Friday Favorites [3]

It's that time of week again, folks. And I'm starting to think I'm really reforming myself as a actually-post-on-the-same-day-the-title-says blogger.

My name is choco, and it's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted Friday Favorites on a Monday.

*Hello, choco!*

Okay. I really am starting the review now. *drumroll*

*suspense builds*

And tooooooooooday's pick issssssssssssss....

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones!

I thought I'd keep with the DWJ-is-the-best-thing-since-sliced-cheese theme that's been going on in this blog this week! That, and I've been alerted to the fact that some of you lovely followers are have never read anything by DWJ.

*gasp*

I intend to remedy this forcibly nicely NOW! :D

My Ravings:

I don't remember the exact moment I picked up Howl's Moving Castle--it was years ago, in the days when I still brought lunchables to school and my now ancient dog still stirred from her doggy bed. My memory has more holes in it than cheese* but I'm still disappointed that I can't remember the details of that important day. Suffice to say, that day changed my life. From then on, I was hooked on Diana Wynne Jones. I could sing her praises forever, and Howl's Moving Castle is definitely one of the foremost reasons why she's my favorite author.

Red-haired and fierce Sophie Hatter puts far too much stock by tradition. She's convinced that since she's the eldest in the family, she's destined to failure--unlike the youngest, who is bound to end up marrying a prince or strike it rich. But when the evil Witch of the Waste sweeps into the family hat shop and mistakes Sophie for somebody else, Sophie's turned into an old woman. And since Sophie's always wanted to seek her fortune--despite her dismal odds as the oldest--she takes this as an opportunity to finally set off. She soon stumbles upon the Wizard Howl's Moving Castle--the very same wizard that is rumored to have stolen countless young woman's hearts over the years for use in dark magic.

Sophie finds herself striking a deal with his "distinctly cunning" fire demon Calcifer--who's holed up in the chimney and keeps the castle moving around the hills. If she figures out how to break his contract with Howl, Calicifer will break her curse in return. But Wizard Howl turns out to be something entirely different from what Sophie expects: Selfish? Yes. Dishonest? Yes, horribly so. But evil? Not a bit.

Much hilarity ensues, as Sophie, endowed by the righteousness of old age, manages to force Howl into making her the permanent cleaning lady. From there, Sophie practically terrorizes Howl with her relentless cleaning since she is "remorseless, but she lacked method." But old age might just catch up to her as she struggles to break her curse and save her sister from the insincere attentions of Howl. Howl is far too busy running from his own troubles--namely the Witch of the Waste--to bother to kick her out permanently.

I think the reason I love this book is the characters--Sophie is just absolutely wonderful. It's definitely something different to have a 80-year old main character, but it works perfectly in this case. Sophie is distinctly pushy and bossy--but is excused because of old age. It's brilliant how she interacts with Howl--who has pale green eyes like marbles, rather flashy dress suits in which he goes around breaking girl's hearts, and such perfectly tended hair. He is the embodiment of selfishness and vanity, a real "slither-outerer," and horribly messy. He tells Sophie, "You must admit I have a right to live in a pigsty if I want," and when she pushes him a little to far, "Yes, you are nosy. You're a dreadfully nosy, horribly bossy, appallingly clean old woman. Control yourself. You're victimizing us all."

Howl is one of my all time favorite characters. I'll never forget the scene where he drenches the castle with green slime, after Sophie meddles with his hair products and his hair turns out slightly pink. Or when he moons about after catching a slight cold. Or when he turns up drunk after he realizes the Witch of the Waste is closing in on him. One of my favorite snippets:

"Go to bed, you fool," Calcifer said sleepily. "You're drunk."
"Who, me? I assure you, my friends, I am cone sold stober." He got up and stalked upstairs, feeling for the wall as if he thought it might escape him unless he kept in touch with it. His bedroom door did escape him.
"What a lie that was!" Howl remarked as he walked into the wall. "My shining dishonesty will be the salvation of me.""

Bahahaha. I just love the voice in this book--DWJ is the master of the "British voice." The book is marvelously well-written--witty and descriptive with cleverly crafted-dialogue throughout.

Sophie's world is very inventive--wizards, bumbling apprentices, witches, curses and castles don't always add up to fairy tale. Sometimes, they add up to something different and more wonderful. And that's just what Howl's Moving Castle is. Unquestionably one of the best books out there.



Extra: Scene from the movie (which I love too):




*There goes another cheese reference. Wow. Maybe brain is telling me something. Eat cheese?

You sly followers, you!

I signed on today, and I'd already blown past 50 followers! Wahoo :DDD *does happy dance*

I have a contest brewing to celebrate. Soon, I promise :)

Love you all <33333

Anyone care for some cake?

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

In my never-ending, heroic quest to reform myself as a contemporary-loving reader,I picked up the Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.

Book Description:

Some summers are just destined to be pretty

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

My Opinion:

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a quick, pleasant read. I was hesitant to get started on it--but once I did, I fair sped through it. The writing is just so smooth and easy to digest--it's one of those books that is relaxing and good for a--well,--summer day.

However, I had a hard time relating to Belly. She just came off as so childish to me. Maybe I'm being unfair--a lot of the book is related through flashbacks in which Belly is nine or eleven, and continually picked on by her older brother and the boys at the beach house. So that may be influencing my opinion of her. But ultimately, Belly did not do much for me: I thought her actions were particularly annoying at times, and as a narrator, she wasn't anything special.

Perhaps it's because of my ignorance regarding contemporary books, but I didn't think highly of the plot. I just couldn't figure out what the point of the book is--what the characters wanted, what they were doing, or why I should be interested in their lives at all. Belly is just an average girl, and I felt like there wasn't anything terribly exciting going on--there wasn't that much tension or urgency.

And then there are the love interests. Belly's "boyfriend" (who she just dates to make another character jealous) is sweet, so I had a hard time sympathizing with Belly's callous attitude towards him. Similarly, Jeremiah, the younger brother, is so kind and nice to Belly--he's a great friend--but Belly doesn't treat him well either. Conrad, the brooding and secretive older brother, is instead the object of her attentions. And I can't for the life of me figure out why. I found nothing appealing about Conrad. He was decidedly unattractive and moody and harsh--all supposedly because Belly "turned pretty" this summer. Belly is like a lost puppy pining after him--which to me was quite painful to read.

Overall, Belly's actions throughout the book show that she is selfish and childish, which seem to be the main aspects of Belly's personality. Furthermore, the great "secret" in the book was easily discerned; the entirety of this book was very predictable.

But I can't deny that The Summer I Turned Pretty is relaxing and mildly enjoyable. Jenny Han certainly knows how to write--the book flowed so wonderfully, and the dialogue and interplay between Belly and the boys came off as suitably realistic. I really enjoyed the flashbacks because they were expertly done and interweaved throughout the story.

Ultimately, I'm not terribly in love with this book. But despite my problems with the characters, I really didn't mind reading it. I'm certain that many other teenage girls will revel in Belly's summers.

I give it a 7/10

Waiting on Wednesday [3]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases. It's hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones


***
As a boy, he had spent fascinated hours looking at the garden through each differently coloured pane. Depending, you got a rose pink sunset garden, hushed and windless; a stormy orange garden, where it was suddenly autumn; a tropical green garden, where there seemed likely to be parrots and monkeys any second. And so on. As an adult now, Andrew valued that glass even more. Magic apart, it was old old old. The glass had all sorts of internal wrinkles and trapped bubbles, and the long-dead maker had somehow managed to make the colours both intense and misty at once."


When the magician Jocelyn Brandon Hope died he bequeathed Melstone House to his grandson Andrew. He also left his ‘field of care’: an area of strangeness surrounding the land around the house, whose boundary Andrew must walk in order to preserve its power.

Andrew had always loved the house, but he finds owning it a lot more complicated, aside from all the magic. There is Mrs Stock, the tyrannical housekeeper who won’t let him move the furniture and punishes him with her terrible cooking. Just as bad is the obsessive gardener who will only grow giant inedible vegetables. To add to his troubles, twelve year old orphan Aidan Cain suddenly arrives on the doorstep begging protection from magical stalkers, and Andrew’s sinister rich neighbour, Mr Brown, begins to encroach on the ‘field of care’. The one compensation is the gardener’s beautiful niece, Stashe. Things become stranger and stranger until all is made clear with the help of the enchanted glass itself.

Not since HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE has Diana Wynne Jones combined romance and humour so successfully as in this delightful novel with echoes of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.


***
Please allow me to participate in some craaaazy fangirl squealing:

zOMG. DWJ IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW BOOK. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! DWJ= GODDESS OF CHILDREN'S FANTASY. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC AND THE BEST WRITER EVER. NEW BOOK SHINY NEW BOOK. GIANT INEDIBLE VEGETABLES (???!!!) I WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT NOW!!!!!11111111 EEEEK!

Ahem.

I WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET MY HANDS ON THIS BOOK. SERIOUSLY.

Ahem.

Diana Wynne Jones is my favorite author. Words can not even describe how much I love her books (be ready for some of her books on Friday Favorites!). If I was only allowed to read one author for the rest of my life, it would be Diana Wynne Jones. She is just the best, just the absolute best if you want to read fantasy. I am the hugest fan of her work imaginable--I used to reread one of her books everyday.

So you can imagine how ecstatic, pleased, happy, excited, hyperventilatingly overjoyed I feel right now, even thinking about this new release.

Definitely my #1 read I'm looking forward to in 2010.

DWJ IS AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! SHE IS THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD! SO THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BE THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED CHEESE!

Please nod intelligently,while I sweep out of this blog like a very long procession of one person.

Release Date: April 6, 2010

That's only half a year from now! *begins counting seconds*

Teaser Tuesday: A Clockwork Orange

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Should be Reading

Basically, the rules are:
* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall to a random page.
* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
* Share the title of the book that you're getting your teaser from... That way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
* Please avoid spoilers!

***
I'm doing A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess:

pg 78

"I gave them the ultra-violence, the crasting, the dratsing, the old in-out in-out, the lot, right up to this night's veshch with the bugatty starry ptitsa with the mewing kots and koshkas. And I made sure my so-called droogs were in it, right up to the shiyah."

***

Delightfully mind-boggling? Yes. The Nadsat (slang) takes a bit getting used to, but I'm really liking A Clockwork Orange so far. I think part of the beauty of it is not knowing what half the words mean--and trying to figure them out. The Nadsat makes the violence Alex is participating in slightly more bearable.

AWARDS!

The wonderful bloggers at B.A.M. Book Reviews have given me my first ever awards. So I'm super excited and grateful. Here they are:

Here are the rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award":
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm passing this award to:
1. What We're Reading at Edge of Seventeen
2. Andrea at Buried in Books
3. Cindy at Princess Bookie
4. Allison at Read Into This!
5. Isa at Mixtures: Books...+
6. Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
7. Kate at the Neverending Shelf
8. Tena at Crazy Book Slut
9. Dahlia at The Book Shopaholic
10. Nina at Happy Endings
11. Mimi at Platform 9 and a Bookshelf

12. Eleni at La Femme Readers
13. Catt at The Dreamer Reader
14. Misty at Book Rat
15. Rebecca at Everything to Do With Books


This award is for those followers who are the most loyal and give bloggers joy by commenting regularly and with their support. Pass it on to 3 to 7 followers who are as loyal as dragons.

I'm passing this award to:
1. Emilia at Punk Writer Kid
2. Amna at Amna Writes
3. Raven at Of Writing and Other Wonderful Things
4. Becca at Random Musings of An Aspiring Writer
You guys have been commenting since the beginning :)

This Week in Contests (10/25-10/31)

I decided that on Sundays, I'll do a rundown of book giveaways or contests around the YA blogosphere with deadlines this week, in addition to the sidebar I have. Because wining free stuff is pretty important.

***
Going by deadline:

10/28:
Melissa Walker is giving away signed copy of A Great and Terrible Beauty.

10/30:
The Neverending Shelf is holding a Trick or Treat Contest, which includes "a surprise goodie box filled with Halloween treats, books, and anything I decide to put in."

Katie's Book Blog is giving away a copy of Intertwined by Gena Showalter and a copy of Hearts at Stake.

Fantastic Book Review Blog is giving away a signed copy of Lament by Maggie Stiefvater.

Juiciliciousss Reviews is holding a book bundle contest. (One new book added every week)

10/31:
Library Lounge Lizard is giving away a signed copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

WORD for Teens is holding a Skellington-Palooza including Nobody's Princess, Peeps & The Last Days, and some Twilight fan stuff.

Good Books and Wine is holding These are a Few of My Favorite Things! Contest, which includes an inordinate amount of books.

What Bri Reads is giving away a copy of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott.

The Book Scout is giving away a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick along with swag and a poster.


Oh, and Princess Bookie is finishing up with all the fantastic contests she held this week. Some are still open, like the Surprise Mini Challenges so hurry on over there!

***

Wow, some really great contests this week. I'm guessing it's the whole "It's Halloween!" thing--pretty cool to have the deadline then. Feel free to add any contests I missed in the comments--I'll revise the post accordingly.

SO ANYWAYS, GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY. GO WIN SOME FREE STUFF! *crosses fingers*

I'm curious, which one would you like to win the most?

In My Mailbox [3]

This is a weekly meme hosted by Story Siren.






1. The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Han.Pretty cover!
2. Well Witched by Frances Hardinge. I'm pretty excited about this one because I absolutely adored Fly by Night.
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I figured I'd get some classics reading in :)

GIVEAWAY!!!

NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Winner here.

Okay, so I'm holding a giveaway! I'm pretty excited because this is my first contest and all. It's for Jenny Green's Killer Junior Year.

Book Description:
Hell hath no fury...

Jenny Green is a spoiled teen "princess" and the newest junior at Montreal's Molson Academy. Jenny wants a fresh start in her new school, and she's curious to see what Montreal has to offer, most especially in the boy department. Beautiful, charming, and sharp-witted, Jenny has no trouble getting the boys to fall for her.

But when she discovers just how despicable the male gender can be -- with the lying, the cheating, and the utter disrespect -- she decides to make them pay...with their lives.

Prize: One lucky winner will receive a copy of Jenny Green's Killer Junior Year

Requirements: You must be a follower to enter, and this contest is only open in the US (sorry!) . Please leave your email in the comment. If you really feel uncomfortable about it, you don't have to. Just make sure there's a way to contact you, or that you email me (within 3 days) if you win!

Entries:
+1 Follower
+1 If you add me to your blog roll
+2 Every time you blog about this (sidebar or post) or twitter about it. Link to it in the comment, please.
+5 each time you refer someone to be a follower at this blog. Come back and leave their name in the comment please!

Ends: 11/13 at 11:00 AM EST. Ooh, unlucky Friday the 13th. But one of you will be lucky that day, since that's when I'll announce the winners!

So go forth and spread the word! And enter, of course :D

Mini Challenge (Princess Bookie)

This for the mini challenge over at Princess Bookie.

Name 8 Of Your Favorite Things (not all books either LOL):
1.The smell of old books (preferably mine)
2.Fall leaves, fluttering to the ground
3.My family
4.Rain, both the afterwards-musty-smell and the sound of it hitting the window
5.Chocolate. Lots of it.
6.Memories of Europe
7.Puppies
8.My computer, especially when the keyboard is being tapped away on.

Not really "things" things.But they're favorites all the same :)