Blood & Chocolate.

Just got done watching Blood & Chocolate. It was a pretty good movie. I'm really hooked on paranormal stuff with wolves lately.  I like wolves a lot more than vampires.

Sorry about yesterday's post.  I have strep and a possible ear infection and I'm not feeling so great.  We went comic book shopping yesterday.  Mikey and Erin got some stuff.  I bought a couple of books. I got The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty. It was really good.  I'll probably write up a review tomorrow.   All in all it was a good day.  Mikey's mom showed me a bunch of baby/kid pictures of Mikey and his brother. Oh man they were so cute.  I can't believe that this is the first time she's ever shown them to me.  This one is my favorite.

Was he not the most adorable kid you've ever seen???  Hehe. I'm going to throw up his baby picture too, just to humiliate him more.

 

Teehee. He continues to make this face on a daily basis.  I can even imitate the noise he makes when he makes this face. I'm on a mission to get a picture of him with the same expression now.  Haha.  Sorry babe, this is what happens when you don't read my blog. :)

We went book shopping again today and I got even more books, so now I'm set for stuff to read between reviews for a while. :)  I love buying books.  I can't wait till we move and I get to fill some book shelves!!!

We also went to Cathedral tonight.  Nate preached and it was good stuff.  He talked about what's number one in your life.  I think we're going back to Cathedral.  Everyone is just so nice to us there. We need nice people in our lives.

I'm starting a new section called Random Blog of the Day.  The way I'm finding these blogs is by clicking "Next Blog" up at the top of my main blog page.  This link takes you to a very random blogspot blog. It could be about anything.  I think this is a interesting way to stumble upon new blogs to follow. Every day I'll put the link to the first blog that comes up when I click "Next Blog".  I can't guarantee that these blogs will be anything exciting or of interest to myself or my readers, but you never know.

Ok I'm off to bed.  Tomorrow's Monday, so back to a week of neopets and reading. LOL.  See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count: 24. I DID IT!!! That's 12 for February!  

When we suffer from Toxic Niceness, we ask, "Do you like me?" Your Inner Bad Girl knows that the right question is, "Do I like you?"

Random Blog of the Day: HHM ...if you like Hip Hop this is the blog for you.

:(

I have strep and feel awful.

I'll edit in Daily B**** and book count in the morning.

The end.

Could the Maker of the Stars Hear the Sound of My Breaking Heart?

My title is a lyric from Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North.  I heard this song on the radio today and remembered how much I love it.

Today, I helped my mom's friend print out the envelopes that I designed yesterday. While sitting in his office at his church I got to thinking about my calling.  I'm called to be a youth pastor and have envisioned my youth group many times.  I know what I'd call it, what it would look like and I can picture tons of kids being there.  I've kind of given up on this dream.  At times I regret that, but I don't feel like I've come to a place in my life where this is possible and attainable.

What does God have in store for me?  I don't know.  I'm not sure I even know where to go from here.  We're going to Cathedral Sunday night to hear Nate preach, maybe I'll have an epiphany.

I finished reading Split today. It was really good.  It had me thinking about hurt kids and what I can do to be there for them.  More to do with my calling.  What's your plan God? What do you want me to do?  I'm lost here.  I tried to do youth at Valley Spring. It definitely was not what you had planned.  So now I'm sitting back and waiting till I feel the moment is right.  I'm getting impatient.  I'm sick of so-called fake Christians messing with everything and mucking up what Christianity is supposed to be.  What happened to reaching people? Why are we not helping all these hurting youth in our city?  In our world?

Ok this is a bit of a different post than usual. Sorry.  I'm just sort of typing out my thoughts. This is what this is for anyway right?

That's it for today. I'm tired. Going to bed.  See you tomorrow!  Oh an I'm reading Dark Prince, the book for my book club. If I finish it in the next two days, that will be twelve books for February! :)

Current Book Count: 23

Today is "Let Yourself Off the Hook Day." Take a break from feeling of guilt, inadequacy, and obligation.
(Um so this totally just went along with my whole post....weird. *chills*)

Review - Split by Swati Avasthi

 

Split  

In Swati Avasthi's debut novel, Split, Sixteen-year-old Jace Witherspoon just wants to be a normal teenager. He dreams of soccer games, girlfriends, and his love for photography that are not tainted by his past.  Growing up with an abusive father, a passive mother and a brother who abandoned him when he needed him the most, Jace is afraid for his future.  Finally standing up to his father, he escapes his past that he just can not leave behind and shows up on the doorstep of his estranged brother.  New friends, a new school and a new job can not hide his abusive past and the secret he is hoping no one ever finds out.  Will Jace escape his horrid past?  Will he move on and find the family he always dreamed of? Or will he realize his past has become his future?  Read Split by Swati Avasthi to find out for yourself.

For me, Split was a story that no one ever wants to tell.  The pain, abuse and heartbreak that Jace experiences pops from the pages of this truthful read.  Written in first person, Jace is able to tell the readers what he is feeling and how he sees himself.  The flashbacks to what Jace had to endure living in a home constantly at war will make even the strongest reader's heart break.  I felt that Split was as honest as a work a fiction could be in feeling the pain of an abused child and now abusing teen.  The voice of Jace is real of a teen boy going through what he went through.  Never did I feel that this was written by an adult woman.  It was true to the teenage male heart and the teenage male mind.  Avasthi really got into her character of Jace and felt his heart and found his voice.  If you are a victim of abuse or someone who has never experienced anything like what Jace went through in this book, you will relate to Avasthi's characters in some way and you will feel the need to protect them.  Swati Avasthi completely succeeded with Split and I know she will continue to write great things in the future.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Random House Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I'm A Pro At Pretending To Be Pro!

I spent another day wasting away on neopets. Remember back when I told you'll about myself and I said I get obsessed with things? This is one of those times. I did do some dishes today and made my mom some graphic design stuff for her new church.  So I didn't waste away the WHOLE day. :)

I designed an offering envelope and a new visitors card that I'm pretty proud of.  It reminded me of when I used to make flyers and stuff for Tea Infusion and how entertaining it was to do.  I think I'm going to play around this weekend and make some stuff for neopets and my blog. Just because I'm that cool.  I'm a pro, you know?  Haha.

I was going through my photobucket looking at past stuff I've made and just random stuff that I've saved. I have the weirdest collection of things.

Things like a panda in a tea cup.  Haha. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE Pandas? It's a Manda thing I guess. Most Amandas I know have been called Panda at some point in their lives.  It's part of the Amanda life.

On that note...

I got another book from a publisher today! This one is called Split and it's by Swati Avashti.  I'm planning on reading and reviewing it tomorrow. Watch for that. :)

Ok I'm off to bed. My brains are sleepy.

 

 True story.

An Inner Bad Girl Relationship Tip: Ask for what you want, because subtle hints just don't work.

The Identity of Gormagon

We finished watching Season 3 of Bones tonight. I'm really upset that Eric Millegan isn't going to be on the show anymore.  I love Dr. Zach Addy, he totally made the show.  It's going to be hard watching from here on out without him there.

In other Bones news, I've come to realize how awesome David Boreanaz is.  We watched the gag reel for Season 3 and he is hilarious.  I'm pretty sure he has become my favorite actor of all time.  All the actors on Bones are pretty phenomenal, but David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth is the best.  I love love love him and Temperance together.  We need to buy Season 4 ASAP!

In other news, I finished my Book Sneeze book today.  The review is in the post prior to this one, enjoy.  I spent the rest of the day on Neopets. I won't talk about that since I'm sure you all are getting sick of hearing about it.  :)

That's all for today.  I may take a little book break tomorrow, but I haven't decided. I do have a couple of books to read, but my brain needs a rest.  :P

Ok off to bed.  See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count: 22

The best thing about being in touch with your Inner Bad Girl is that you can hear your own voice, and choose to act accordingly.

Review - The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello

The Clouds Roll Away 

The second book, in Sibella Giorello's Raleigh Harmon series, The Clouds Roll Away finds Raleigh back in her hometown of Richmond, Virgina after closing her assignment in Seattle.  She is immediately pulled in investigating a cross burning at a celebrities estate.  With this new case and her still unhappy boss at the Bureau, Detective Harmon receives anything but a peaceful homecoming. The deeper Raleigh gets into the case the more she realizes there is more to be found.  On top of everything at work, her personal life leaves something to be desired.  Her mother falls into the holiday spirit, something she hasn't done since the death of her husband and Raleigh's former boyfriend vies for her attention.  What more will this case uncover?  Will Raleigh let Demott back in her life? Most of all will she survive till Christmas?  Read The Clouds Roll Away to find out for yourself.

This is the first Sibella Giorello book that I have read, but I was pleasantly surprised. Giorello's use of imagery and visuals is astounding.  She truly allows her readers to visualize Raleigh's surroundings and feel what is happening rather than just assuming.  Giorello's characters are well built and there is a depth to Raleigh Harmon that is hard to find with many leads.  Giorello also has a very comfortable, even balance of themes in her book.  I never felt that the romance was too stifling and definitely did not feel that the action was too much to handle.  Even though this is listed as religious fiction, I didn't feel that the religious elements were ever overwhelming.  Giorello's writing is well structured and her plot and themes are believable.  Never did I feel that any of the FBI and case elements were fictional or far-fetching.  All in all I was very pleased with this book, and I would gladly read more from Sibella Giorello in the future.  Giorello is definitely one to keep an eye on.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I Hope They Roll in the Mud!

I had another fun filled day of reading and neopets.  I spent a lot of time chatting with my guild members.  They are a really interesting group of people.  I wish I could make friends in real life the way I do online.  Sigh.

Book club was tonight.  As I said before we read Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs.  It was an ok book, but some of it was lacking.  Everyone brought up a good point that the male lead didn't really have much depth and I agree with this.  Supposedly this is true in the next two books and it's mentioned that he's not very open, but this isn't apparent about his character and there for sort of a weakness.  I sort of want to read the rest of the series, but mostly only out of curiosity for the characters.  All in all I'm glad for this book club, at the least it'll give me some interesting reads for my 100 in '10 list. :)  Our next book is another vampire book, but with a twist. It's something about how becoming a vampire is a bad thing.  It's called Dark Prince and is one in a series of like thirteen.  I won't start this one for a couple days because I have some review books to go through.

I've been reading The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello. It's the next book for my Book Sneeze reviews.  It's pretty good so far.  The author uses amazing imagery and visuals.  I should have it done and a review up sometime tomorrow. 

Ok that's it for today.  I made 75k in neopoints, not that any of you care. Haha.

See ya tomorrow. :)

A Niceness Detox Tip:  Turn up the volume on the little voice inside your head that's whispering, "I don't think so!" That's your Inner Bad Girl speaking, and she wants all the best for you.

The Life of a Neopian.

I spent all day today playing neopets. Oh man I'm a nerd. I literally did nothing else today.

I got my Jo-Bros phone backing. It's pretty sweet, if I were twelve.  Haha.  I'll use it for a while though just because it cracks me up so much.  They also sent me a 1GB memory card with thirty minutes of concert footage on it. Oh be still my swooning heart. :P

I also got another book from Book Sneeze.  I plan on spending all day tomorrow reading that while simultaneously making money on neopets.  It'll be a good day.

I have my smut club meeting tomorrow night, as my best friend likes to call it.  Hopefully I'll get some good stuff to share. :)

I also came to the realization today that most everyone who wanders by my blog and probably all the publishers I ask for books, think I'm a teenager.  I'm twenty-five in case anyone was wondering. I just had to put that out there.

Still don't know much on when we're moving. Looks like it'll be mid-end of March. That will be an adventure. My only requirement is that we have internet and the computer hooked up on the day we move in. LOL.

Ok I'm off to bed.  See ya tomorrow.

An Inner Bad Girl Fashion Tip:  Squeezing ourselves into too-tight jeans is just as uncomfortable as living a life of Toxic Niceness.

I Heart Neopets

I finished reading Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs today. It was pretty cute. I'm not going to write up a huge review since this one isn't YA or for one of my review sites.  It's a romance novel about vampires, so I'd have liked it no matter how much it sucked. haha.  Seriously, though it was a really cute book and super funny. So, if you like vampires, romance and laughing, this is the book for you.

The only other thing I did today was start a new neopets.com account. I think I mentioned a while back that my account got hacked and then frozen and I can't get it back.  I'm super sad about this, by the way. I put about eight years into that account and even paid for a membership for quite a while.  If any of my readers have neopets connections, I'd love you forever. :)  Anyways, I made a new account and you can friend me.  My username is Manderiffic.  I played for a while today and I may be starting up that addiction again.  I can't be too obsessed though since I'm doing book reviews now. :P  On that note....I'm going to play some neogames before bed. HAHA!

Tomorrow I have to request books on first reads!  I'm excited to see if I get any packages.  :)

See ya tomorrow!

Current Book Count: 21...3 more to make twelve this month.

Doobily Doo.

Today was a big reading day for me.  I received The Cinderella Society (review in last post) from EgmontUSA this morning, so I spent all day reading it and then writing up my review.  Kay Cassidy thanked me for my review on twitter and told me I made her weekend.  I feel all giddy. I'm like a kid in a candy store, in my new little book reviewing world.  I think I've found my calling. Haha. 

Other than that I really didn't do anything else today except some house work and hanging with the hubby.  We watched Nanny Diaries.  I love that movie. It's super cute.  You should watch it sometime. :)

I'm sort of in a dopey mood today, that may explain the title of this post.  I'm finally getting over being sick and I feel all nerdy and brainless today.  I don't know what's up with me.  I guess I'm entitled to a happy smiley day once in a while.  I'm really enjoying doing book reviews and chatting with people in the book world.  Makes me a happy Manda.

Any-who, I'm off to watch some TV with my hubby and then go to sleep. It's pretty late already.  I have to finish reading Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs tomorrow so my mom can read it before Tuesday.

See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count: 20

An Inner Bad Girl Reminder: Grab the phone and your datebook--this is as good a time as any to schedule your get-togethers with your women friends.

Review - The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

The Cinderella Society 

Always on the outside of things, Jessica Parker became good at hiding in the shadows.  That is until a group, calling themselves The Cinderella Society, came into her life.  Is she good enough to be in this secret society with some of the most popular girls at school?  Why would they want her? With a creed like, "Celebrate your strength, embrace your future and be extraordinary," Jess feels like they definitely have the wrong girl. When her life turns into secret hangouts, secret codes and secret manuals, Jess can't help but feel a bit in over her head.  Things take a turn for the worst, when she realizes things may be bigger than they seem.  This is definitely more than just a high school clique.  When the things fall out with the boy of her dreams, Jess may have bitten off more than she can chew.  What's in store for Jess Parker?  Will things work out with this oh so perfect boy?  This may be the first summer of the rest of her life.

Kay Cassidy's debut novel, The Cinderella Story, is an enlightening tale of the classic good versus evil.  On one side you have the Cindys and on the other you have the Wickeds.  However, Cassidy has taken a very different approach on this widely used storyline.  This book also contains a strong group of powerful females, that every teenage girl can look up too.  It teaches you to stand up for yourself and always be true to you. In today's society of supermodels, celebrities, and high standards, this is the perfect book for teens everywhere.  With well blended amounts of romance and action and an obscure 80's movie reference to ice the cake, Cassidy has definitely won with this book.  I was completely drawn into this story, and I can't wait for the sequel. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from EgmontUSA Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Is it Better to Live a Monster or Die a Good Man?

I'm feeling better.  Which is good.  My stomach still isn't 100%, but my head has finally stopped trying to take me out.

We went and saw Shutter Island tonight.  It was really good.  I want to write about it, but I'll end up putting spoilers.  Go see it!  It's amazing. That's all I'm going to say for now.  Oh and Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most talented actors I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

Some funny/strange things from tonight:

1.  I got carded at the movie.  I guess I don't look 17. That would be cool if I weren't 25.

2. This guy fell during the movie. That wasn't really funny...I actually felt really bad for him.  The funny part was that everyone turned to stare at him.  It's human nature to want to see someone get hurt.  It's so sad, but funny too.  People stare at car crashes and they definitely stare when they hear someone fall in a quiet theater.

3.  We went out to dinner afterwords and every restaurant was closed except AppleBee's.  Please bear in mind it was only 9:00PM.  Why does everything close so early around here? It drives me crazy.  That wasn't the funny part though.  So our waitress walks up to our table and doesn't speak.  She just stands there staring at us.  Finally I looked up at her and said drinks?  Like I was prompting her to say something.  She was really strange.  We're telling ourselves she was new, so we feel better about how horrible she is at being a server. We kept cracking jokes about her all the way home.  We're such heartless people. :)

4. When we were checking out at Wal-mart the cashier talked to the guy in front of us about the condoms he was buying.  Is this normal behavior?  It made me feel uncomfortable that's for sure.  She was like, "can't have much of a fun night without those." WHAT?  Seriously????  Oh man.  Poor guy.

Man what has happened to the world??? I think everyone has lost their minds.

I'm still reading Leviathan, but I put it on hold to read Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper.  It's the next book for my neurotic book club that's meeting next week, so I figure I better read it first.  I'm a couple chapters in and it's pretty good so far.  If you like funny romance novels and stories about vampires give it a read.  We can talk about it. :)

Oh man I just got an order confirmation for a Jonas Brothers' back plate for my phone.  Haha. I enter some dumb contest in December because I thought it was funny.  It says I'm getting an SD card too. Sweet!  I'm totally going to rock the back plate just because it's hilarious. I'll put up a picture when I get it.

Ok I'm off to bed.  See ya tomorrow.

Someone decided that today is National Chocolate Mint Day.  Your Inner Bad Girl thinks that's great, if you like chocolate mint.  If you don't, choose to celebrate with whatever works for you.

It Finally Got Me.

I've been attacked by whatever is sweeping through the valley.  I'm so sick. Bleh.

Nothing to post today.  I'm sorry.

Ah the pain in my head is ridiculous.

I like today's Inner Bad Girl.  I'm following this one myself.

I should be back in full swing tomorrow.  I hope. Today has been a bad day of sickness.  I can't even focus on TV.  It took me the whole episode to realize that Vampire Diaries was a repeat.  So sad.  I'm off to bed for the night.  See ya tomorrow.

Taking Care of Business, Inner Bad Girl Style: Remember that "one-size-fits-all" doesn't work with success any more than it does with clothes. You get to choose your definition of success--then go for it.

I Should Work For Subway.

My hubby and I went to Subway tonight and I don't know why I keep going back to the same one.  First let me explain something, I worked for Subway for two years and was a shift supervisor.  During my first year with the company, I had a very strict, rule-following boss.  She was very particular about things and always made sure we followed company policy.  I became like her mini-me.  When I started working at a different store I took my knowledge with me and my managers were super impressed.  I never failed to impress during inspections and I did things to the book.  Now that I no longer work for Subway, I am very aware of the workings of the company. It drives me insane to go to a Subway Restaurant because I pick apart everything the minute I walk through the doors. I tend to crack my husband up because I tell him everything that the employees are doing wrong. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff people do that is against company policy or even health codes.  I wish I could go into every Subway and talk to the owner and show them how much money they are losing to food costs and all the things they're restaurant is doing wrong.  I have yet to find one that is run properly.  What ever happened to company ethics and standards?  If you own a Subway let me come in for one week and I'll have it running perfectly.  Maybe I'll start a blog about the correct running of a Subway Restaurant and give me critique every time I go to one.  That would be a lengthy blog that's for sure.

Well that was sure a rant.  Sorry. :P

I finished reading Shiver today, you can see my review in the post before this one.  It was amazing. The review is good stuff, I promise! I can't wait for Linger to come out! I really hope I get an ARC for it! *Crosses fingers*

I started reading Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.  I'm only a chapter in, so I don't have anything to say yet.  I didn't realize it had pictures until I started reading it.  They look pretty sweet.

That's about it for today.  I'm going to watch some Bones and then hit the hay.  We have an early day tomorrow.

See ya later.

Current Book Count: 19...5 more to go to make 12 for this month...erm. I'm not so sure I'll make it.

Today is "You Are the Queen of Your Universe Day." If you have a crown, today's the day to wear it.

Review - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Shiver 

I've been sitting for a while trying to compose this review.  This book has totally stolen my words.  That's a scary thought, since I'm pretty sure that has never happened before. 

Shiver is the story of Grace and Sam.  Grace is a 17 year old girl whose obsessed with the wolves that live in the woods behind her house.  There is one wolf who she loves to watch, he sort of feels like "her" wolf, but she doesn't know why.  Sam is that wolf.  During the summers, he lives human and is able to be around Grace from a distance.  In the winters, he is her yellow-eyed wolf that protects her and watches her from afar.  What draws them to each other?  What is in their pasts that makes them made to be together? How will they conquer their pasts to be forever in love?  You'll have to read for yourself to find out. I know the suspense is killing you.

I am absolutely, without a doubt, in love with this story.  The tale that Maggie Stiefvater spins of love, pain, and suspense is one you'll feel in the depths of your soul.  After reading this book, I felt lost for words.  I sat clutching the book to my chest with tears running down my face, wishing that it wasn't over.  The emotions that are painted into the voices and thoughts of Grace and Sam are those of first loves, old loves, and forever loves.  I feel the love that Grace and Sam feel for each other.  I want to live this love.  After reading, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, I assure you you'll feel the same way too.

Before I Write My Review of Shiver

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Two Book Reviews in One Day

Whew I was on a roll today. I finished Extras and I wrote two book reviews today as you can see below.  I'm going to start reviewing books that I read and like in separate posts, especially if I receive them from the publisher or as ARCs.  They'll always be titled with "Review" so you'll be able to skip over them if you don't want to read through them.  I'm really starting to enjoy reviewing books.  Right now I'm writing reviews for Young Adult Books Central and Book Sneeze. I really am having a blast with it and can't wait to do more.

I started and read half of Shiver today too.  So be expecting a review for that probably tomorrow. :)

My family came over for dinner tonight, that was fun I guess.  My oldest niece is growing into a little teenager. I can't believe she'll be 12 soon. AH!

Ok that's about it for me today. Those reviews took a lot out of me. See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count: 18

An Inner Bad Girl Reminder: Tune in to your internal wisdom and tune out that little wench Toxic Niceness.

Review - Revolve 2010

This 6th edition of Revolve Biblezine is exactly what every teen girl needs.  If you're new to the bible or a long time Christian you will enjoy this version of the New Testament.  The bible portion of the zine is NCV and therefore pretty easy for teens of all ages to understand. The best part is that this bible also includes all the features of a secular magazine, without all the garbage.  With sections like Fashion 411 and Style Solutions girls can read about fashion advice that isn't outdated and are things they'd actually like to do.  There are biblical characters throughout the zine that are talked about through Blog-like posts, profiles that look like Facebook, and even interviews.  They are a great way to teach about these characters without the boring details that most teen girls would pass over.  With sections like Ask Jenna, Dudes Decoded, and The Food Factor there is plenty of advice for getting through those teenage years in a positive and safe way.  There is even sections with celebrities, which every teenage thrives for.  With things like Drama Trauma with Dove Award Winning artists Stellar Kart, Free Music Downloads, and Interviews with today's actors who contributed to The Word of Promise Next Generation, there is definitely enough celebrity life to make any teen girl happy.  The coolest feature I noticed was on every couple of pages they had a scripture written in text speak that could easily be sent to a friend via text message, which is the biggest technology used by teens today.  Teens can minister to their friends through the medium they use everyday.  On top of all that it's a bible too, so teen girls won't feel any shame carrying it around with them and even taking it to school to share with their unsaved friends.

All in all I was very impressed with Revolve 2010 and am surprised I have never come across it before.  The layout is awesome and the cover is enticing enough to draw in a teen girl who might not even realize it's a bible at first. I was expecting it to feel like it was written by adults who don't have a clue what teen girls go through and what they'd be interested in reading, but I never got that vibe.  I didn't feel it was too cheesy or childish like most teen geared religious media out there.  I loved all the sections, especially Drama Trauma, which had real girls telling real situations where they felt embarrassed or uncomfortable.  I think Revolve 2010 will really make teen girls feel like they're not alone in the world and help them get through their troubled teenage years.  I give Revolve 2010 five shiny gold stars, they really hit this one out of the park.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review - Extras by Scott Westerfeld

 Extras (Uglies)

This fourth installment of the Uglies series is listed as a companion novel on Scott Westerfeld's website, but it was way more than that.  Told from the point of view of Aya Fuse, 15 year old Uglie, this book follows nicely in the footsteps of the previous three books.  It takes place several years after Specials.  Aya is a kicker who is trying to up her face rank and falls upon a very interesting story that is definitely worth sharing.  The release of her story draws the attention of Tally Youngblood and pulls them all into a journey that only could be written by Westerfeld.  Once again, Westerfeld paints this over materialistic world that mirrors things in our world today. He paints a picture of the consumerism we live in, but gives it a hint of fantasy.  Readers will be pulled into this book much like the rest of the series, and it is quite a fantastic ride. The action in this book is suspenseful enough, but could use a little more depth.  As a fan of Westerfeld, I wasn't unhappy with this book, but there was plot points that left me a little lost.  For example, it is said at one point that the characters are speaking Japanese the whole time, this is not something I ever picked up on before this point and it left me a little confused.  Also with these books being futuristic, would the languages still hold up to be the same?  All in all this a decent book, and if you are a fan of the rest of the Uglies series, you'll love this one.

I Wish the Sledgehammer in My Head Would Chill Out.

I have the worst headache right now. Oh man.

I did a lot of cleaning today. I'm super proud of myself.  The kitchen is all clean and shiny, I did laundry, and I washed our sheets and blankets.  Man I am awesome.  I don't know why when I get my mind set on it, I love cleaning.  Most of the time, I hate to clean, but once I get on a roll I can go forever.  I also love the smell of bleach.  It just gives everything that super clean smell that you can't get with anything else.

Tonight was a new episode of Life Unexpected.  I actually was able to catch it while it was on TV.  I'm awesome like that.  I still love this show.  Lux is really starting to come into herself and if I can make a prediction I think she's going to start fitting into school better and may leave her old friends/life behind.  Wow that was a long sentence. This is definitely a show to keep an eye on.  I realized last night that since I'm so bad at keeping up with all my old favorite shows, I'll just start watching new ones. For example, the new season of Gossip Girl is about to start and I have no clue what the last episode I watched was.  I'm pretty sure I didn't see any of the last season.  Oh man.

I'm almost done reading Extras.  I should finish it tomorrow morning.  Look for a link to my review tomorrow. :)  I'm going to be starting Shiver tomorrow.  I'm excited.  I've been a good girl and haven't tried reading it while reading other stuff.

Well that's it for today.  I'm going to take some meds to make the Sledgehammer stop pounding.

Once again, your Inner Bad Girl wonders when we'll have holiday sales in honor of a woman, or a bunch of women. (Happy Presidents' Day).

Gorgonzola

We went on this really cute picnic today for Valentine's Day.  We did it all classic like with a checkered blanket, picnic basket, and a big tree in the background. It was super cute.

 

It was really nice outside today, so afterwords we hung out and relaxed.  I read while Mikey played Pokemon.  I have to say it was one of the best Valentine's Days ever.  I think this is a new thing we're going to start doing more often.  At least while the weather is still not too hot.

We watched more Bones tonight.  I'm still mushy over Hodgens, but Zach is starting to grow on me.  His facial expressions are awesome!  I totally without a doubt LOVE this show!

It's late and I'm sleepy.  There is no Inner Bad Girl today. Just keep enjoying those chocolates you bought for yourself.

See ya tomorrow loves!

Jersey Shore- Age 2

I taught my two year old nephew to fist pump tonight. Man his parents are going to love me. :)

Mikey and I babysat Mason tonight. He is so funny.  Every time he would take a bite of food he had to tell me how good and yummy it was.  He also repeats everything you say, so I got to a point where I was repeating everything he said.  We make an awesome team.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, but we're broke. So most likely I'll make something yummy for dinner and we'll spend some quality time together.

I'm still reading Extras.  It's still good.

Man this is a super boring post tonight. I apologize.  I need to get a job or something so I have something to write about.  I didn't really mean for this to be a journal, but whatever. It'll be what it'll be.  :)

Off to watch a movie and cuddle with the hubby.

An Inner Bad Girl Reminder: If you really want chocolate and roses for Valentine's Day, it's okay to buy them for yourself.

Stupid Federal Government.

So, we're not getting our tax return.  It was stolen by student loans.  That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard.  We really needed that money.  We just can't get a break, can we? Arg, I'm in a bad mood.

I finished Breaking Dawn today.  I just love this series.  I think you either love the Twilight series or you hate it.  There is no middle ground.  Eclipse is my favorite book, but Breaking Dawn is pretty awesome too.  I love that we get to delve into Jacob's mind for a bit.  After reading through the series again, I really want a Jacob and Renesmee recap.  I think I'll have to find me some good fanfic to ease that pondering.

I also started Extras by Scott Westerfeld.  I really like it so far. It's a partner story to the first three Uglies books, therefore it has different characters, but I like it just the same.  I'll have more to say when I finish it.

We started Season 3 of Bones tonight! Hodgens looks so cute with his new look!  I just had to put that out there. Haha.

Ok off to bed.  See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count:  17

An Inner Bad Girl History Lesson: On this date in 2004, after being partners for fifty-one years, Del Martin, 83, and Phyllis Lyon, 79, became the first same-sex couple in the United States to have their marriage recognized by a government entity.

It's Thursday!

I just got done watching the newest episode of The Vampire Diaries. It was awesome like always.  I feel so bad for Damon.  :(  I read the books and the show sort of follows, but it is very loosely based on the books.  It makes me wonder though if Elena is going to die soon.  Damon gave her his blood and he keeps talking about her becoming a vampire.  I wonder I wonder I wonder!

Other than that I spent most of the day finishing Eclipse.  Even though prior to this read through I couldn't really remember what happened in this book, I've decided it's my favorite of the series.  A lot of people didn't really like it, but I love the love triangle.  I'm also Team Jacob so I love his envolvement in book three. I started on Breaking Dawn.  This is only my second time reading through it and it's pretty great so far.  The wedding scene had me squeeing.

Ok I'm off to keep reading!  I hope our tax money comes tomorrow! I need money! There is a charity book sale on Saturday with 600,00 items for sale. I must go to this!  I need money!

See ya tomorrow!

Current Book Count: 16

Inner Bad Girl Food for Thought: Imagine the kind of earth-shattering changes that might happen if women actually supported one another. Can you say "No more glass ceiling"?

It's Almost Valentine's Day.

I got into a conversation with my mom yesterday about Valentine's Day and I wanted to bring it up here a little bit.  Sunday is Valentine's Day.  I really don't care.  My mom was appalled by the fact that I really didn't get excited about Valentine's Day and I wasn't expecting any special treatment from my husband on Sunday.  To be honest I'd prefer he didn't do anything special.  We might go to dinner, but that's about all I'm asking for.  Why do I not like Valentine's Day, you may be asking yourself.  It's not really that I don't like it, ok maybe it is that I don't like it, but let me explain.

I worked at Hallmark for over a year and I got to experience Valentine's Day (and many other holidays) from the perspective of the company that knows it well.  I got sick of watching husbands/boyfriends/sons and any other title you want to give there come in on the day of big holidays, Valentine's Day in particular and freak out because they hadn't gotten anything for that special someone.  Most of the time we were out of most things and they ended up scraping the bottom of the barrel.  Now I'm not trying to guy bash here, women are at fault too, but it was mostly men I saw doing this.  I came to the realization that I don't want my husband to ever feel "obligated" to love me.  Why should we only tell our loved ones how we feel about them once a year?  It's not like we're really celebrating anything major on Valentine's Day, it's just become a day for card shops to rack in big bucks.  It's what we liked to call in the industry a "Hallmark Holiday".   Now I know this isn't the case in every relationship, but why do you only buy gifts and love on your spouse during the holidays?  You should be doing this all the time, every day even.

This may be coming off as a single ladies rant, but I'm not single.  I'm happily married and have been with my husband for 8 years this coming April.  I just hate seeing love thrown around so haphazardly.  Go ahead celebrate Valentine's Day, tell your loved one how you feel and shower them with gifts, but don't do it only once a year.  Tell them every day, I bet your relationship will thrive because of it.

On that note, I'm done for today.  I didn't do anything exciting to write about.  I'm still reading Eclipse.  I'm about half way done.  See ya tomorrow. :)

Today is "Anything Can Happen Day." Your Inner Bad Girl wants you to be open to possibilities today--and every day.

That Book Was Total Crap.

Just got back from the book club.  It was fun I guess. The women are a bit older than me and really quirky, but it was fun.  The book we read for this week was utter crap.  It was horrible and everyone agreed.  The plot wasn't that bad, but it was poorly executed and badly written.  The facts were far from being factual.  It was obvious that the author did zero research before sitting down to write this book.  The smut factor was very high in this one, but even that was poorly written.  I'm not going to say the title of the book here because at least she wrote something and got it published. I never want to bad mouth another writer. That isn't what this blog is about.  If you're really curious about the book you'll know what it is if you read yesterday's post.

While at Waldenbooks, I saw they had a $1.00 calendar sale so I picked up a desk calendar called "Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bad Girl" (censored for the kiddies.)  I though this was pretty funny, so I've decided to end each post with the advice for that day.  It may be quotes, advice, reminders or even things to think about.  Sounds fun right?  I may go back and edit in the ones we've missed so far this year.  I haven't decided yet. Oh if you're a male reader, I'm sorry.  Feel free to skip over these add-ons every day or read them and delve into the female psyche.  Yay something to look forward to every day!

I really didn't do much else today except stare at Twitter and read a little of Eclipse.  I think I'm officially addicted to Twitter.  Follow me @Manderiffic.

Oh and I caught up on Life Unexpected!  It's this new show on The CW and if you've been keeping up you know I love The CW.  Some of the shows I'm not that into, but since this ones new I decided to check it out.  It is amazing!  I'm pretty sure this is my new "feel good" show.  Now I have something to watch on Mondays.  Between that and Vampire Diaries on Thursdays, I'm good on shows.  Once we catch up on Bones I'll have to work that in too. I can't wait to have cable again and dvr.  Sigh....

Well that's about it for today. See ya tomorrow!

An Inner Bad Girl Reminder: Use your beautiful things every day.  Wear your nice clothes, set the table with the good plates, drink from a crystal glass. It's important to treat yourself well, because it sets the standard for everyone else.

Book Clubs and Book Sneeze.

I finished reading New Moon this morning, so I can start on Eclipse tomorrow! Yay!  I can't for the life of me remember much of anything from Eclipse.  The movie is going to be awesome though. :)

I also read a book called Long, Lean and Lethal by Lorie O'Clare.  I read it for this book club my mom is taking me to tomorrow.  It was a decent enough book. It was one of those cop mystery/romance novels.  The story line was pretty good, but the lemons were a bit intense. It definitely was a big change from all the YA I've been reading lately.  I guess this book club with throw some interesting into my life. Haha. I hope it's not too weird.

I finally got approved for Book Sneeze!  Right now it looks like it's a bunch of religious books, but free books are free books...right?  My first one is on its way.  :)  

That's all I did today, since I had to finish that book for tomorrow.  No exciting stories or anything really to tell you about.  I finally can update my book count though! :) See ya tomorrow.  I'll have plenty of weird things to tell you about the book club, I'm sure.

Current Book Count: 15

I Didn't Watch The Superbowl.

Today was The Superbowl.  I didn't watch it. I really could care less about sports.  Haha. 

We slept in till like 1pm today.  It was nice. I felt super lazy when we finally got up.  We didn't do anything really today.  Just lounged around the house and read.  Well, I read and Mikey played Pokemon.  I'm not done with New Moon yet, but I'm getting there.  I'm going to try to finish it tomorrow because I need to read some random book for this book club I'm going to with my mom on Tuesday.  It sounds fun enough I guess.

So yeah that was our day.  We went to Logan's for dinner. It was so good. I love eating there.  I hope we get our tax money tomorrow since we are now broke. :{ It was fun being big spenders this weekend. 

Well that's about it.  I'm off to watch some more Bones.  Catch ya tomorrow.

Good Books, Good Friends, Good Times.

Mikey and I went book shopping all morning. We ended up going to four places and still no Maureen Johnson books.  I did end up getting Shiver, Leviathan, Extras and Eragon though.  I've told myself I have to finish re-reading the Twilight series before I can start any of my new stuff.  Oh the torture!

After a few hours at home, we went to watch UFC and hang out with some friends we haven't seen in quite a long time.  It was really fun.  This is the first time in a while I've been able to hang out with a group of people that I haven't seen in a while and be totally comfortable.  After watching the fights we played some drinking games.  We played the most intense game of memory ever!  Haha.  It started out as a joke and ended up to be epic.  We then played 3 Man, which I've never played before.  It was pretty awesome. I recommend learning to play.  The game consisted of some great laughs and even a very serious heated discussions.  This was the best night I've had in quite a while.  Here's a very poor quality picture of Mikey as 3 Man.

 

That's about all for today.  Going to sleep like a baby now.  I intend to read all day tomorrow.  I promise!

Dear John,

I think I'm in love with you. Don't tell my husband. 

Haha.

We saw Dear John tonight. It was pretty awesome. I love Channing Tatum. I've been obsessed with him since Coach Carter in 2005.  He has definitely developed as an actor.  He was phenomenal in this movie.  Hands down his best performance to date. Amanda Seyfried was amazing too. I downloaded the Dear John album and her singing is so awesome.  Her acting has also gotten so much better since Mean Girls. Both Channing and Amanda are definitely becoming actors to take seriously instead of just teen movie worthy.  Anyway, I can't wait to read this book.

We also saw previews for The Last Song and Remember Me.  Both look like they'll be pretty good, but I'm not sure how I feel about Miley Cyrus.  Her acting leaves something to be desired and she makes the most horrid facial expressions.  The Last Song is also a book, so I want to check that out too.  I can't wait till we get tax money so I can get more books.  Not that I don't have enough to read already. Haha.

I can't remember what else I wanted to write about for today. I really need to start writing things down during the day.

Um...I started reading more Twilight Fanfic.  I feel like such a nerd but there is one author I've read before and she is actually a really good writer.  I don't even think of her characters as Twilight characters.  You can read her stories here.  I recommend her stuff even if you don't like Twilight.  She definitely has amazing skills as a writer.

Oh and Boomhower from King of The Hill works for Safe Auto.  I had to call about some issue with our insurance and the customer service guy sounded exactly like Boomhower.  It took a lot out of me not to bust up laughing while I was talking to him.  Oh man how this guy got a phone job, I will never know.

That's about all I can think of right now, I'll throw in an edit if I think of anything else.

I'm still reading New Moon, so no book updates. Sorry. You know you love me!

Damon Salvatore and #GenderinYA

I watched last weeks episode of Vampire Diaries today and then watched tonight's episode.  I love this show.  It's getting so good!  Last weeks episode was my favorite episode so far.  I went squee a couple of times.  I love Ian Somerhalder, as you can probably tell.  I read the whole Vampire Diaries series last year and he is PERFECT for this character.  I admit the show is much more mellow than the books were, but it's still amazing.

I also spent a good amount of time in a discussion via Twitter with a bunch of authors and book lovers today.  You can probably still find it all under #GenderinYA.  We were discussing Male POV and how it is mostly lacking in the YA genre.  Very few authors write YA novels from a male prospective and it may be something that is needed to appeal to male readers.  Majority of YA readers are female, so of course it's benificially for an author to appeal to their readers.  Also many authors of this genre are female and therefore write what they know.  I want to try my hand writing from a male POV, but I'm not sure this is something I'll do right away.  I'm comfortable with female POV and every character I've created in my head is in face female.  Some interesting stuff was tweeted today though.  Go check it out for yourself. You can find a PDF file of most of the conversation here.

I spent a lot of my day online today, catching up on my blog obsessions, and finding some more cool sites to wander through.  I got a new follower too! Hi Patty! You can check out her blog here.  I like to think people are actually reading what I write.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

Anyway, I'm off to drag my hubby away from Pokemon and watch some Bones.  Catch ya'll later!  I promise to read some before bed.

2 Posts In One Day??? I'm Crazy!

I contemplated leaving the contests as today's post, but I decided that was cheating a bit.  I'll write a bit to help my conscience. Feel special, you get two posts today! :)

I spent today wandering around my favorite blogs and entering contests.  I read a bunch of book reviews and added my favorites to my Amazon "I Must Have" list.  If you haven't already browse through my favorite blogs, there is some good stuff there. 

I'm having fun reading about new books and such.  I plan on going out this weekend and visiting a couple used bookstores in my area and trying to shorten my "I Must Have" list a little bit.  It's getting out of control.  So many books, so little time.

I also was reminded how much of a loner I am.  Erg, I hope to fix this problem once we move, if we move that is.  I'm a nice person...be my friend! :)

Anyways, not much else to write about today.  I finished reading Twilight and I'm moving on to New Moon tomorrow.  My husband doesn't understand how I can read them so many times.  I don't get it either. I'm strange I guess. 

Well that's all for today. :) See ya tomorrow.

Current Book Count: 13

Contests Are Fun!!!

Contest #1

Contest #2
http://www.fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/ Check out Italian Alessandra Fusi's Art and enter to win a free handmade ring and bookmark!

I Want to Get LOST.

Lost The Final Chapter started tonight.  I've never watched a single episode of Lost, but decided tonight that I'd check it out.  I watched the hour re-cap and then the 2 hour season premiere.  I think I might be hooked.  The re-cap alone had me wanting to know more.  I guess I have to add this to my list of shows to catch up on. Yay me!

I started reading Twilight again.  I'm going to re-read the whole series since I own them all now.  I figure I'm allowed to do re-reads and I want to read Breaking Dawn again, so I might as well read all four.

I really didn't do a whole lot else today.  I had a really bad headache all morning, so I slept in pretty late.  It made the day go by really fast.  Oh and I watched Wimbledon.  I've never noticed before, but Kirsten Dunst is kind of ugly.  HAHA.  It was a cute movie though. 

That's about it.  Going to watch some more Bones!  YAY!

We get money Friday! YAY! 

YAY!

Happy February.

Well It's officially been a whole month of 2010.  My year of blogging and reading is already one month down.  I've read 12 books so far and I've written everyday.  I'm pretty awesome.  In celebration of getting through my first month I'm going to tell my non-existent readers a little about myself.

1. I love to read.  Ok so you may already know this, but I don't think you understand the extent of my book obsession.  I own a very large sum of books (I plan on counting them when we move) and I've read a very large number of books in my life time.  I used to go to the library as a kid/teen, check out 30 books and have them all read in about 2-3 days.  I was a maniac. I still sort of am this way.  I read 12 books last month (a couple of them were Harry Potter). I am a freak.
2.  I love people.  I love watching people in real life, reading about people, and knowing about people.  This sounds strange and it probably is.  Since I was a kid, I've always loved people watching.  I'd sit somewhere in public and just watch people go about their daily lives.  I think this is why I love Vlogs and Blogs so much.  I'm able to delve into peoples lives from the comfort of my own home. My favorite quote on this obsession is, "Yes, I'm listening to you and you may end up in my book".  I've come to realize lately my ability to pick up on people and who they are and what they are up to is partly do to my writer's mind.  I told my husband recently, "I'm not creepy, I'm just analyzing Human interaction for my novel".  OK I'm a little creepy.
3. I get really obsessed with things for a short time and then never think about them again (at least not for a couple months). Examples of this; Neopets, Gaiaonline, Tumblr, Runescape, SIMS, Harvest Moon, Watching shows/movies online, Internet Killed Television, etc.  I tend to get really obsessed and spend hours and even days doing one thing non-stop and then all of a sudden not caring about it anymore.  The worst is when I all of a sudden months later want to start up where I left off.  I did this with Dexter. I really wanted to watch all the seasons.  I watched it straight for 2 days and now I really have no desire to watch it anymore.  Weekly tv shows are really bad for me because most of the time I stop caring half way through a season. This tends to creep into my reading habits, that will be part of my challenge this year. ARG.
4. I'm really a little kid at heart.  I love kid shows, kid games and especially kid books.  I love the Disney Channel, coloring, and online rpg's meant for kids.  I know I'm a loser.  You don't have to tell me.  I've felt better lately realizing there is a whole community of adults online who love YA novels as much as I do.  At least I'm not alone.
5. To follow on that last one, I get a long better with the 12-18 age bracket then I do with people my age.  I don't know why that is and sometimes I worry about myself, but whatever.  I really do want to write YA novels and I actually really would love to be a Youth Pastor again.  The Pre-teen/Teen years are such an impressionable time in a persons life and I like the idea that I can encourage positive growth. This quote basically sums it up, "In a world that is so busy, and demands so much of all of its inhabitants, young people need a secure environment, where they can experiment and decide who they want to be. They need significant people to be there to help them through this process. They need role models to follow."  I strive every day to be this person.

That's enough delving into the Manda psyche for today.  I hope you feel enlightened.  I feel like maybe I'm wasting space on this blog since I don't write long insightful posts everyday.  This is me.  This is who you get.  Hopefully I'll get better as time goes on.  That's the point of this anyway, really.

Oh and I finished reading Rebel Angels today.  It was awesome.  I wrote a review on YA Books Central. I really don't feel like writing another one.  I'll put a link to it here.

Alright off to watch Bones. :)

Current Book Count: 12