Musing Monday: Gifting Books to Children

This week, Rebecca asks:

Do you buy books as gifts for children – either your own or those of friends or family? Would you buy books for all children, or only children who are already practiced readers?

Yes I do buy books for children, depends on what their interests is. For the younger ones who are already practiced reader, I ended up with the "must read basic literature" books. For the beginners, I ended up giving them books that actually tune to their own taste in interests.

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Comics Reading Log

1. Batman Confidential #27 - May 31, 2009
2. Beyond Wonderland # 3 - Aug 23, 2009
3. Epilogue #4 - May 31, 2009
4. Hexed # 3 - May 31, 2009
5. Star Wars: Legacy - Aug 23, 2009
6. X-Men Legacy - #222 - Aug 29, 2009
7. X-Men Origins: Sabretooth # 1 - Aug 28, 2009
8. xxxHolic # 1 - Aug 29, 2009
   
9. Young X-Men #8 - Aug 28, 2009

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Oh! Words!

Anomalous
1. : inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected
2.: of uncertain nature or classification b : marked by incongruity or contradiction

Promenade
1 : to take or go on a promenade
2 : to perform a promenade in a dance

Rendezvous
1 a : a place appointed for assembling or meeting b : a place of popular resort : haunt
2 : a meeting at an appointed place and time
3 : the process of bringing two spacecraft together

Scoot
1. to go swiftly or hastily; dart.
2. to send or impel at high speed
3. a swift, darting movement or course.

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Wednesday Media Mix

Click HERE for the Wednesday Media Mix


Play along with the Media Mix by either leaving your answers in the comment field or posting them in your blog and leaving a link.

[Listen] What song/group of songs would you use as a backdrop to your nightmares? Do you ever actually have songs playing in your head during your nightmares? Immortal by Evanescence

[Watch] What is your favorite documentary? Any Ancient Egyptian related

[Read] As a child, what was your most memorable character in a book? Aslan from the Narnia Chronicles

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Teaser Tuesdays

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The shadow grew long as we walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit

~pg. 231; The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)

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Musing Monday: Stand-alone books or Series?

This week, Elena asks:

Do you prefer to read stand-alone books, or books in series? Do you stick with a series the whole way through or stop after the first instalment? Are there any particular series you enjoy?

I am at most in love with Series, but I do mostly read stand alone book even far more than series itself. It is hard to find good series and when you do find one, it always comes to an end when you least wanted it to. Plus the annoyance of a missing book in a series. lol

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Book Review: The Lightning Thief; By Rick Riordan

Somebody gave me this book as a gift because mythology genre happens to be in my favorite lane (other than horror and such).

My first impression was “Err… lightning? Zeus??” Yes, it was that straight forward sort of book. Honestly said, I wasn’t really feeling it in the beginning. The hook wasn’t fast. It took me a while to actually love this book. In fact, it was a slow read for me.

But it actually pick up pace around 10 pages after or so. Hence, giving this book a chance really was worthfit since it ended up as a page turner, and on my favorite books shelf now.

It’s hard to admit but yes, there’s some character crushing going on here for me. *tee hee* Ares is still… yum. Though his kids are not. I actually expected some handsome heirs there. I be looking forward to reading more “Ares” in this series. Regressing. I found myself sinking into this world of Camp Half-Blood. Holding my breath as Percy fight, run, facing conflicts, and actually wanting to thwap lovely Grover. Though, half of the time, I actually picture Grover as that lovable monster from Sesame Street. (Don’t you miss that?) Annabeth is lovely in a naive way. She’s a strong character and I do wish more of her.

So if you hadn’t read this book, You better pick this up! I’m serious!

Updated P/S: I am so extremely glad I’ve read this before the movie came out. God! The movie reeks the book! seriously. What happened there? It’s like it wasn’t base from the book itself. *Argh!* It was another book to movie blunder! I was disappointed!

First Sentence. Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

Quote. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
By Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

finished reading : 20th August 2009
rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
genre } fiction | children | mythology | fantasy | juvenile 
release day }  April 2006
publisher } Disney Hyperion Books 
format } paperback
isbn } 9780786838653
pages } 377 pages
source } gift
age group } 12+
interests } reluctant readers | middle graders | 9 yo+  
awards } American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book (2005)
Get Your Copy } Amazon.com | Kindle

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Teaser Tuesdays

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Morgan saw the girl with fangs outside her car window - a Japanese girl with long shiney blond dreads - as soon as she woke up. She had fallen asleep soon after she's arrive at the campground.

~pg. 154; Betwixt (Tara Bray Smith)

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Book Review: The Doll in the Garden: A Ghost Story; by Mary Downing Hahn

I have nothing but love for this book. It’s just like a classic ghost story, that brings that old school horror feelings. It is beautifully written and if you like to introduce your young readers to the horror genre, this would be one of the perfect book for the, 

The Doll In the Garden
By Mary Downing Hahn

When Ashley discovers a turn-of-the-century doll it is just the first of several puzzling events that lead her through the hedge and into a twilight past where she meets Louise, an ailing child whose beloved doll has mysteriously disappeared.

Finished Reading: 14th August 2009 (library copy)
Acquire: 17th March 2011
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Children | Mystery | Paranormal | Ghosts
Release Day }  June 2007
Publisher } Sandpiper
Format } paperback  
ISBN } 9780618873159
Pages } 144 pages
Source } borrowed / bought
Age Group } 12+
Interests } teens   
Awards } Mark Twain Award
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon | Kindle

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Fiction Read Since... 2009: The Masterlist!

Bruce Coville
I Was A Sixth Grade Alien
1. I Was A Sixth Grade Alien
2. The Attack of the Two-Inch Teacher

Dan Greensburg
Zack Files
1. My Great-Grandpa's in a Litterbox

Deborah Howe
Bunnicular
1. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

J.K Rowling
Harry Potter
1. The Philosopher's Stone
2. The Chamber of Secrets
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. The Goblet of Fire
5. The Order of the Phoenix
6. The Half-Blood Prince
7. The Deathly Hallows

Jane B. Mason
The Princess School
Who's the Fairest?

Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2. Rodrick Rules
3. The Last Straw

Jim Butcher
The Dresden Files
1. Storm Front
2. Fool Moon
3. Grave Peril
4. Summer Knight

Jodi Picoult
My Sister's Keeper

Kai Meyer
The Dark Reflections Trilogy
The Water Mirror

Katherine Applegate
Roscoe Riley Rules
4. Never Swim in Applesauce
5. Don't Tap-Dance on Your Teacher

Laura Joffe Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give.)

Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events
1. The Bad Beginning
2. The Reptile Room
3. The Wide Window
4. The Miserable Mill
5. The Austere Academy
6. The Ersatz Elevator
7. The Vile Village
8. The Hostile Hospital
9. The Carnivorous Carnival
10. The Slippery Slope
11. The Grim Grotto
12. The Penultimate Peril
13. The End
The Composer Is Dead

Mary Downing Hahn
The Doll in the Garden
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story

Melissa de la Cruz
The Ashleys
1. There's a New Name in School

Neil Gaiman
Mirrormask

Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson & The Olympians
1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian

Stephenie Meyer
Twilight Saga
Twilight
Eclipse
New Moon

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Teaser Tuesdays

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

You told me to bury the box and you begged me not to open it. You thought Anna Maria was a dead girl!.

~pg. 51; The Doll In the Garden (Mary Downing Hahn)

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Musing Monday: Favorite publishing house

This week, Rebecca asks:

This week we have a library meme courtesy of Mizb17

Do you have a favourite publishing house -- one that puts out books that you constantly find yourself wanting to read? If so, who? And, what books have they published that you've loved?

I don't have a favorite publishing house. But if I have to choose, most of lookign forward to publishers for me are the Scholastic, Roc, Puffin, Random House, HarperCollins and some I can't even remember. My school library profit generously (by means of patrons) from buying these books, and I must admit, I enjoy reading their books. Roc however is more of a personal favorite since they have published Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Huzzah!

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Meme: Unconscious Mutterings,

1. Death :: Ray


2. Identified :: Candy


3. Saturday :: night


4. Dumped :: site


5. Division :: split


6. Stilted :: aside


7. Crimes :: done


8. Stumped :: by?


9. Future :: screams
   


10. Team :: games

makes you wonder why I'm messed up this week huh?

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Teaser Tuesdays

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“Why would I take your towel, Dad? I don’t shave.”

Just then, the door swung open. I could not believe my eyes. There was Chester, with Mr. Monroe’s towel draped across his back and tied under his neck like a cape.

~pg. 38; Bunnicular (James Howe & Deborah Howe)

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Musing Monday: Library Habits

This week, Rebecca asks:

This week we have a library meme courtesy of Mizb17
P/S This is going to be weird, since I actually work in one *tongue in cheek*

Library Habits meme:
1) If you don't frequent your local library, why not?
2) If you do visit the library, how often do you go?
3) Do you have a favorite section that you always head to first, or do you just randomly peruse the shelves?
4) How many books are you allowed to check out at one time? Do you take advantage of this?
5) How long are you allowed to have the books checked out?
6) How many times are you allowed to renew your check-outs, if at all?
7) What do you love best about your particular library?
8) What is one thing you wish your library did differently?
9) Do you request your books via an online catalogue, or through the librarian at your branch?
10) Have you ever chosen a book on impulse (from the online catalogue OR the shelves) and had it turn out to be totally amazing? If so, what book was it, and why did you love it?

1) If you don't frequent your local library, why not?
Publicly I do not frequent my library that much regardless working as a librarian. I am pretty much content reading my own school library books and my own to read. I've got to finished what I have first right?

2) If you do visit the library, how often do you go?
Um.. every single day, since I work in one. I only go visit to a public library once a while to check out the books there, and check out some that I like to read.

3) Do you have a favorite section that you always head to first, or do you just randomly peruse the shelves?
I like to go through the young adult section first and then I go check out the rest of the place.

4) How many books are you allowed to check out at one time? Do you take advantage of this?
5 Books maximum. I ended up using my unused parents cards to check out 15 books at once. Greedy little imp I am.

5) How long are you allowed to have the books checked out?
2 weeks maximum! =D

6) How many times are you allowed to renew your check-outs, if at all?
Twice...

7) What do you love best about your particular library?
um.. the library where I work is homey lol. The public library... I say the books. They update their magazines very quickly.

8) What is one thing you wish your library did differently?
The whole design thing. doesn't look homey. But if only we have the budget :(

9) Do you request your books via an online catalogue, or through the librarian at your branch?
Through the Librarian, online access isn't working yet :(

10) Have you ever chosen a book on impulse (from the online catalogue OR the shelves) and had it turn out to be totally amazing? If so, what book was it, and why did you love it?
Yes!! I think it was The Book Taster. I actually picked it out because it looked like a "Dead Book" (A term we librarians use to name a book where nobody has touch for a long while. It came out into a wonderful story.

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Friday Filled ins

And...here we go!

1. It's time for me to finish some of these books.

2. Public places; it's not a bad place for reading books.

3. I must be exhausted.

4. My fiance is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My life is simply complicated.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was when my fiance told me about that one day.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to marrying him, tomorrow my plans include watching some movie and Sunday, I want to relax!

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