Brooks, art deco,  and those beautiful dresses... can anyone lend me a time machine?
The Diviners takes place in 1926, so when I saw it at the library, I had to get it. It's a dark and spooky book filled with serial killers, cults, magic, and flappers. I especially liked the characters - the author gives you plenty of details about each one, and allows you into their heads. The second book in the series should come out sometime next year.
Be forewarned, though, it's pretty hefty!