Everlost, the limbo land of dead children, is at war. Nick the "Chocolate Ogre" wants to help the children of Everlost reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Mary Hightower, self-proclaimed queen of lost children and dangerous fanatic, is determined to keep Everlost's children trapped within its limbo for all eternity. Traveling in the memory of the Hindenburg, MAry is spreading her propaganda and attracting Afterlights to her cause at a frightening speed.

Meanwhile, Allie the Outcast travels home to seek out her parents, along with Mikey, who was once known as the terrifying monster the McGill. Allie is tempted by the seductive thrill of skinjacking the living, until she learns a shocking secret: Those who skinjack are not actually dead.

I highly recommend this book called the Everwild~!!!!

Delirium--final update

I finished it!  I was surprised at how much I liked it.  I had a feeling it would be more of a love story, and while it certainly has that in there, it seems more to be about Lena (the main character) learning the truth about her world and herself, and about making choices that can and do affect you for the rest of your life.  Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. 

Delirium update

So the main character, Lena, has met (surprise!) a boy named Alex.  You can tell tell where this is going--they are flirting and dancing, but Lena thinks it's fine because Alex has already been "cured."  She thinks. 

He finally tells her he is not cured; in fact, he is an Invalid from the Wilds--where people who can not be cured or refuse to be cured are.  All of this I expected.  Here's what I didn't expect:  Lena freaks out.  I thought she would instantly fall into his arms and they would be in love and some major drama would occur when it's time for her to go in to be cured.  But no.  She freaks out.  She is as afraid of catching "love" as I would be of catching the plague.  And she runs from it just like I would run from the plague. 

I expect that she'll end up falling for him in the end (there is a second book, after all), but I find it interesting that when you are taught to believe in something--whether it's good or bad is in the eye of the beholder--you really, really, believe in it.  And that's scary because who is to say who is right?  Or wrong?

ROOM chapter 3

So I just started reading chapter 3 of  "Room". So far, Ma got in  a fight with Old Nick, so Old Nick cut the power and they had cold water and no heat and light.During that time, Ma told Jack about her family on the outside. Her mom, dad, and her brother Paul. After three days he turned the power back on, but it wasn't enough for Ma. So she devises an escape plan. Her plan was to pretend Jack was sick, so Old Nick would take him to the hospital and Jack could tell the doctors where his mom is. But the plan backfires, because Old Nick refuses to take him to the hospital. But Ma had already come up with a plan B. What is plan B? we will have to wait and see....

Nuns and murder mysteries

I know it seems like an odd combination, but Aimee and David Thurlo made money from it in their Sister Agatha series.  I'm not Catholic, but there is something about the juxtaposition of convents alongside murder that makes me read them.  Kind of like a car wreck--we don't like that one has happened but we still slow down to stare.

The Brother Cadfael series of murder mysteries by Ellis Peters is equally as good.  These are set in medieval times, which makes me like them a bit better (just because that's my favorite part of history).

But my FAVORITES in the religion/murder-mystery category are the Sister Frevisse series by Margaret Frazer.  The Novice's Tale (which is a pun on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales) was the first one I read.  It too is set in medieval times in a convent. 

Animoto videos

The next time you have to create a project for school, ask if you can use Animoto.  Your teachers will be amazed.  :)

Here is the video on Poe's "Cask of Amontillado."  Turn up your sound!

http://animoto.com/play/oWeIRzJLmZqKcX5N1aSe5g

If you would like to play around with animoto (maybe create a book trailer?), go to animoto.com and sign up.  You can use my promo code when you first register:  a4ebrod21db70.  That will allow you to make longer than the free 30-second videos.  Let me know if you have questions or need help!

Delirium

Delirium (by Lauren Oliver) is the book that Alina had recommended in our first few days together.  I'm about 1/3 into it, and it is fabulous.  If you've ever read The Handmaid's Tale or Matched, it is sort of like a combination of those two.  Love is considered a disease, and everyone gets "cured" when they are 18.  It's an interesting way of looking at love, but also at the way of how we deal with the chaos life brings us.