28. Find a new musical artist a month (6/33) (more info)
I downloaded this last month and meant to post about it… The XX is a band from south west London, England, formed in 2005. I think ContactMusic describes them best:
The XX strip all that is sunshine and lightness out of pop and tarmac over it with a melancholic sheen, making for a sound that is supremely beguiling, haunting and infectious.
Favorite songs from the album XX at the time this was written:
82. Learn 2 new French words and 1 French idiom a week (25/143) (more info)
83. Learn 2 new ASL signs a week (25/143) (more info)
Thank you to Amanda for showing me a list of the 2,000 most used French words… So I’m going to start working my way through it…
French Vocab:
mais (conj) – but : I was going to read, but I watched TV. – J’allais lire, mais j’ai regardé la télévision.
comme (conj)– as/like/how : You are as cold as ice. – Vous êtes comme le froid comme la glace.
French Idiom
à propos de – about; concerning; with regard to
ASL vocab
but – The index fingers begin crossed in front of the chest and then seperate lifting up to two fingers standing straight up. (video)
how –Both hands have B-hands together with fingers pointing out, the wrists then turn flipping the hands so palms are up. (video)
10. Comment on someone else’s blog 3 times a week (more info) (25/131)
I’m sorry I haven’t been posting these! I have been commenting though. I promise! This week I’m featuring apple pie recipes! Hopefully this will inspire me to completed goal 55. Make a pie from scratch :)
- Apple Pie Enchilada recipe from Melissa’s Journey
- Apple Cream Pie recipe from farm to table
- French Apple Pie recipe from fruit tart
They all look so delicious I may have to try them all!!
13. Read 101 books (26/101) (more info)
Rating ****1/2
(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)
I am very glad that I stuck with this book… I’m just not sure how to review it without giving too much away…
Fledgling by Octavia Butler tells the story of Shori. The book begins with Shori waking up in the woods in extreme pain with no memory whatsoever. She doesn’t who, what, or where she is. She appears to be a little black girl of maybe 10, however, Shori is a fifty-three-year-old vampire. A lost child of an ancient species living in symbiosis with humans. Shori is genetically modified, the first of her species to be able to not only be awake during the day but also able to walk in the sun. She is able to do this in part because she is one of the first black vampires.
I think a lot of the magic of the book, specially in the beginning is that you are learning along with Shori. So I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that I think you have to have an open mind when you read this. The story jumps into racism, family, free-will, polyamorous relationships, genetic engineering, sex, and pride. The author created a whole new vampire. I love her take on the mythology. It was different, but it worked. It was one of the most realistic versions of the lore I’ve read.
I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I should write about the part of the book that bothered me in the beginning. I wanted to tell you something that would make it not seem so bad, but I think it’s supposed to bother you. So all I’ll say is don’t give up on it. It may weird you out at first, but it will be ok.
I do highly recommend this book and not just to those who like the paranormal genre. I think that this is more sci-fi/science based than fantasy. And at the bottom of everything it’s really about people and how they treat and think of others.
30. Watch 101 new movies (39/101) (more info)
Rating ***
It was Shane’s turn to pick the Netflix movie so we ended up watching Eagle Eye (2008). It was OK. Not great. But also not bad.
Summary from IMDB:
Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.
The effect were good. The acting wasn’t bad. However, the plot just seemed overdone at this point. Very Terminator and iRobot. It does have the added creepiness of it being more possible than those however. Overall, I’d recommend watching it if you like action movies.
13. Read 101 books (25/101) (more info)
Rating ***1/2
(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)
I am finally getting this review up!! I love vampires. That’s no secret. I had been meaning to start JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series for a while, but it seemed like my local B&N was always out of the first in the series. With Halloween approaching and vampire books everywhere (I love this time of year!) I was finally able to get the first two books in the series. I’m glad I did!!
Dark Lover introduces us to the BDB, a group of warrior vampires whose job is to protect the remaining members of their society from the Lessers, soulless human vampire hunters. If you like a tortured hero, you’ll love this! The first in the series tells the story of Beth, a half-human/half-vampire that doesn’t know she’s about to transition and gets pulled into a battle she didn’t know existed. She is a strong female lead without being overpowering or annoying.
The main brother in the story is Wrath, the only remaining purebred vampire and leader of the BDB. He reluctantly agrees to help Beth with her transition after her father and his close friend is killed.
The book is full of romance, heat, tension, mystery and thrills. The author does a fabulous job at bringing you into this dark world without it being confusing. I would recommend this do those who love a hot paranormal read. I’m hoping to start the second in the series, Lover Eternal later this month.
15. Visit the library once a month (7/33) (more info)
Since I’ve been going to the library more than once a month, I’ll just be posting about the first trip of the month :) I’m very, very excited about his month’s trip!! I went to pick up one book that was waiting and ended up finding a great book and having one I put on hold come in!!!
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey Niffenegger
50. Try 2 new recipes a month (5/33)
58. Learn how to make 25 kinds of soup (4/25)
(I only completed one new recipe last month so I’ll have to do 3 this month to make up for it…)
Last Thursday for FTC we had Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was easy to make and very, very good. Perfect for the gloomy weather we were having! Tara: 8.5/10 Shane: 8/10
2 chicken breasts
1/2 white (or red) onion
1 can diced Rotel tomatoes
1 tsp garlic
6.5 cups chicken broth
tortilla chips
cheddar cheese
optional: cilantro, avocado
- Cook chicken how desired (grilled, baked…) and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Simmer veggies (onion, tomatoes, garlic) in pot until soft
- Add chicken to pot.
- Add chicken broth to pot.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Garnish with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, and avocado.
So I’ve hit the six month mark (already?! WT*?!) and I’m in a little bit of a slump… I know how to fix it!! More lists!!
…Before I get into that I would like to say for the record that I have completed some weekly goals that I normally blog about (commenting on blogs, yoga…) and didn’t post about it. Why? I don’t know. On to the lists!!
I’ve become slightly obsessed with Google Docs. I’ve created forms/spreadsheets for my blogging communities, for Up For It (see here), and for my book blog (see here). So why not try to use it to get back on track here?
I’m going to pick at least 5 goals to focus on each month. They’ll go in a spreadsheet linked in my toolbar at the top of Firefox where I can look at it regularly.
So what are they for November? (see the spreadsheet here)
- 08. Keep up with My Day in Six Words blog – complete
- 12. Read 10 books off of the “1001 must read” list – 1 book
- 13. Read 101 books – 5 books
- 19. Complete 3 short stories or poems – 1 short story/poem
- 31. Watch Arrested Development, BSG and Freaks & Geeks – finish Arrested Development
- 39. Do yoga 4 times a week for 6 weeks 10 times – all 4 weeks
- 43. Run in the morning once a week for 6 weeks twice – all 4 weeks
- 71. Find 10 caches a year – 5 caches
13. Read 101 books (24/101) (more info)
Rating *****
(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)
I don’t give books five stars very often. Actually this may be only the second time I’ve done so (the first was The Time Traveler’s Wife). This isn’t because I don’t love books, but because I’m afraid that if I give one book five stars and then read another book I love more… then what? I did not question giving Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli five stars. I LOVED this book!!
She was trying to get herself discovered for the movies.
She was sniffing fumes.
She was homeschooling gone amok.
She was an alien.
Her parents were circus acrobats.
These are just a few rumors surrounding the newest student at Arizona’s Mica Area High School, Stargirl. She wears odd costumes, decorates her desk, and pulls out her ukulele in the cafeteria to sing to fellow students. She dances in the rain and laughs at nothing. In a place where being normal is necessary for social survival, she doesn’t care about how different she is. We meet Stargirl through the eyes of Leo who becomes entranced by her charm. It’s not long before the rest of the student body falls for her and starts mirroring her weird behavior. She is loved by everyone. “It was a rebellion she led, a rebellion for rather than against. For ourselves.”
Unfortunately all doesn’t end well… soon people are baffled by her showing up at funerals where she knows no one and even worse, cheering for the other team at sporting events. That doesn’t stop Leo from falling in love with her. He says “she was bendable light: she shone around every corner of my day“. But things soon get worse. The silent treatment the school is using on Stargirl flows over onto him. He must choose between being with Stargirl and remaining shunned by the student body.
The book is fairly short (only 186 pages), but it moved me. It made me want to dance in the rain and send cards to strangers. It made me want to be more unique. More me. I cannot wait to read the sequel to this story, Love, Stargirl. PLEASE read this book!
* counted towards: 101 Books, 24 Hour Read-a-Thon, & A-Z Books
