Mini-Blog: United State of Pop 2009

Ok, there's this guy on the internet, DJ Earworm, who makes amazing mashups of songs, and here's his 2009 Mashup.

It's a mashup of the top 25 songs of 2009 and it's great! It's called United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It On The Pop). Click on the link and listen!

United State of Pop 2009

Your Music Lover,
Nadia

Overdue Book Reviews: Part Two

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy BlundelFeed by M. T. Anderson
1984 by George Orwell
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
Death By Latte by Linda Gerber
Death by Denim by Linda Gerber
Dead Is The New Black by Marlene Perez
Dead Is A State of Mind by Marlene Perez
Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez
Stolen Voices by Ellen Dee Davidson
Night by Elie Wiesel
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

Death By Bikini
"A fun, sexy, murder-mystery romance for all teen sleuths!

Aphra Behn Connolly has the type of life most teenage girls envy. She lives on a remote tropical island and spends most of her time eavesdropping on the rich and famous. The problem is that her family's resort allows few opportunities for her to make friends—much less to meet cute boys. So when a smoldering Seth Mulo arrives with his parents, she's immediately drawn to him. Sure, he's a little bit guarded, and sure his parents are rather cold, and okay he won't say a word about his past, but their chemistry is undeniable. Then a famous rock star's girlfriend turns up dead on the beach—strangled by her own bikini top—and alarm bells sound. Is it too great a coincidence that Seth's family turned up just one day before a murder? As the plot thickens, Aphra finds that danger lurks behind even the most unexpected of faces."

Once you read the synopsis, the first 90 pages are pretty predicable.

I really like all the characters. Seth is smooth, funny, nice, and believable. Aprha is a very strong character, she's smart, and very realistic.

The plot is original and believable. It's VERY hard to put the book down.

8.2 stars out of 10.

Death By Latte
"It was only a few weeks ago that Aphra Connolly's life changed completely. She had been living a quiet existence on her father's secluded island resort, until Seth Mulo turned up and stole her heart . . . and provided information that led her to find her mom in Seattle. But the reunion isn't quite what she expected. Aphra's mom, Natalie, doesn't seem happy to see Aphra, and Natalie's boyfriend, Joe, insists that Aphra go home. Even worse, Seth shows up, only to ask her to return the ring he gave her the previous summer. At least Natalie's hunky neighbor is sympathetic. But when Joe is found dead at a nearby coffee shop, Aphra discovers her whole trip to Seattle has been based on a lie. And now someone just might be trying to kill her. . . ."

I still love the characters and they're still original and realistic. It's still very original, but I didn't find the book as hard to put down as the first book, at least not until the end. I had the book open and read it pretty much every time my science teacher paused during the end. It put me on the edge of my seat

Death By Latte definitely did keep you guessing. Linda Gerber did a great job with that.

At some points, Aphra does some dumb things, but you don't hate her because the character is so likable.

7.9 Stars out of 10!

Death By Denim
"Aphra Connolly is being chased by some very dangerous people. She knows her survival depends upon staying far away from love interest Seth, and listening to her mom's lectures on the finer points of anonymity and survival. But how is a girl supposed to live under the radar and not think about her boyfriend when she's in Paris—the most romantic city in the world? When her mom's contact in Paris is found floating in the Seine with a deadly message stuffed in his mouth, Aphra realizes that she will never be able to stop running unless she confronts the situation head-on. Sneaking away from her mom, Aphra tracks down the criminal mastermind in Italy, only to unwittingly reveal Seth's location. And her mistake has just put them both in mortal danger. . . ."

I really liked this book. It kept me interested. It was fast-paced. There was so much character development in this, and it was realistic. The book was pretty unpredictable. The end was pretty satisfying, but also suggests that there's going to be another book, so it also builds up a lot of anticipation. I really liked this book, and it made me love Seth even more.

8.7 Stars Out Of 10!

Hope that helped!

Your Reviewer,
Nadia

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Thank you everyone for your valiant efforts to stop the menace, Claus. As far as my knowledge goes, Mr. Kringle did not steal my diabolical plans. He might have photocopied them and then put them right back, however, but let's hope he didn't.

Anyway, which plan did you use that worked so effectively?

Also, I'd like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakah, and have a wonderful New Year's Eve--which is one of my favorite holidays. To be more general, have a good winter!

Your Friend,
Nadia

How To Capture Santa

I have realized that I asked you to capture Santa Claus without giving you anything to work with. How could I ask you to put effort into something without actually helping you to help me?

And so, here are some TOP SECRET and FOOLPROOF way to KEEP SANTA from getting my DIABOLICAL PLANS. (I feel that saying things loudly and putting them in caps makes them more true.)


Foolproof Plan #1
Poison the cookies and milk. Simple as that. Now, I'm not saying that you need to go out a buy some arsenic--which could result in injury, what with all those elbowing, crazed last-minute shoppers. You could lace the milk with an entire bottle of Tylenol or mix bleach in with the cookie batter. Feel free to be creative with this one!

Foolproof Plan #2
Leave the fire on. Santa will land on it and will either a) burn to a crisp, b) fry/grill for ten minutes, at which time you should begin to marinate, c) burn his feet so badly that he just can't bear to go on, or d) form a crippling fear of fireplaces therefore at the next house he knocks down the door, is caught by the police and is sentenced to a lifetime in jail. You can hardly rule the world from jail, now can you, "St." Nick?

Foolproof Plan #3
Set mouse traps around the tree and fireplace. First of all, they'll hurt like crap and he's likely to yelp, which will awake you. When you wake up, you will run down the stairs and take him down the old fashioned way.

Hopefully, all, that has helped you a bit and you will all help me with stopping that menace.

From Your Future World Dictator,
Nadia

Beware of Santa!

As my long-time readers know, Santa Claus stole my diabolical plans that I was going to use to take over the world.* He, of course, used them to control his elves--who are really just little enslaved children.* In January, I began drawing up some new, revised, and ever MORE diabolical plans to take over the world. And silly I, "forgot" my huge steel safe at the mall when I "dropped" it on the guy who was trying to get me to buy a cover for my phone at his kiosk (which probably would have been a good idea, in hindsight, seeing as my phone is pretty much an unrecognizable lump of metal because of all the times I've dropped it). So now, my diabolical plans are unprotected!

These super diabolical plans would be disastrous in the right hands! When they were with me, they were in the wrong hands, and I plan on using them in the suitable manner of using them to help me take over the world. Santa's hands are also the wrong hands, yet the right hands as well. Santa will inevitably take over the world with my plans, and he'd rule all wrong and disgrace my work! Also, how much would it suck if I came up with the amazing plans that I made and had it snatched away from me when triumph is so near?

Anyway, since I can't let Santa take my super diabolical plans, and I have no means of securing my plans, I need YOU! Since Santa lives in the North Pole, he's going to drop presents (which have mind controlling substances in them--MY mind-controlling substances, in fact!) in the homes in Europe, Russia, Greenland, Canada, and the northern states of America first.

So those of you who live in any of those places, I need you to set up traps and CAPTURE SANTA CLAUS! (Beware of his elves, though! They're notorious ankle-biters.) Otherwise, he'll take over the world, and that would be very bad.

From The Future Ruler of The World Who Is Counting On You,
Nadia

*Read this to find out what I'm talking about.

Concert Pt. 2

More videos of the Paramore concert at the Ryman Auditorium! (Sorry, that's all that'll load at the moment.)

New Moon Review

I went into the movie theater on November 20th and I was convinced I was going to hate it, but then it was awesome.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Robert Pattison sucked a bit, but when they showed him in Brazil, he was acting well...but that was only for about four seconds...

The fight scene was pretty cool, but I think I'd have liked it better if they hadn't let it out for people to watch beforehand.

Nobody really got any better at acting, unfortunately, but Taylor Lautner pulled in all together and made other people look good, too.

If 'Twilight's' rating was a -6, then 'New Moon' was an 8 or 7. (It's a range of 20 (-10 to 10))

From Your Reviewer-Type Person,
Nadia

Overdue Book Reviews: Part One

I've read a lot of books lately and I have yet to review them, and that needs to be rectified. And so, it shall be rectified in this post.

In this post series, I'm going to review the following, and the ones in purple are the ones I will review in this post:

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Feed by M. T. Anderson
1984 by George Orwell
Night by Elie Wiesel
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
Death By Latte by Linda Gerber
Death by Denim by Linda Gerber
Dead Is The New Black by Marlene Perez
Dead Is A State of Mind by Marlene Perez
Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez
Stolen Voices by Ellen Dee Davidson

What I Saw And How I Lied
Synopsis: When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him . . . until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two. As she begins to realize that almost everything she believed to be a truth was really a lie, Evie must get to the heart of the deceptions and choose between her loyalty to her parents and her feelings for the man she loves. Someone will have to be betrayed. The question is . . . who?

This book is probably one of the best books I've ever read. Evie is a good and believable character and [MINI SPOILER AHEAD] she only does one dumb thing, and in the end it all makes sense and there was actually purpose behind Evie doing that dumb thing [MINI SPOILER OVER].

The entire thing is extremely believable and well-written and there's some awesome character development, and everything Ms. Blundell writes feels real. You really do feel with the character. Not only that, but this is no standard chick-lit novel. It has very deep meaning, and I highly recommend this book. There's a reason it got a National Book Award.

9.8 Stars Out of 10.

Feed
Synopsis: Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains. For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.

The end of that synopsis pretty much sums up my thoughts on the book. It's pretty realistic. Don't read this book, though, if you're a word-prude. The F-word and Sh-word comes up at least one time for every page.

However, it really does make you think. It's well-written, but not in the same way most books are well-written, and it works for this book, because it's placed in a time of intellectual decline.

8 stars out of ten.

1984
Synopsis: Orwell's final novel, 1984, is the story of one man's struggle against the ubiquitous, menacing state power (“Big Brother”) that tries to dictate nearly every aspect of human life. The novel is a classic in anti-utopian fiction, and a trenchant political satire that remains as relevant today as when it was first published.

It's a futuristic novel, but has none of that crazy technology that's in other futuristic novels. It's really interesting, and believable.

Warning: Do not read this book if you are not a patient reader. It spends a little while describing settings and people, and spends no time explaining what exactly is going on, at least not in a straightforward manner.

This may be described as a psychological thriller, or perhaps even a romance.

I was completely intriuged by it, and I loved the ending, though most people wouldn't.

8.9 Stars Out of 10.

Yours Quite Untruly,
Nadia

Awards, Music, and Concert Pt. 1

Awards

Dahlia passed on some awards to me, and first I just want to say thanks, second, I'm going to pass them to you guys.


Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.




This award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendship through the blog world.
Rules:
-Nominate 10 bloggers you feel deserve the Humane Award

Rules: Link back to the person who gave you the award. Nominate up to 10 bloggers who are deserving of the award. Display the award on you blog.





Humane Award Goes To:

-Missy
-Holly
-Orchid
-SimplyShy01
-Lanna

The Lemonade AND Friend Awards Go To:

-Missy
-Holly
-Orchid
-SimplyShy01
-Lanna
-Maria
-Princess
-Chrissy

Music

I know I'm a little late, but I've finally discovered Death Cab For Cutie's album, Narrow Stairs, which is awesome. Bixby Canyon Bridge is really good and deeply meaningful.

Also, you should still listen to I've Got Nothing by ChartJackers.

Concert

Here's a video of Paper Route, Paramore's opening act.



Here's one of Taylor Swift, of whom I am a big fan, walking in between acts.


I'll download Paramore playing soon.

Your Blogger Person Chick,
Nadia

ChartJackers

I don't know if you've heard of the ChartJackers, but it's a band consisting of YouTubers. YouTubers made the band, song, and music video collaboratively. It's really cool. Their song is called "I've Got Nothing." It's a cheesy pop song, but it's catchy, and here's why you need to buy their song:
-They want to see how far in the charts in can get. On UK iTunes, it's #16. On BBC radio's chart, they're #36. It's only been out for a bit over a week, so that's awesome.
-ALL of the money they make off of this song goes to charity, so that's pretty cool.

This is a great use of YouTube, so I suggest you go on over to iTunes and buy it, get other people to buy it, request it on the radio, all that supportive stuff.

Here's the music video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYDRWXjJlB4

Mini-Blog: Wallflower

Am I the only sit-on-the-sidelines, watch and listen, blend in with the background type of girl here?

Please respond in some way.

Paramore Concert

Ok, so yesterday I went to the Paramore concert in Nashville, and it was AMAZING! The opening act, Paper Route, they were great. I really liked their music.

And Paramore... They are amazing performers. And you know how sometimes people sound worse live than recorded? Yeah, it definitely wasn't the case here. Hayley sang even better, if anything. It was so exciting! No one ever sat down, and I can't think of one song where the audience was quiet.

And we got to hear a bunch of songs not on the album and a song they did with Paper Route, Here In Tennessee (that's their hometown), which has been stuck in my head all day.

Not only that, but guess who was in the audience. Taylor Swift! I was really cool. She was a couple rows ahead of me and to the right. By the way, she is REALLY tall. Like, 5'10''. (I don't know if we all have the same standard of 'tall.')

It was just an awesome concert, and I will post videos and pictures once I find the adapter.

It was SO worth the 5 and a half hours of driving.

-Nadia

Mini-Blog: Eep! 'Hiest Society' Cover!

Lookie! It's the cover of the new book, Heist Society, by Ally Carter, coming out in late February.

There's an excerpt posted on Ally's blog, and the comments have been turned back on for a bit so that she can get feedback. Awesome!

When I first saw this, I didn't know what it was, and I thought it was an Audrey Hepburn poster. Anyway, it looks awesome. The model looks awesome, and the reflection in the big, cool, sunglasses was a nice touch.

It doesn't draw the eye much, but the cover is still awesome.

I love it!

Four Months Until Heist Society,
Nadia

Student Council Elections

Hey guys! Just a little update on my life.

I'm running for Student Council Treasurer, which is great.

What's not great is that I'm running against one of my friends... I wonder how this will turn out.

Sorry to myself, but my money is on my friend. She's a bit more "popular" than I am, and as we all know, it's all one big popularity contest. I mean, do you really think that one smelly, obnoxious kid is going to win President just because he's got some good ideas? Please. It helps if you have some good ideas, but it'll only help one choose between one popular person or the other.

Well, I'll continue this rant when the results come out.

Vote For Nadia!,
Nadia

Books and Music and Other Stuff

I started reading the Pecry Jackson and The Olympians Series. I love it! It's so good, and the characters are very original and real. (Yes, I did just call the children of Greek gods "real.") I just finished that last one and I very much like the ending, but I wish the series wasn't over. But thankfully, Rick Riordan is going to write a bit of a spin-off series about the second generation of 'demigods.'

Unfortunately, that series will most likely be the last one I'll be able to choose to read. The eighth grade Language Arts teachers are giving us assigned reading now. So far I've read Lord of the Flies, Diary of A Young Girl, Romeo & Juliet, and now I'm on 1984. It's pretty good so far. For my 1984 project, I'll be writing a "lost chapter"/"deleted chapter" from the book. And you know what else? I'm 201 pages in, and I've yet to use SparkNotes! Whoop!

The new Paramore album, "Brand New Eyes," came out the other day, and it's great! I like Turn It Off the best. I'm going to the very last concert of their new tour in November.

Did you know iTunes is now charging $1.30 for each song, but only $9.50 for an album. It's outrageous!

I got a new bike! Now I don't have to ride a 9-year-old bike with the seat higher than the handlebars! (It used to belong to my older sister.)

Ok, that's it.

Your Blogger Person,
Nadia.

Hamburger Helper Hand

Do you guys know that one misshapen clay talking hand that pops up in the backs of people's cars and forces them to consume his food? Yeah, well I'm a bit terrified of that hand.

I mean, who knows! It might come out of your pantry, where you store your boxes of Hamburger Helper stuff, make its way upstairs as you sleep, and kill you with kitchen knives!!! On top of that, it teleports! That thing can grab your arm and telepeort you both to Mars! While this would be great for NASA, you would die unless, of course, you like to walk around in a pressurized suit, complete with oxygen tank. And you know what else? The Hamburger Helper Hand can't even die, 'cause it's made of clay!

As if it could get any worse, the food could easily be poisoned by him. And frankly, the Hamburger Helper food isn't even that good.

Is that rational?

Your Irrationally Frightened Friend,
Nadia

Why The Librarians Hate Me

You see, in the summer of 2008, my friend (Chrissy, a.k.a. Twilight Girl from Twilight Girl's Stuff, formerly Observations) and I went to the library. We headed for the Teen's Section and completely wiped it out. She got twelve books, and I got thirteen. They were due in August. I returned four in September/October and renewed the others. They were due in early November. Guess when I returned the other nine.

July, 2009.

I just dropped the books in the book drop, but I don't think I'm allowed to get anything from the public library until I pay off my debt of (lemme calculate. The equation is (.25 x 9)(9 x 30)+4. Because it's 25 cents a day, for nine books. That times nine months times thirty for the thirty days in the months. That plus four for the months with 31 days.) SIX HUNDRED ELEVEN DOLLARS AND 50 CENTS????

I didn't see that coming. I was expecting something more around $100.

So, as you can imagine, the Ladies of The Library and I aren't on very good terms...and I'm afraid of going in there...and I still have one more book to return which has so far added $7 to my debt.

Yeah.

And that, my dear readers, is why the librarians don't like me.

Your Overdue Blogger,
Nadia

A Life Lesson Learned The Hard Way

Life Lesson: Even if the assigned reading is only 200 pages long, don't wait two days before the deadline to read Lord of The Flies. I promise you that it will be boring, therefore you will read it slowly. In the end you will be awake at 1:39 am, finishing the last, disappointing chapters, barely comprehending a word.

Also, if anyone tells you that the book ends in cannibalism, don't get your hopes up. They're liars.

-Nadia

Mini-Blog: Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison

Very Good. Not my favorite, but it was better than most of the books in the series. The drama wasn't as petty and childish as usual, but still petty and childish.

Out of All The Clique Books: 9 Stars.

Out of All The Books Ever (that I've read): 7.6 Stars.

Sorry, I'm just terribly sleepy.

Your Tired Blogger,
Na-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

P.S. Don't question my logic! Of COURSE I can post this after falling asleep! I'm just awesome like that!

My Absence And A Movie Review

Wow...

Have I really been away for so long? I haven't added a post in about three weeks! That's something. It's felt like forever!

Okay, now onto explaining my web silence. Well, it's summer and I've been hanging with friends, and I was on a family vacation, so yeah. And I have nothing to say on here at the moment, and I didn't feel like wasting our time.

But now I have something to say!

It's a mini-movie review of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince!

I saw it on the 15th for my birthday party, though my b-day was earlier this month, and I thought it was great. (Note that it's "great." and not "great!")

The acting was better than usual, and though they didn't keep to the book much, it was mostly better for it. I was very disappointed when [SPOILER AHEAD] in the end there was no huge fight scene, which is sad, because I was really looking forward to it [SPOILER OVER].

The pacing was a bit messed up in the second half. There wasn't enough Dumbledore. There's more Harry-Ginny interaction, which I liked, though it was kind of weird.

This will only make sense to you if you've read all seven books: While in the Room of Requirement, they messed up by never showing the Diadem of Rawena Ravenclaw.

Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman were all GREAT!!!!! (Note the exclamation point.)

[Small SPOILER AHEAD] The scene in the cave was perfect. [Small SPOILER OVER]

Um... That's all I have to say for now, so...

Your Movie Reviewer Blogger Chick,
Nadia

P.S. Next post will involve book reviews.

Mini-Blog: R.I.P. Billy Mays/Summer of Death

Dedicated to Billy Mays.

Was never a big fan of his, but he's died and he deserves a post.

What's with all the deaths??? I think it is The Summer of Death. So watch out.

Maybe The Summer of Death is led by Santa. Maybe he's sick of how long his list is, so he's decided to shorten it. Either way, WATCH OUT OR THE ELVES WILL GET YOU!

Your Blogger,
Nadia

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

This Blog Post Is Dedicated To Michael Jackson, The King of Pop

As I'm sure many of you know, yesterday Michael Jackson died of a heart attack.

Whether or not you liked him, you have to aknowledge that he's... Well, Michael Jackson! King of Pop! He was--Nay, IS-- a huge musical influence in the world, and I regret his loss (a sentiment not shared by many others, I am sad to say). Let's have a moment of silence in respect of the dead.

...

Moment over.

Now, I must warn you that if you speak ill of the dead, they WILL haunt you. Do you really want that? Do you REALLY want the ghost of Michael Jackson to haunt you? Imagine that with me, please.

You'll wake up in the middle of the night to see the image of the translucent, floating King of Pop? Freaky, right? But as if that isn't enough, but you won't ever stop hearing "Thriller" and the characters of the music video will torment you in your dreams. You'll commonly see a flash of white out of the corner of your eye, whip your head in that direction, only to see that there is nothing there. You'll end up doing this about 1001 times, then you will promptly tell somebody about these hauntings because you think they can help, and whomever this is will promptly wrap you in a straight jacket and send you to a padded cell, from where you will never leave because, please! MJ won't let you off the hook that quickly! Then, boom! Before you know it, you'll have spent your life there, and have died singing "Billie Jean."

Yes, all that just because you wanted to make an MJ joke. It's not worth it. I promise. JUST DON'T MAKE THE JOKE! STAY ABOVE THE INFLUENCE!

Your Blogger,
Nadia

Double Negative INP and Book Reviews

If you've read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, you should be pretty familiar with INPs. An INP stands for Imaginary Neglected Positive.

If there is an A in front of a word, it means the opposite of the word. Like, biotic and abiotic. The word agreement must mean the opposite of greement. But then again, disagreement means the opposite of agreement which has the same meaning as greement, so disagreement means greement and disagreement is a big double negative...but that's debatable, since greement is just an INP. But I've decided to believe in INPs. So it's not debatable by me.

Um...ok. That was short. I feel like I should be saying something else...erm... Any ideas?

"Nope! No ideas! Just finish this post early! Please! Write no more!" says that annoying reader who hates me but still reads Nadia Murti's Crazy Little Thoughts.

You know what, odious reader? I will FIND something to talk about, just because of that!

Ooh! You know what I'm going to do? Review!

I just finished A Little Friendly Advice and Audrey, Wait!

A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE by Siobhan Vivian
For the first half of this book, every time I went back to read it, it felt like I was doing some chore, you know? I just really didn't want to read it. Towards the second half of this 248-page book, I started liking it more, but I wasn't exactly addicted to it and it wasn't really a "page-turner." However, it was still good. It's not a good "Just For Fun" book, but it's a good discussion book. Also, it's all very relatable. Most people know what's it's like to not be able to trust a friend, or not know whether or not you should. And I'm sure lots of people know what it's like to have a broken family. So, yeah, I'd recommend it.

7.2 Stars out of 10!

AUDREY, WAIT! by Robin Benway
This book, you may have heard, is very funny. But of course, that's not all there is. There's also romance and friendship and growing up. And all the characters are SO unique and original! Robin Benway makes her readers love Audrey's love interest, which was amazingly refreshing, since in the last couple books I've read I can't imagine why anyone would like the person that the main character likes. It seems that authors are forgetting the art of making your readers love the love interest. It's sad. But Benway hasn't forgotten. Yay. And you know how sometimes a character does something so stupid that when something bad happens to her as a result you can feel no remorse for her? Well, that doesn't happen. I mean, bad things happen because of things she does, but you love Audrey so much that you can't think she's stupid--you just have to take her side!

Yeah....it was an awesome book.

8.5 out of 10!

Sorry if those reviews didn't help or make sense--I'm hungry and can't think straight.

I'm off to food!

Your Blogger,
Nadia

60 Best Books and 40 Best Comments

I promised a Top 100 List, and you've got it. Thank you, Michaela, for all the suggestions.

I've decided to do a Top 100 Best Books List.

Okay, never mind. 100 books is too hard. How about 60 Best Books and 40 Best Crazy Little Thoughts (Comments).

TOP 60 BEST BOOKS

#1-Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
#2-Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter
#3-Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
#4-A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
#5-Wicked by Gregory Maguire
#6-Ophelia by Lisa Klien
#7-A Charmed Death by Madelyn Alt
#8-I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
#9-Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
#10-Something Wicked by Alan Gratz
#11-The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
#12-The Giver by Lois Lowry
#13-Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
#14-Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors
#15-Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
#16-White Is For Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
#17-Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
#18-The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
#19-Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy by Ally Carter
#20-Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
#21-13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
#22-How To Be Bad by Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, and E. Lockhart
#23-The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong
#24-Devilish by Maureen Johnson
#25-Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
#26-No Rest For The Wiccan by Madelyn Alt
#27-Girl Overboard by Aimee Farris
#28-The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
#29-New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
#30-Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
#31-And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
#32-Blue Is For Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
#33-The Truth About Truman School by Dori Hillestad Butlter
#34-Breaking Up by Aimee Friedman
#35-Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
#36-Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison
#37-You Don't Know Me by David Klass
#38-Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
#39-Breath My Name by R. A. Nelson
#40-P.S. I Loathe You by Lisi Harrison
#41-Silver Is For Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
#42-Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
#43-Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
#44-Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
#45-Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen
#46-Graveyard Moon by Carol Gorman
#47-Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
#48-Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
#49-Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
#50-Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
#51-The Finnish Line by Linda Gerber
#52-Pardon My French by Cathy Hapka
#53-Red Is For Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz
#54-The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
#55-Evermore by Alyson Noël
#56-Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
#57-The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew Series #2) by Carolyn Keene
#58-The End (Series of Unfortunate Events #13) by Lemony Snickett
#59-Messenger by Lois Lowry
#60-Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

What I did here was take every book I've read (and remember the plot of) off my shelf and put them in order of how much I liked them. If I sometimes put an entire series as one item, it's because I didn't remember what happened in specific books, but I remember the main point of the series.

TOP 40 BEST CRAZY LITTLE THOUGHTS

I agree with you about zombies. The only thing that worries me is that zombies may want to enslave the human race, but lets not let that get us down! -Vampire Girl

You can't be any weirder than I am, I think nerds are hot (especially computer guys :) -BookSnob

When my socks disappear it's probably just because my sister stole them. >:|
But that still leaves the question of what happened to my sister's socks that made her need to steal mine? -Dahlia

Nadia, I have found your blog to be refreshingly funny.:D -Dame Orchid

I never had any imaginary friends when I was little. I wanted imaginary friends, I tried to make some, but I always forgot about them after about fifteen minutes. I think I even felt silly making people up.
It's kind of strange how unimaginative I was about that considering I'm a writer now. I think of a new character at least once every three weeks, even if I don't have a book planned for them. In fact, I probably have more imaginary people running around my mind now than I ever did as a child.
But I agree with you about them being good. I think that may have been part of why I wanted one so much. I really like the friends on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I think my favorite is the one that lived in the toy chest from the movie that premiered around Thanksgiving.

Man, I'm really long-winded today. -Dahlia

My theory is if I don't make a New Years Resolution, Then I can't break it.
My New Years Resolution this year is not to make a New Years Resolution (at all). -Dame Orchid

If fire really does hate water, it's not because they are opposites, it's because water kills fire. Sort of like how people hate poinonous snakes and spiders, or people with peanut allergies hate peanuts.
Well, that's how I see it, anyway. -Dahlia

So far I think you have the coolest first job. -Dame Orchid

Nadia, you're nuts! :) I honestly don't want to know who your victim was, because they are probably being carted off to a mental home right now.
Later.
P.S. Could you come to my house ? There's this guy.... -BookSnob

Spirit Fingers in their peripheral is also very effective. :) -21

What kind of toy is a bendaroo anyway??? The only way it could be fun is if the wax really was magical. But even then it would still be lame. :P -Dahlia

Magical wax, I'll have to start working on that. After I'm done with economy. -BookSnob

(This is one part of a comment.)
How serious is 'or else'? (or else I'll steal your boyfriend, or else I'll your stalk you, or else I'll tell the world, or else I'll eat your cheeseburger, or else I'll blow up your dog.) -BookSnob

That reminds me of the episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends where Terrence imagined a pizza friend... and then ate it. D: -Dahlia

That reminds me of the episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends where Terrence imagined a pizza friend... and then ate it. D: -Dahlia

Poor baby Nadia, how dare Disney! :)
When I was about that age, I was watching Gatorade commercials (you know the ones where the people sweat purple or red or lime green sweat.) So one day, my Grandpa took me and my sister to a golf course and told us to choose a drink. I chose a beautiful lavender (that tasted pretty terrible.) So I was sweating, and I was sweating, but it wasn't purple. I was soooooo sad (but not as sad as when my dad took me Ice skating and I didn't skate like on TV, that was sad.)
Your not purple and not a pro ice skater,
BookSnob -BookSnob

Luckily, I never used that term (okay, I probably used it once).
And I don't think the horror of monkeys in a barrel is anywhere close to the massacre on the minds of the youth that is known as High School Musical. *cringes*

I love Mario Kart!!! -Dahlia

Leaping leamurs Nadia!
Seriously, the Department of Homeland Security ought to hire you to inform them of the growing threats made in China and sold in Walmart.
Later. -BookSnob

Hey, don't diss V-Day candy! I love it!!! And everyone knows that holiday candy (even for stupid holidays) has magical properties that make it NOT go straight to your hips (it takes a detour first. Hehe. XD).

Your post was still funny. -Dahlia

So true, so true!

Oh, and yes the girls that I was talking about in my last post did actually fight, but they used books and other items as weapons against each other. But the fight didn't go on for long.

Have a nice day :)!

P.S. My verificatin code is 'fulasted.' It sounds like a vocabulary word that my English class will have someday. -SimplyShy01

I haven't read that book let alone any of the books from the Clique series. But I've seen the movie The Clique many times and it's great! The Clique series sounds good, I should read it someday.

Have a nice day :)!

P.S. I've noticed that you have 157 visitors from the U.S. and 1 from The United Kingdom and Italy! Congrats! -SimplyShy01

I don't plan on reading the Clique Series, but their titles make me laugh. -Dame Orchid

You know, you shouldn't accuse someone of being a leprechaun. Leprechauns living among humans are very protective of their secret, and sometimes resort to violence when they feel that secret is at risk. D:
I'd watch out if I were you. >_> -Dahlia

Whoa! You just may be right! Either that, or that is just one really big coincidence!

By the way, you write very well!

Have a nice day :)! -SimplyShy01

LEPRECHAUN! -BookSnob

(I love awards! I won't post the link this person posted, though.)
I've nominated you for the I Love Your Blog Award!!! Visit the following link to get your award! -Dahlia

Your blog is awesome! Awesome blog=awesome award. Total awesomeness.
By the way, I love the title "However long I chose to keep this up here quote." sooooo funny! -BookSnob

Well your blog IS awesome. That's a cute pic too!

btw, thanks for nominating mine! I know I haven't kept up enough... -Missy

That is so funny! And really cool. The nerdy ones are the smart ones... and I'd rather be nerdy than dumb. -Missy

The cell mate thing was hilarous! I swear! But who's your cellmate? Mine is Patrick :)

-Tes -Tesnim

That's great to here! I believe that I'm deticated to a story that I'm writing too! We have another thing in common!

Have a nice day :)! -SimplyShy01

Haha :]]

Don't feel bad :] I only have 13 pages and i have been working on it sence Thanksgiving!

Good for you for starting it up again!

Maybe you and i will be famous some day, and go to a castle in Ireland like Ally and some of her friends did! -Holly

Happy writing anniversary!!! XD -Dahlia

Seven o'clock: "Happy birthday to you..."

Holly: Count me in!

Nadia: Congrats! I'm sooooo envious... I'm only 15 pages in after two months.
I like to think of it as every typed page as two book pages (if the type size is right) I'm not sure if this theory is right. I write on weekends (which some times conflicts with school projects, study for science and chores, so I don't always get to it.) -BookSnob

I gave you a Sisterhood Award. See my blog for more information.

Have a nice day :)! -SimplyShy01

I feel loved >.>

Haha :]] Jking
Thats really kool -Holly

You think I'm great? Thank you! You too!

You definitly deserve the award!

Have a nice day :)! -SimplyShy01

Nadia,
What is BEDA? I looked it up on line and it came up with (I kid you not) Binge Eating Disorder Association and The Bureau of European Design Association.
So either your into European design or bingeing. Hmm, I'm pretty sure you don't mean either:)
Later. -BookSnob

Sigh. I'll be a good girl and wait (although it might kill me:) -Anonymous

Cool! (And I'm glad you're not bulimic:) -BookSnob

Yeah, I left a rambling comment on her post when I saw it. :]

I agree with you, to an extent but I don't think authors should tone down the use of the word immortal because immortal doesn't mean invincible... it doesn't mean that something can't be killed, it just means that they COULD live forever - which vampires can (well, you know, if they weren't fiction and all).

The dictionary definition of immortal that she gave does describe vampires, it doesn't say that immortals CAN'T die, it just says they're exempt from death and vampires are exempt from death (exempt - "free or released from some liability or requirement to which others are subject"). Dying isn't something vampires *have* to do, like it is for humans. -Lanna-Lovely

I had no idea my little post would spark a whole new post from someone else. *_*

And yes, I did mean hunters that hunt vampires (like Sam and Dean from Supernatural). -Dahlia

Lol, I can see how that may be scary.

I'd be freaked out living with a ferocious beast in the middle of no where.

Have a nice day :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01

Haha
Nice :]] I love it

Yea, there is a video of me, where i'm about 3 i think, and I have a HUGE blue puffy as all coat on. it was snowing like crazy in Concord (It's ok to say where i lived, because we don't live there anymore) And i was trying to get up the steps, but i though I had to use my head. Yea, it was embarrassing.....

Love!
-- Holly -Holly

I don't remember that show, but it does sound scary for a kid's show!

And as Dahlia said, Where are their parents? -Missy

Hehe, it was funny near the end when you kept saying you wanted to leave and it just kept asking questions. Evil computer. -Dahlia

I agree with Dahlia.

The conversation does sound quite interesting and entertaining, though.

Have a nice day :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01

I can agree, but I think that Angelina Jolie could beat Anne Hathaway.

Have a nice day :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01

I think I've only posted one pointless post. So I think it's safe to say I don't have the BEDA Crazy. :D -Dahlia (Or is it?)

I feel so bad for you! Watching an annoying, talentless brat with an identity crisis is the worst kind of torture known to man, in my opinion. Like, worse than Chinese Water Torture. D:
I'm glad to see you lived through it. You should get an award. ;) -Dahlia

That's so sad! I would be so upset if animals didn't like me (not saying they like me a lot, but they certainly don't hate me).

I wouldn't worry about camels too much. Everyone says camels are mean. -Dahlia

Wow. At least cats/kittens like you!

Have a nice day :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01

I totally agree with you.
I'm not a total tomboy but girls can really piss me off. Dude friends are better. -Kate Awesome

I'm not sure if I should be offended or not. -Dahlia

I really couldent agree with you more.

But some girls (like you and my self) are different. We're strong :]
I don't nag (and i bet you dont either)
I HATE gossip ( I bet you do to)
I don't really care about what i look like and what other people think of me.
I'm not obsessed with cloths. I hate shopping.
I'm trustworthy..or people tell me i am.
And they are annoying!

God...there WEIRD!

I agree with you :]

-- Hol -Holly

Interesting, I find some girls quite nice. But I do agree, some girls can be such brats and suck. I think that especially describes some of the High School girls.

Basically, not all girls are like that. I know a big amount of girls that aren't like that. Yet, I have heard and seen in movies girls like that.

It's kind of confusing I guess.

Have a nice day :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01

I hate all of her music. She's annoying and isn't a good singer. I also hate American Idol, it only brings bad (talentless) things into the world of music. >:P -Dahlia

well having created this show with my mother..we certainly didn't intend to scare anyone..and most people find it rather peaceful..it's just a fantasy of a little kid...have a nice day... -Mickey Paraskevas

*gasp* NO! No! No! Swine flu is horrible and has unfortunately, killed some people.

I can't believe you have it! That's horrible! I hope they (doctors and such) come up with a cure, quick!

And I'm also very sorry that your friends aren't good friends (what's what I understand from what I read).

If you can, please get better!

Have a nice day, hon :)!

-SimplyShy -SimplyShy01 (It's nice to know that people would freak out if I got a deadly disease. And I also eventually got it.)

you're not the only paranoid one...I think my sister might have the darn thing...so just incase I've taken upon myself to isolate her =))... -Maria

I completely understand...i don't like the Jonas Sisters-oops-Brothers...but they can be funny.... -Platinum Princess


You may be asking why I didn't number those. Well, I can't pick favorites AND I'm sure that's over 40.

I have just one question, however...

WHERE HAVE ALL MY COMMENTERS GONE?

Seriously! Whatever happened to BookSnob, or Missy, or Maria, or PlatinumPrincess, or Dame Orchid, or Holly, or SimplyShy01 and everyone else?! (Dahlia still comments most of the time, though.)

*Gasp!* They must've been taken in by the evil Dancing Vampires-Turned-Zombies That Hide In Your Closet! Or maybe Swine Flu got 'em! Perhaps it was the barreled monkeys! Or they were abducted by aliens! Did all the animals in the neighborhood decide that they hated BookSnob/Missy/Tesnim/Maria/Chrissy/Roe/Michaela/Orchid/Holly? Wait! I think I've got it! Santa and his elfin slaves got them! My God, I didn't realize he'd put the plan he stole from me in motion so soon! (Okay, sorry, I don't think I'm quite coherent at the moment.)

ANYWAY!

Your List Loving Blogger,
Nadia

Picture Change And 100

Yes. I am finally changing my profile picture. It was this,

But now I will change it to this,


His name is Mr. Devious and expresses who I am in his deviousness. Do you SEE his pipe?!?!

And perhaps you may be asking yourself why I am changing my picture NOW. Well, as you probably don't notice, this is my HUNDREDTH POST!

Cue the confetti, Jimmy!

Yes. I have a little lackey named Jimmy who has been waiting at the ready to drop the confetti since November. What, you didn't get one when you made a blog?

I've decided to change the picture every 100 posts. And in some more commemoration, soon, I will post a "Top 100."

A "Top 100 What," I do not know. And that's why I'm asking YOU

I could put all the post in order of my favorite to least favorite! But that would be boring.

Top 100 Books on my shelf? Nah.

Well, since I'm obviously not creative enough for this, I need YOU! (Ha ha! I sound like Uncle Sam in all those posters calling us to action.)

So, please leave comments with what you want me to do for my Top 100.

Your 100-Post-Old Blogger,
Nadia

3 Reviews

Okay, last night/this morning (it was 2:30 a.m.) I finished Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover. I wanna review that one first.

DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER by ALLY CARTER
This book, in a word, is breathtaking. It had everything! It was fast-paced, it kept you guessing, there was a little bit of romance (not nearly as much as there was in the other books), there was so much [realistic] character development, and it was all so EXCITING!

But I noticed that I couldn't find three of the mini-excerpts in there. I couldn't find "Someone grew up." or "For such a sunny day it was dark under the bleachers; for such a screaming crowd the noise seemed very far away." or "Yes," I replied, reaching to grip his bicep."

Also, there was one editing mistake which always angers me greatly. It said

My throat felt strange. as I said it.

SO aggravating, but at least there was only one.

And, as promised, all the danger is real. It all felt real, too. Ally Carter is such a good author! She had me crying for the last 30 pages! (And I'm not the crying type.)

Yeah, so if you haven't read this book, YOU NEED TO! This is probably now my favorite book EVER!

9.5 Stars out of 10!

DEVILISH by MAUREEN JOHNSON
It was a good book. I liked the characters (especially Lanalee). I'm a little sad that they didn't go more into things about Lazuraus Fields, and more about how demons work, and such, but the book was still understandable without these things.

I recommend this unique book, although there were a few editing errors.

7.7 Stars out of 10!


GENERATION DEAD by DANIEL WATERS

This book was very unique. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but that's because it was better. I really like Adam's character, and Pete's perspective was interesting. I wasn't so happy with the ending, though.

Oh, and the editing was terrible. Once they did one of these numbers (I'm making up the sentance because I forgot the original one):

She took a deep breath There were screaming people everywhere.

And this:

...?," she said.

Isn't that SO annoying???????

8 out 10 Stars!

Your Obsessive Reader,
Nadia

P.S. The next reviews will review Audrey, Wait!, An Abundance of Katherines, A Little Friendly Advice (why so many A books?), and The Luxe.

'Tis Better To Have Loved And Lost Than To Have Never Loved At All

It's a common phrase: "It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all."

What crap.

I'm sure that anyone who has felt heartbreak would rather have never loved at all. Although, I think how the love was lost makes a difference.

So, say the love was lost to death. Then, MAYBE, it would seem UNDERSTANDABLE to not wish you never loved, but much of the time, this phrase is crap.

But if you broke up, then I'm sure you'd wish you never loved at all.

Why would anyone be happy to wallow in woe and sorrow? If you could go back in time and change falling in love with someone who you were going to eventually split up with anyway, wouldn't you do it (hypothetically)?

It's like going back in time to warn yourself not to do something very fun because you'll end up in a full body cast. It's the logical thing to do! So why would anyone say, "Hey, that minute before the bungee cord snapped was so fun, it was worth the year you're going to have to spend in this cast!" Sitting there in the hospital bed, I'm sure that you'd then find someway to hit whomever said that over the head with a bat, club, or lamp, despite your broken arms.

And it's the same thing with heartbreak!

Do you agree? Do you think it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, or it's better to have never loved at all than to have loved and lost?

Your Blogger,
Narnia*

*It's a nickname.

P.S. Lots of book reviews coming up!

Enchanted Blog Award

Dahlia gave this to me a while ago and I forgot to post about it.

First of all, thank you very much for awarding me, and I love that picture.

1) Say who you got it from (with links!)
2) Post the picture.
3) Award it to up to nine people (with links!)
4) Alert those people

My People:

Holly at "Gallagher Girl"
Chrissy at "Twilight Girl's Stuff"
Maria at "Coffee, Ink, and Blood"
SimplyShy01 at "I'm Just Shy" (A Private Blog)
21 at "The Everchanging Lives of 13 and Co."

Congrats!

So Bored...

I am very bored. All week, I've been stuck inside the house with nothing to do, since I'm sick. I've played Boomshine (world's best game ever), checked my email, read blogs, read most of How To Be Bad (by the way, I need to find it...), and watched two Scooby Doo marathons. What now?

Any ideas?

Also, sorry for not blogging much lately. My blog juices are low. Is there anything in particular you think I should blog about?

God, how do people do this? I'm telling you right now, I'm going to HATE retirement. My brain is turning to mush! And while this has been a great chance to practice my piano* and write a little, I'm kinda' hating this.

Your Bored Person,
Nadia

*

I know, I can't sing.

Retarded Fortune Cookies

I got two of world's worst fortune cookies today (don't ask why I took two).

Here's what they said, verbatim.

Your talents will be recognized and suitable rewarded.

You are very expressive and positive in words, ct and feeling.

I have many problems with these fortunes. Let me list them.

The First Fortune:
-The grammar fluke aggravates me strongly.

The Second Fortune:
-It's not even a fortune
-What is "ct?"
-What's with the "in words" add-on?! What's that supposed to mean?

Everyone else at the table got slightly normal fortunes, but no, I had to get the retarded fortune cookies.

Oh, by the way, I think I have swine flu. Can't be sure yet.

Also, I just finished Evermore by Alyson Noël. Yeah...I'm not so in love with it, and it doesn't entice me to read any of her other books. However, I will read the next in the series, Blue Moon. Not even because I'm curious or interested, though. No, Ms. Noël couldn't even do that. I care not for any of the characters or what becames of them. I didn't guess anything about anything, because Alyson could not make me care. At all. I'm going to read the second book to give her another chance to get my attention, to give us a better climax, a better plot, more believable characters, and get us to feel with the characters. Yeah, so overall, the book wasn't very good. It also reminded me WAY too much of Twilight, which then just made it seem unoriginal.

5 Out Of 10 Stars

Your "Fortune" Getting, Sick, Reader of Not-S0-Great-Books and Blogger,
Nadia M.

Swine Flu Reigns: Captain's Log: Day 2

I went to school today.

The auditorium, usually teeming with life and the various sounds of the petty conversations that pre-teens engage in, was dead silent and nearly empty.

There are 360 people in 7th grade at my school. Only one hundred came to school today. Of course, this is the natural reaction when there are 14 cases of swine flu in the county, eight of them in your school.

And something not everyone knew: This swine flu is the same sickness that killed thousands upon thousands in 1918, then called the Spanish Flu. The subtype for both these diseases are H1N1.

It seemed that everyone was handling it differently. Some scoffed. Some used it as an excuse to miss school. Some were paranoid and cautious (enough to wear a surgical masks to school). Still others joked around about it, wearing pig noses, and coughing their way to the fronts of lines, saying, "Hi, I'm from _____ Middle School," which caused all to scatter. It's actually pretty funny.

For some reason, the principal refuses to close school. Perhaps it's because we're already 2 weeks behind. But it matters not whether school is closed or not, because with every day (that is to say, with every new case), 50-100 less people are attending school (not that it matters, since there's hardly any school left in the year).

But all I've talked about is 7th grade! Only 47% of people came to school at all today. Substitutes were the majority. The hallways were silent. There were camera crews in my science class.

Through it all, however, the teachers tried to keep a handle on things, trying to actually go on with class.

By the way, in science we made contraptions that were supposed to keep eggs safe during a drop from a three-story window. I won!

Anyway, as it seems, the faculty has stopped announcing confirmed cases over the PA–at least not all of them. If they did, would they have any students? But it's still infuriating that they've decided to stop telling us about things that concern our health, just to keep us ignorant and them with a job.

So, in a nutshell,

• No one is coming to school anymore
• Those who are are getting the run of the place
• Those who aren't are hanging at the mall instead of math class (I did that yesterday)
• The school is trying to pass all the cases off as "very mild" and nothing to be feared
• The school has stopped telling us about the cases
• There are 8 cases
• I probably won't be going to school on Tuesday
• I won Egg Drop '09!
• I fear we will all die of the Spanish/Swine Flu!

Hoping We All Survive,
Nadia

P.S. Holly, thank you so much for talking about "Need" by Hana Pestle. I wouldn't have heard about it otherwise, and I LOVE it!

Swine Flu Reigns!

You'll never believe where I am right now: Home.

Ok, so maybe you will believe me, but you'll never believe why.

It all started on Monday, when the entire 7th grade was playing bingo in the cafeteria…

Funny, I had just been thinking about how all the swine flu hype had just come and gone like that and how it was ridiculous that everyone thought they were going to get it.

Immediately after this thought, the principal went up over the PA. He was telling us that there was a confirmed case of swine flu. At. My. School.

Once people heard this everyone started yelling and the cafeteria was chaos and everyone was freaked out.

By the end of the day, there were rumors among the students that the teacher who got it gave it to one of her students. None of the adults believed it.

On Tuesday, every adult in my life called to ask me if my school was being closed because they heard about the cases at my school. The school refused to close since we were already 2 weeks behind.

On Wednesday, the principal notified us all that the case we students had been talking about for days had been confirmed on Monday, but had just reached his ears.

On Wednesday, we hear the teachers speaking about a guy in my grade whose mother called to tell the teachers that her son had swine flu. My English teacher even told the class that he did in fact have it.

Three Confirmed Cases and counting.

That same day, the guy who sits next to me in science left school during third period math due to random chills and fevers, chest pain, coughing and sneezing, as well as being tired. This guy sat at lunch with one of the people who had swine flu.

Four Cases

Then, the entire school found out that the teacher who had it in the first place gave it to not only the second case person, but ANOTHER one of her students.

Five Cases

The teacher also gave it to her teacher friend at the school.

There are SIX CASES of swine flu at my school.

So, needless to say, my parents didn't let me go to school today. Apparently, it was the same case with 200 other kids at my school. Including my two best friends who just happened to live a 10 minute walking distance from me... :)

Your Swine Flu (A.K.A. The Spanish Flu of 1918) Fearer,
Nadia

Curiosity Killed The Cat

You know that saying, curiosity killed the cat? It befuddles me.

How did it kill the cat? It doesn't really specify. I, however, have a few possible scenarios.

Scenario #1

The cat wanted to know what the pipe bomb was there for and went to investigate.

Scenario #2

The cat wanted to know if the dog was sleeping.

Scenario #3

The cat crossed the road to see what was on the other side.

Scenario #4

The cat was curious and wanted to know what Miley Cyrus looked like.

None of these are very probable (except for #4, but where would she get the picture?).

And we all know that THEY use the term to tell US to not be curious. But why? I mean, at the cat probably died in interest and with the thirst of curiosity quenched. If they had died before they knew, then they'd have to come back to find out, and NO ONE wants their pet's soul hanging out in their house. If my pet turtle came back, I'd be dead, because I assume he despises me....yeah, I never really knew how to care for turtles.....Oops!*

So the cat must have at least died interested and happy, which beats dying bored. Who wants THAT to be the last thing (s)he felt??? This would be what they would write on the headstone of the cat would died in boredom.

Mr. Snuggles III

A Beloved, Boring Cat

May He Rest In Boredom

He would be buried with an encyclopedia! About Canadians! It can't get any more boring than that!**

So, I think the meaning of the entire saying is moot point. It just doesn't make any sense and someone totally made it up on the spot. And this is how it came into existence…

Curiosity Killed The Cat
A True Story I Made Up by Nadia Murti

Characters:

JIMMY: Child with a dead cat.
MOTHER: Mother to Jimmy.

Setting: A 1920s home in America.

At Rise: MOTHER is lighting a fire on the gas stove.

(JIMMY runs to the kitchen.)

JIMMY: Mother, Mother!

MOTHER: What do you want, Jimmy?

JIMMY: I want to see what a decaying body looks like! Like the mummies!

MOTHER: Then go to a museum. Don't bother me! Who do I look like, your mother?

JIMMY: Um, yes.

MOTHER: Oh, about that, you're adopted. (Indifferent)

JIMMY: WHAT?!

MOTHER: So, what is this about the dead body?

JIMMY: Well, I want to dig up the Anti-Mr. Snuggles.

MOTHER: No.

JIMMY: Why not? I'm curious! (Whiny voice.)

MOTHER: Well, guess what, that same curiosity killed Anti-Mr. Snuggles. Yup, curiosity killed the cat. And now if you give in to curiosity, you're going to die and we'll have to bury you in the backyard, too!

(Silence.)

(JIMMY begins wailing.)

THE END

That's how the phrase came into use, because of a woman–who strangely resembled my sister in personality–who didn't feel like letting her kid dig up a cat's body and spoke rashly, not realizing that should might be starting the use of a retarded idiom…how nïave of her!

I hope you enjoyed yet another mini-play that I wrote in about 3 minutes.

Thanks From Your Blogger,
Nadia

*I have so much respect for the dead.
**No offense to anyone who lives in Canadia***
***Yes, I know it's actually Canada, but Canadia sounds funny!

About The Character

I found this cool Q&A for my character over at Dahlia's blog.

Have fun!

Basic Info (for characters)
Name: Zac Sharpe
Genre: General Fiction
Author (screen name, please): Nadia Murti
Author's blog (optional): nadiamurti.blogspot.com

For Characters

1. If you could put yourself in any other story, what would it be???
A James Bond one, maybe. Or in "Push." The movie sucked, and I could definitely make it better.

2. If you were to write a book about your author, what genre would it be???
I'm not much of a writer, so the genre wouldn't even matter seeing as the book wouldn't make any sense. But if I must pick, then Renaissance-type comedy (like Twelfth Night). Don't know why, but I really like books that (in the words of my seventh grade English teacher) "poke fun at everyday life and society."

3. Would you survive in a zombie apocalypse, or would you be eating brains???
Of course I'd survive! But I'd most likely survive by pretending I'm already a zombie, so I would also be eating brains.

4. If you were given control of you story, would you change anything? What and why???
Sure I would. I would change myself, I think. I'm pretty fickle. And I would change my girlfriend's friends. They're really obnoxious, though I'd've never let on about it. Oh, and I would have stopped certain people's entrances, which come up at the most convenient times. Seriously, every time I get Jenna alone someone or something interrupts us. *Cough*Cough* Not that I want to talk to Jenna alone, or anything...

5. Do you ever try to give your author writer's block (don't lie)???
...Yes. *Sheepish Smile* It's just too easy.

Your Blogger's Character,
Zac Sharpe

Lots Of Reviews

Ok, I'm going to mini-review lots of books is one entry.

But first, a reminder!

Tonight is the last night of Teens Read Week, and it was NOT a success. Oh well, hopefully the next one will be better.

Send in your short stories by midnight, everyone!**

Alright, today I'll be reviewing the following books,

• Ophelia by Lisa Klein
• Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, and
• Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Ophelia
"Ophelia is young, vivacious, and falling in love with a prince who cannot return her affections without arousing suspicion. And so they meet in secret—embracing in stairwells and castle turrets, reaching passionately for each other under the cover of darkness. His name is Hamlet; her name is Ophelia. And if you think you know this story, think again. Because when bloody deeds turn the court of Elsinore into a place of treachery and madness, Ophelia alone will find the means to escape, with nothing more than the clothes on her back…and one very dangerous secret.

A spellbinding page-turner, this unforgettable novel will hold readers in its grip until the final, heart-rending scene."

This book was completely and utterly amazing (and surprising). Between Hamlet and Ophelia, the latter is the true classic. Ms. Klein's book keeps readers enthralled throughout. Ophelia was a very original character. Do you notice that every author who writes about this time period seems to think that their female protagonist is original just because she disdains the women's roles in society? Wake up and smell the book store, honey, because everyone does that, you're not creative, and your character is recycled and washed up.

But Ophelia is different. No, she doesn't take everything lying down. But she is proper as the "real" Ophelia was and as the real women of that time were. But she had her own mind, even if she didn't act up against everything she did not like.

The emotions were real, the drama was psychotic, and the romance was riveting.* You had better read this!

9 stars of 10, the highest ever achieved!

Rebel Angels
"Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. . . . The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship. But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task."

It definitely cleared a lot of unanswered questions I had, but also raised new ones. We got to see lots of romance, lots of Rakshana, and lots of uncertainty which all made for a definite page-turner. I could not put this book down. (Seriously, ask anyone. I was dead to the world for three whole days, reading that 548 page tome.)

Libba Bray is a gifted writer. Every other paragraph seemed quotable, philosophic, and deep. HOW DOES SHE DO THAT? I cannot wait until I can read the next book!

Rebel Angels gets 8.5 out of 10.

Suite Scarlett
"Her new summer job comes with baggage.

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small hotel in the heart of New York City, and Scarlett lives there with her four siblings - Spencer, Lola, and Marlene.

When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest called Mrs. Amberson.

Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet, world traveler, and aspiring autobiographer who wants to take over her life. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.

Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps, and theatrical deceptions. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off."

Praise:

"This book is made of funny and smart and whimsical deliciousness (really, lick a page and taste for yourself)." - Libba Bray

First thing I want to say, Libba does not lie! I got curious and licked a margin. I compared it to the taste of another margin from a different book, and it was indeed sweet, like candy! But it had a bad aftertaste.

The book was indeed sweet like sugar, with humor, unique characters and relationships, as well as problems and conflicts.

It was very good, but not as great as expected. Though it kept me interested, it wasn't a "real page-turner," and it was possible to put down.

Oh, and I might marry Spencer.

I really look forward to reading the next book in the series, Scarlett Fever. I thing the the first one is allowed to be very good and not great (just good enough to get us to want to read the sequel) because there are other books that need to follow it up.

I certainly recommend this book.

7.6 out of 10

From Your Frantic Reader,
Nadia

*Nice use of adjectives, I know.
**Look, I'm not going to be mega anal about this. If you send it at 9 am tomorrow, I'm not even going to notice.

P.S. I will soon post a post. It will involve me dissecting the personalities of both real and imagined people. Why? Because I like to play therapist.