Random Remix Pt 2

Prologue:
Yes, I know I write long stuff, animeactress. But it's my nature. I am a rambler. And thanks to Summermoon and anyone else who voted on my poll! I'm glad you liked the song, "Radio". I may post another song or two soon, but I'm not too sure yet. Also, special thanks to hwalk, who finds humor in my writings. I'm still wondering...what part was funny? Was it my Shaniac conversion story? ;) I'm not usually the one making the jokes. I'm usually the one nearly snarfing at lunch time and breaking tables because I crack up too much.

Ch. 1: Polls
OK, so I have four polls. Four. I mean, who doesn't like polls, right? The first is about which fictional character I look like. If you think I look like another character, please comment and tell me who. The second is about which fictional character I am like personality-wise. If my personality is like a different character than the ones I put, please comment and tell me who. I can't wait to see how these will turn out!
So I was inspired by Taiger to write about what I'm writing now. Except that I included a summary. I'm not sure what y'all think of them, so please vote on my poll. Put it this way: all nine of those titles are on a bookshelf. Which story sounds most appealing to you that you would pick it up, take it to the counter, and buy it? Also, I'm stuck on whether to do a book, movie, or CD review. Any guesses as to what book I would review? Or movie? Or CD?

Ch. 2: Tags
I am pleased to say that my "Crazy Kid" tag game is going fine. I've been reading them on our friends' blogs, and I find them hilarious, crazy, amusing, terrific. Thanks to everyone who has been keeping them alive!

Ch. 3: Kiki Update
Kiki's case of Doggy Depression lifted. Hurray! So we like to do voice-overs for her--with an English Cockney accent. It's quite cute, actually. So here was the scene: late afternoon at my house. I'm lying down on the carpet, rather bored, and Kiki decides to lay down right next to me, with her whole fuzzy right arm over mine. And a random thought occurred...
Me: Kiki, are there any vulgarities in your language of Doggish? (I had to repeat this several times, since the voice-over didn't get the cue. I got louder and louder and louder each time.)
Kiki: Oh, yes, we do.
Me: What kind of vulgarities?
Kiki: Oh, well, you know how when you put someone down, you refer to them as a dog? Well, we do the same about humans.
Me: Er, what do you mean?
Kiki: Well, if we don't like someone, we say, "YOU SON OF A HUMAN!!!!!!!"
Me: (cracking up so much that I roll around on the floor) An S.O.H.!
(Kiki then gets up, alarmed. My mouth is open laughing, and then the dog snorts, well, snorts doggy saliva spray.)
Me: AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (continues to scream like Lucy van Pelt from Peanuts, runs to the bathroom, spits out in the sink, rinses mouth) HYDROGEN PEROXIDE!!! CARBON DIOXIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! (commences with a random spurt, then goes to tell my dad the foresaid event, while cracking up the whole time. Afterwards, I bring out one of Kiki's mats, have her "roll" on it, and wrap her up. I called it an egg roll. Then my dad called it a "perro burrito".)
So that was my random day. *sighs* And then I went to play guitar and my fingers were hurting when I typed up some Spanish homework even after 2 or 3 hours later.

What a good day. :D


Lots of Love and Randomness,
bookbutterfly

PS: How do y'all like the video of the week? :)

Random Remix Pt 1

Prologue:
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who read my review, took my poll, and/or left comments. I hope you enjoyed it, and expect more to come. :D By the way, did anyone try what I like to call "Spoiler Q" (named after our genius friend), the thing where you highlight the spoilers and the lettering comes out? When I first tried it right after I posted, I LOVED IT. Very awesome, Q! Also, I wish a Happy Late Easter to everyone! Hope your Sunday was joyful and peaceful!!!!!!!!

Ch 1: What in the eck is Random Remix?
RR, as I call it, is basically random stuff in my life. B/c everyone's life is random, right?

Ch. 2: Did you just say "eck"?
Yes, I did. I have a handy-dandy dictionary of BBian words:

cheese: (cheez) not the food, but a replacement of the word "sheesh"
eck: (ehk) same meaning as a word with those 3 letters but you add "h" to the beginning
eked: (ee-k-t) same meaning as "freaked"; so when I saw "eked out" it means the same as "freaked out"
tuppid: (tup-pid) same meaning as the word with the same spelling, except delete the extra "p" and add "s" to the beginning

Ch. 3: Shaniac Conversion Story
As promised in my PA review, I would tell how I found out about Shannon Hale. It was in the year of 2005. I was hungry for another book to buy (as usual) in those Scholastic Catalogues from school. I looked over one book...the title was...Princess Academy! I briefly read the summary. I didn't really get it, something about tutoring princesses, I guess. I dismissed it and thought it was one of those Disney books that was for 8-year-olds. (The pastel cover fooled me, you see.) Two years pass...my mom assigned me articles to read that summer from Newsweek, one of my favorites being one about Jane Austen. They mentioned something about a book called Austenland or other, something about a lady obsessed with the Colin Firth Mr. Darcy. Sounded funny, but it was an adult book. I didn't put two and two together. A few months pass...I was bookshopping on Amazon like crazy, and then they recommended me several books. Princess Academy, one of them read. A little bell rang in my head, but the cover looked...different. It was darker, had just one girl on it. And I clicked on it, and read the summary. It sounded intriguing, so I added it to my ever-growing wishlist. I wanted to see what other books the author of PA had written, so I looked it up. They all sounded so good, so I immediately added them. A few weeks later, we were going to our fun trips to B&N. I conjured up a list of books on a Post-it, and...couldn't find any of them (I was in the Kids' Section). Except one: PA. And that's how it all began........

Ch. 4: Crazy Things I Did As a Kid
So, I'm going to start my own tagging game.

Tagged by: Me
Rules:
1. Follow this format
2. Copy/Paste the rules
3. State who tagged you and add a link to their blog
4. Write 5 crazy things you did as a little kid
5. Tag 5 people

Crazy Things:
1. I was convinced that I had made up the word "important" and I loved that word
2. I almost electricuted myself when I stuck my mom's tweezers into an electrical outlet
3. I "songwrote" at the age of 3; I watched my mom sing to instrumentals, and I thought she made them up, so I thought I'd be cool and do the same thing. Except that my mom sang words to a real song, and I sang....words to an unknown song
4. The reason why I write with the pen/pencil leaning on my forefinger instead of my middle is b/c I got confused with the fingering when I would watch my parents write. I mistakened the middle for the fore.
5. When I was little, I'd tell my parents "I'm hungry" when I really meant "I'm bored".

I tag: animeactress, Summermoon, Leanna, Taiger, and Anilee.

Ch. 5: Miri Braids
You're probably thinking, now what's she going to say next? You've probably already realized that I'm just like Miri. So I wear braids like Miri to school. And people copy me. And they don't get it. The end. ;)

Ch. 6: Doggy Depression
No, no, not REAL depression. She's just upset for no reason at all. She won't eat. She won't do the usual (ahem). She just sits there on her bed, just giving me a funny look with those HUGE eyes of hers. Too bad dogs can't talk. :(

Ch. 7: What's up with all those artists and videos on the side? And what does CI mean?
Those artists are my favorite singers and bands. I invite anyone to check them out, and, if you do happen to like them, I have included their current singles. Not all singles have videos to them, but I have included at least the song (with help from YouTube). "CI" means "currently inactive", meaning that the artist doesn't have any new stuff from this year. I will also have a Video of the Week. The VotW will always be one of my favorites, so look for it every week!

Ch. 8: Future Reviews
I know, my name is bookbutterfly. But it doesn't mean that I will just have book reviews. I'm not sure whether I should review a book or a movie next (I will eventually do them both), but I'm wondering what you guys want: a book or movie? Also, later this week, I'm thinking of doing a CD review, so expect another new outline soon!

Ch. 9: Country Heart
"Country Heart", or CH, is my writing "company". No, not a real company, just one that I made up. I have a logo and all that, which I'll show later. But I know that several of you have been wanting to read my songs. I'm sure you all know this one:
Hurt
(verse 1)
Everyone feels it now and then
Those times when you wanna hide in a den
You'll wonder how'd I get here, how?
Here's the facts, I'm gonna tell you now

(chorus)
When your heart is broken, you really shatter
When you cry, it feels like rain going a-patter
And when you feel that shot of pain
You know you're hurt, oh, everytime you're hurt

(verse 2)
Try to run away from that tornado
Never be your friend, always your foe
Sure, ther are ways to stow it away
Maybe just for a day

(chorus)

(bridge)
Hurt may break you down, now
But what it don't will build you up

(chorus)

(verse)
Everyone feels it now and then
Those times you wanna hide...
Ooh, you know you're hurt...

The next is one of my favorites. (It has guitar chords to it, which I'll post another time) Obviously, it is NOT based on experience (the only one that really has is "Hurt"). I based it off of Taylor Swift's "Our Song". (I'll include the video for these songs at the bottom) Can you guess the meaning?
Radio
(verse 1)
I sat down, my favorite pencil at hand
While dreaming of having my very own band
Before I know it, words and music are at my fingertips
And I'm singing it along my lips
He looks it over, he's singing it, too
And he says,

(chorus 1)
I'll be sitting here in this kitchen
While you go tourin' cross-country, and I'm all alone
I'll be searching among all that staticky din
For your voice of an angel on the radio, yeah

(verse 2)
Everyone chases their dreams for awhile
Go our different ways, our own miles
Platinum albums, tour buses, too many broken hearts to mend
My microphone is my only loyal friend

(chorus 2)
I just wanna sit in my old kitchen
Instead of touring cross-country all alone
I'll search among all that staticky din
For his voice of an angel on the radio
Radio, oh, yeah

(bridge)
After another Nashville concert, same old, same old
Why do people treat my name like gold?
Heard that voice of an angel say, "Look like you doin' well"
I saw him right there, next thing you know, them wedding bells

(chorus 3)
So when we're in our 100s, we'll sit in this kitchen
While our great-granddaughter is touring cross-country, not so alone
We'll search among all that staticky din
For her voice of an angel, oh, for her voice of an angel, oh for her voice of an angel, on the radio, oh, oh, yeah

Ch. 10: Dancing With the Stars
Does anyone watch this show? I do!!!!! If you do, who are you rooting for, and who do you think will win? I love how they've brought REAL stars on the show, not ones that you've never heard of.

The Best Newbery Book EVER

Before I continue on with my very first review, I'd just like to thank everyone who commented and thought my format was great! I wasn't too sure whether it was too complicated or not, but now I think I should stick with it. Also, special thanks to Q, for giving me the spoilers idea. How awesome is that? Note to Summermoon: you have correctly guessed the book I reviewed! One last thing: please don't expect anything great with my review, being my first. I skimmed a lot on the plot summary, especially in the spoilers section (I missed the main point, but my review was getting way too long, and I don't want to say ALL spoilers), so don't hold your breath. ;) And now, my dear friends, I present to you....

PRINCESS ACADEMY by Shannon Hale

Plot: Miri Larendaughter has been living in Danland’s quarry mountain village, Mt. Eskel, for all her fourteen years. While her widower Pa and older sister Marta head to the quarry to carve out the valuable linder, Miri tends her family goats, as she is forbidden from quarry work. She is convinced that she is of no use to the village, until, one day, it is announced that Mt. Eskel is the home of the Prince’s bride, and all young ladies, from 12 to 17, are to be taught and disciplined in an academy. Miri is unwilling to go, especially since she will be without her family and will no longer see her closest friend, Peder, often. The next day, all of Mt. Eskel’s girls are rounded up and marched to the academy, where Miri encounters several obstacles, including the cruelty of their tutor, Olana, and the unkindness of the other academy girls. Tutor Olana teaches the girls reading, writing, conversation, poise, and diplomacy to name a few, but her discipline is harsh, as she slaps the girls’ palms at the slightest misbehaviors, and locks them in a dark closet if they stand up for themselves.
*SPOILER ALERT!*
Because of these hard times, Miri discovers her gift to read, write, and even quarry-speak outside of the mountain. Quarry-speaking is a form of communication among the people of Mt. Eskel using songs and memories as they chisel away at the linder. Slowly, Miri gains her confidence in quarry-speaking and becoming Academy Princess, the top of the class, which is a greater honor than to be chosen by the Prince! Using her gifts, Miri is able to help her classmates succeed, and reaches her goal of Academy Princess. Along the way, she becomes close friends with 14-year-old Esa, Peder’s sister who has one lame arm; Frid, a strong 16-year-old who is respected by everyone for her family’s generosity; and Britta, a shy 15-year-old lowlander who has a totally different background from the others. After being chosen as Academy Princess, Miri meets the Prince, and is torn apart: does she really want to marry Prince Stefan and become a lowlander, or stay at Mt. Eskel where Peder is? At the climax of the book, bandits invade the academy and hold the girls and Olana captive. But with the help of quarry-speech, Miri is able to call for help to the villagers at home, and the villains are shooed away or killed (to say in the least; this part was written so much better in the book). Afterwards, Britta reveals to Miri her secret: she is in love with the prince, Stefan, and was sent to Mt. Eskel by her father, who faked his death, so that Britta could marry the Prince. In the end, Prince Stefan chooses Britta as his bride; in addition, Miri gets together with Peder, who shares the same feelings as her.

BB Beliefs: This is such a good book, that I can’t even describe it! The characters so real, you feel like you know them; the setting, though fictional, seems so close to home. And the writing is simply beautiful. I wish I had Shannon Hale's lyrical skills and talent in writing, and, if she ever reads this, I’d like to say that I totally admire the quarry-songs at the beginning of each chapter!
Because of PA, I have actual become quite delusional and am now convinced that I can quarry-speak! It is so hard not to like this novel and not get into it. Don’t get me started about how much I love this book! Basically, anyone who is trying to discover who they are and what they’re good at must read this. It is no wonder it won the Newbery Honor, and I am so surprised it didn’t win the Newbery Medal. But Shannon Hale shall soon. Mark. My. Words. And if you’re backing away from reading PA just because of the title, DON’T. I did that for two years,I really did. (but that’s a whole other story, which I might tell in my next post) Lesson learned: Never judge a book by its title. NEVER.

Experiences: In the book, Miri was ostracized by her fellow classmates and was often alone; however this gave her time to study, read, write, and find her inner self. Throughout most of the books, she struggles to be Academy Princess. When I read this book, it was a few months after I had gone through similar events. No, I didn’t have to tend goats at home, or fight off bandits. I had tried so hard to be Valedictorian (or, as you can say, Academy Princess) in the previous year and was in constant competition with several of my classmates. On top of this, I didn’t have the easiest time “fitting in” and meeting new friends, since I was the “new girl” at the time. Luckily, all’s well that ends well, and I did become Valedictorian (yippee!) and I met fabulous, fantastic friends (you all know who you are, and I want to thank you so much for being the greatest pals ever) along the way. So if you ever ask me why I say Miri is like my fictional twin, here is your answer.

Age: This book is appropriate for any age, at the youngest, 9. But if I read this book as a 9 year old, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. The best age to really enjoy PA in my opinion is 11.

Author Biography: Shannon Bryner Hale, born January 26, 1974, began writing since the age of 10. Before earning her Bachelors Degree at the University of Utah and her Masters Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Montana, she studied in Mexico and the UK, and was even an unpaid Mormon missionary in Paraguay. Afterwards, she pursued acting careers in stage, TV, and improv comedy. In 2000, she married Dean Hale, and thereafter had two children: Max (b. 2003) and Magnolia, aka Maggie (b. 2006). The Hales, along with a plastic “pet” pig, live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her works are The Goose Girl (2003), Enna Burning (2004), Princess Academy (2005), River Secrets (2006), Austenland (2007), and Book of a Thousand Days (2007), all of which contain her signature lyrical writing. Shaniacs, LRRH-ers, and Shan-fans alike are anticipating Rapunzel’s Revenge (August 2008, this is a graphic novel), Forest-born (an accompaniment to The Books of Bayern, which are GG, EB, and RS), The Actor and the Housewife (her second adult novel), and an unnamed YA sci-fi novel. To this very day, she entertains her fans with comedy, interviews, and updates on her novels on her blog, Squeetus.

Awards: (with help from Squeetus)
*Newbery Honor Book
*New York Times, Book Sense, and PW Best Seller
*A Book Sense Pick for Fall 2005
*An ALA Notable Children's Book
*2007 Beehive Award winner
*A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
*A New England Booksellers Association Top 10 Titles for Fall
*A Book for the Teen Age by The New York Public Library
*Honorable Mention for "Favorite Novel of the Year," PW's 2005 Cuffie Awards
*Winner of the 2006 Utah Children's Book Award
*A Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year, starred entry
*Nominated for the 2008 Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award
*Nominated for the 2008 Colorado Children's Book Award
*Nominated for the 2008 South Carolina Young Adult Book Award
*Nominated for the 2008 Young Reader's Choice Award, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Library Association
*Nominated for the Illinois 2008 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
*A 2007 DCF Voting Top Ten (Vermont)
*A Salt Lake Tribune Best Book of 2005
*Recommended Reads for Kids 2005 (Dover Community News)

Flowers: Perfect 10! ********** (These are Miri flowers, I promise) This book is definitely my #1 favorite. Period.

Lots of Love,

"Miri's Twin", bookbutterfly

The 101 and 411 on BB Reviews

OK, so maybe tomorrow or so I will be posting my very first review (which is still sort of in the works....and it is still a secret as to what it will be!). The thing is, my reviews are going to be a bit more elaborate than a brief summary and what I thought of it. This is a brief sketch of the layout:

BOOK TITLE by Author Name (there will be a picture of the book cover on the side)

Summary: I'm going to be doing a whole summary of the book, and will include
*SPOILER ALERT*
spoilers with a warning like above. The font will be slightly smaller, and I will put up the spoiler alert when I am speaking of a total give-away of the story.

BB Beliefs: This is the part where I talk about how much I loved, liked, or hated the book. My personal opinions go here. 'Nuff said, right?

Experiences: This is probably a vague title for this section, but it basically means how I found out about the book and how much I, or other readers, can relate to it.

Age: This means, basically, not only what age it is appropriate for, but what age would enjoy this book.

Author Biography: I thought I'd be a little schnazzy and add an author bio. It might be repetitive, b/c I will probably do same authors many times (hint hint...)

Awards: This is the stuff you can probably find on Google, Wikipedia, or on the author's site, but it will look neat if I really liked the book AND it turns out it is critically acclaimed, right?

Flowers: Butterflies like flowers, right? And LOTS of them, too! So a BOOKbutterfly would love novels with more flowers. This is my schnazzy rating system from 0-10 (though I don't think I'd give anything a 0...of course there was one book, but that's another story and I don't want to review it). Anything that qualifies as 10 flowers goes under the "Favorite Books" shelf on Goodreads.


Please let me know if this is too complicated for everyone, because I want my reviews to be enjoyable! Also, check out my poll and Goodreads account! Note to my dear friends who do not have a blog nor a Blogger account: you may now post freely on here, but please state your name so I know who is responding! (Am I asking too much?)

Lots of Love,
bookbutterfly :D

Tag! You're It!

Tagged by Aren of Taiger

Rules:
1/ you link back to the person who tagged you.
2/ post these rules on your blog.
3/ share six unimportant things about yourself.
4/ tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5/ let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

My random stuff:
1. I'd first like to thank Taiger for being the first to tag me
2. My mind is very blank at the moment
3. For vacation, I plan to read, write, blog, LRRH, read, write, blog, LRRH, read, write, blog, LRRH...you get it, right? Must I repeat?
4. I have a lot to say on my blog
5. I think LRRH-ers are awesome, and there should be more people like them in this world. Period. Oh, yeah, and my typing's messed up today b/c I'm typing wrong things. Like just now: I almost typed "tuiping" instead of "typing".
6. I'm a rambler. I could win an award for Best Rambler on LRRH.

I don't know who else to tag, so I'll say...Leanna, Cuileann, mimagirl, maribeth_kayla, Anidori-Isilee, and animeactress (once she gets her blog set up...yes, I'm talking to you, missy otaku!)

PS to everyone: please let me know if I left you out on my "Cool People and their Awesome Blogs" list. I do not want to leave you out!

Hello y'all!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! I'm sure most of you who come here are LRRH-ers, or friends of mine. If you ARE an LRRH-er, you will know that I've been getting around to starting my dear blog. So...here it is! Ta-da! OK, well, I said it was going to be a review blog, and trust me, it will be. But give me some time, and I'll get a review over the weekend, or later this week. Any guesses what my first review will be on?