Stolen: A Letter to My Captor

Last night, late, late, late, I finished Stolen:A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher. This book was written in a narrative by teenage girl named Gemma. Gemma is a british girl at the airport when the book starts.

Throughout the book, the narrative refers to a person Gemma calls "You" and that "You" person eventually reveals that their name is Ty.

Lucy wrote this book in an odd format, but it was an odd book. I thought this review over before I even began typing.

I will say that I enjoyed it, and that Lucy didn't drag the book on. She also didn't rush right into the action, but took time to explain the set up. Both of these things I highly appreciated.

This book will be recommended by me, but not in a crazy way. I am very calm about this book.

Yes, I enjoyed it. Yes, I think that a lot of different people would read it, but I put caution. This is not really a happy book, or a sad book. Stolen by Lucy Christopher is more of a book about even when something bad happens, and then it ends, you still end up with the same pretty poopy life.

Word of the now- Odd: unusual; eccentric

Quote of the now: "It's an odd world" Timothy Spall

Au revior,

~Remedyleaf

I didn't abandon you!

Hello!

I've been kind of lost in the reading world the past few days. I'm re-reading the first Anne of Green Gables book so I can be caught up and read the rest of the series.

I also have been trying to read the book, A Girl, a Ghost, and the Hollywood Hills. I'm not really into it yet...

I'm also reading the book called Stolen  by Lucy Christopher. This book is the winner of the "Medical Printz Award for Excellence In Young Adult Literature Honor"

So far, I have to say this book is pretty creepy. But I like it a lot.

Word of the now-  Stolen: Past participle of steal

Quote of the now: "Stolen kisses are always sweetest" Leah Hunt

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Lost

Good morning,

I just finished the book I started last night called Once was Lost by Sara Zarr. Sara is also the author of Sweethearts and Story of a Girl.

I enjoyed Once was Lost because of it's story idea, characters, and over all writing style. Sara kept the book moving and you were alway's waiting for more, even in the beginning before anyone knew what the problem was.

I recommend this book because the problem doesn't just appear on the first page, characters are introduced and the life of the protagonist is explained a bit. I think Sara did this to save time instead of stopping every time something that needs to be explained comes up.

This is the first book I've read by Sara Zarr but I think it was very worthwhile.

Word of the now- Lost: having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, ect.

Quote of the now: "Exaggeration is truth that has lost it's temper"- Kahlil Gibran

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Julian

I hope you all have met my hamster Julian ---->

Julian is my hamster because I have cats in RL.

Please feed Julian as much as you want (pudgy hamsters are cute!) But don't tease him, he follows your mouse.

Thanks for listening to my random deciding of mentioning Julian,

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Feeling sorry...

This morning I finished the book Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty.

This book was interesting, because characters were flowy, and changed a lot. This helped the plot progress in a fairly smooth manner.

Like Jaclyn's other books, Feeling Sorry for Celia wasn't written in traditional story format, but written in letters and notes. The letters were correspondence between the protagonist Elizabeth and her mother, her step-brother, her best friend Celia, and her pen-pal through school, (Christina). The other letters, (no usually responded to) were from odd societies and associations that feel obliged to write to Elizabeth. The notes, are from a "a stranger who rides your bus" or Elizabeth's bus.

Through this crazy manner a plot is revealed, and an amazingly twisted up story forms.

I enjoyed this novel (Feeling Sorry for Celia,) and all of it's companions, ( The Year of Secret Assignments, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, and The Ghosts of Ashbury High.)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ^^^^^^^^^

Word of the now- Association: an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure

Quote of the now- "No memory is every alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails, that each have their own associations." Louis L'Amour

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Bounce!

Just now, I finished the book Bounce by Natasha Friend, author of Perfect and Lush.

Bounce had a different story line twist, than Natasha's other two books (mentioned) In Perfect and Lush, Natasha took common story starters, and twisted them about. With Bounce, Natasha surprised me by giving a new story idea.

I loved the characters to pieces, and the protagonist Evyn was the perfect role of "kinda Tom-boy girl whose mother is dead".

I highly recommend this series, (about 13 year olds) mostly because of its diversity. Commonly, series are about a group of protagonists and other characters that roll from one plot to another. With this series, each protagonist and cast of other characters has a plot.

I enjoyed this detail very much.

5 stars!!!!!!!

Word of the Now- Bounce: to spring back from a surface in a lively manner

Quote of the now- "Everything's not going to go perfect. You're going to have some losses that you're going to have to bounce back from and some things that are a little unforeseen that you're going to have to deal with."- Tony Dungy

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Fast

A few hours ago I picked up the book Lush by Natasha Friend. Natasha is the author of that book I read a while ago, Perfect.


I enjoyed Lush in an odd way. Natasha took such a common idea (alcoholic parent) and messed up the boring story starter, by adding in a lot of other problems. I loved Sam's personality, and the other characters fit the story in a very realistic way.

I was surprised at some parts, and other times in private, fairly upset with characters. Natasha used a lot of true adolescence nature and reality to form this quick read novel.

I would recommend this book, (And Perfect) to a lot of readers, with varying genre tastes.

5 outta 5 stars!

Au revoir,

~Remedyleaf

Brides....

Yesterday, I finished the book Sister of the Bride by Beverly Cleary. I enjoyed the book, because of it's well character development. I loved how the character's realistically changed their point of views and ideas.
It was pretty old! Copyright 1963!!

I hope to read more by Beverly, and hope you read some too!

Word of the day-Sock: A short stocking usually reaching to the calf or just above the ankle

Quote of the day: "Never put a sock in the toaster."- Eddie Izzard

Organize all your house's socks today. Any that don't match split down the side, wash, and make washcloths.

Au revior,

~Remedyleaf

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, I. Am. Very. Upset!!!!!

I tried to read the book today My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath! I barely got to chapter 3 when one of the (adult) characters kicked a goose! And made his beak bleed! :(

I stopped reading that book.

I'm not going to ever finish that book

It has emotionally scarred me

Poor birdie! :( :( :( :( :(

What's even sadder is that I loved Polly's other book

Everything on a Waffle


This all troubles me,

Fare well,

~Remedyleaf

Maybe you should be worried...

Well, today I'm working on 4:45 of sleep last night

I kinda feel as if I was just drowning, or born.

But then I feel like I just died.

Just now, in the car, listening to Christmas carols,

The rich voices rolling into my ears,

I swear I heard them singing about easter eggs

You all probably should be worried

I off my nuts!!!

Let this be a lesson on what little sleep can do to you,

IT TURNS YOU INTO DELUSIONAL HAGS WITH WEIRD SLEEPING PATTERS!

Farewell,

~Remedyleaf

Glass of water

Hands grasp

A glass

Fingers turn the nob

Water

Cold

Fresh

gushes from the faucet

Thrust cup under the stream

fingers tense as the cup grows in weight

just in time, you pull it away

turn off the faucet

sit

and

enjoy

the cold water

from the glass

as your tired fingers

no longer need to be tense

~Remedyleaf

Ghosts at 1:06 in the morning

Last night, I finished The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty at 1:06 in the morning. Funny how right now I've got about five hours of sleep and should be getting my clothes on; brushing my hair ect. Though I'm sitting in my bed in my pajamas with my hair tangled and matted.

I enjoyed The Ghosts of Ashbury High a lot for numerous reasons . 1) I loved that the book was written in  test essays, letters to ghosts, blogs, blog comments, letters to the dead, angry emails, scholar ship progress reports, and transcripts of The Committee for the Administration of the K. L. Patterson Trust Fund meetings.

2) I loved the odd historical note in this book, that I haven't seen Jaclyn use ever before. I was greatly impressed

3) The style was different, this wasn't really a "webbed story" I felt the book had a "webbed plot" where not everything had to do with the big thing in the end, for there were several discoveries in the last pages of the book

4) The characters are so much more developed now that they've bounce across books, I loved it!!!

Of course, I give the book a 5 (outta 5) rating and hope you consider Jaclyn's Ashbury Brookfield Legacy, (I have 1 more to read!!!!!)

Now I must go,

~Remedyleaf

Happy Dancing Lights

Cool white

Pulsing water, pouring from the faucet

Swirling soap, finding the emptiest crooks and crannies

Knuckles, hot pink, right hand

Skin, tight, pulled over the body, tensed by soap

Hair, clinging to head, swing in face

Eyes squinted, and flashing with light

Bubbly warmth seeping and swishing in ears

The clicking as the air bubbles escape

Sudden pain

Your foot just slipped under the faucet

The water is that hot?

Turn it off.

Soak

Wash

Relax

Notice your hands,

Wrinkles, over lapping

A shivery old person taking a bath.

Not really, you realize

Rinse

Water, colder, splashing over your body

Towel, steamish, having sat in the bathroom, waiting.

Tousle hair

Smooth legs

Rub arms

Notice your blurry reflection

Write in the mirror

Use your arm to wipe off the fog

There is your face, as clear as day

Though night time sounds echo from the windows

You stare into the eyes

Bright, alert,

Lashes flashing

Flirtatious?

No.

You are alone,  for a moment

In the house, it seems

Even though there are people moving, all around

Pajamas, slip on

Teeth brush

Face scrub

Hand reaches for the door-nob

Leave this moment of peace?

Leave this time for yourself?

Why not, life would be too lonely with out anyone

to bang on your door and complain of the time

to trick you and steal things of yours

to embarrass you

or to love no matter what

spend time when you are down

keep themselves open to ideas, no matter how silly.

Hand grasping the nob, you fling yourself into reality

and it hits you

But it hits a you that is clean

relaxed

open minded

and had already been missing those

waiting outside

as the minutes passed

while you soaked

and washed

and relaxed

with warm soapy water

and happy dancing lights

~Remedyleaf

A Few Minutes Later...

Again, I post!

Just now, sitting on my bed with my computer I searched the website "Paperback swap" for a certain copy of Meet the Austins by Madeline L'Engle. I want to get the unabridged copy, but it is still not available (on that website)!!!!

So I sat in my bed and 'cried' "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" in a very odd slow-mo voice.

I stopped though, when I found a lone piece of chocolate in my bed.

Then a second later, found a green Peanut Butter M&M in bed.

I ate both the M&M and lone piece of chocolate.

Throughout me typing this my metal bracelet has been making a "scratching" noise on the computer.

My bracelet is a "Seeing eyes bracelet" that keeps away evil! (when I wear it)

I have had this bracelet for a long time, and yesterday I decided to put it on.

Word of the day: Tongue- the usually movable organ in the floor of the mouth in humans and most vertebrates, functioning in eating, tasting, and, in humans, speaking.

Quote of the day: "A quote is just a tattoo on the tongue"- William F. DeVault

Farewell,

~Remedyleaf

Chocolate Breath

Just now, lying in bed bed, licking the remainder of chocolate from my lips, I had the oddest musing.

First, I felt that my chocolate breath, after the sweetness of it had soaked into my tongue, tasted like turkey. Very interesting, I thought, on my way to the bathroom, when another musing came over me,

Smoke. Chocolate breath smells (tastes) like smoke!

All of this confused me as I wandered down the stairs, determined to confuse all of you with this blog post, for so far it has nothing to do with reading or writing, (but a spark for a story is possible, no?)

Maybe my odd thoughts could have anything to do with the book I'm reading, (and half way through) The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty.

Alas, I must go back to my bed to lie and continue with my book, and of course once I'm finished I'll post a review on it (so far so good, :) )

Now go get yourself a bucket of chocolate, a good book (s), and a bed full of soft things, blankets, stuffed animals, and warm things, (like pets).

~Remedyleaf

"You never did learn to knock"

Yesterday I finished a book called You Never Did Learn To Knock Selected by Bel Mooney.

This book was a collective anthology of stories about girls and their mothers. (14 stories)

I enjoyed the book for the most part, except for the fact that more than half the stories were from Britain, and all their slang like "mum" and "pet" got a little annoying to read, just because I'm not used to that in my everyday language. (But, they probably wouldn't be used to "mom" or "honey")

Over all, I give this book a fairly high review, except for all the british stuff.

*Note This book is non-fiction


Sorry that this is the most I've posted in a while, I've been reading a lot, just thicker books! :)

Word of the day: Bunchgrass- any of various grasses of many genera that grow in tufts or clumps rather than forming a sod or a mat.

Quote of the day "A man who wants time to read and write must let the grass grow long"- Sloan Wilson

Have fun with your grass quote!

~Remedyleaf

Sad book! :(

Good evening!

Today I finished a book called Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper.

The protagonist is a character named Melody, who has cerebral palsy. She is a 10/11 year old girl, who has never spoken a word in her life.

The plot was amazing, and everything was very well thought out. Including characters, setting, and little details.

I enjoyed the writing style, though it was a heart breaking story. This book is definitely a worth while read.

Note, for all of those who cannot stand reading books about people who are younger than them, this book is a perfect exception. You can barely tell her age (character wise)


Read yourself to sleep tonight,

~Remedyleaf

42 miles....

Good morning! This is way to early to be awake, but, oh well!!

Last night I finished the book Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me by Lisa Papademetriou. 

This book had a well developed plot, and the characters were very thought out. This book was planned, and nothing was impulsive. For this book, it worked.

I enjoyed the plot, and even though it was a pretty typical idea, the author used different details.

I rate that book about 4 stars, only because the reading level was a little bit babyish.

Just now, I read a book called 42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. It was written in free verse poetry, and was a very short read. The plot was o k, the plot after the climax moved a bit too fast.

I rate it 3 1/2 stars, because I liked it, it was worth reading, but the fact that it moved to fast kinda ruined it.

Word of the day Ruin: The downfall, decay, or destruction of anything

Quote of the day "Be gentle to all and stern with yourself" Saint Teresa of Alvia

Loves and hugs,

~Remedyleaf

Pretzel M&Ms...

I just finished a book called Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman. Rosalind also wrote the book Queen Bees & Wannabes which was the basis for the movie Mean Girls.

B,G,AOHM was a very interesting book. The author really included realistic teenage problems, (ex. freshmen in high school.)

I was very impressed that the author managed to not mention "today" things (ex. Iphones, current singers, exc.) Though she did mention IMing, but I don't really think that counts.

The plot in the text was very thought out, and took its time. Nothing was rushed, and nothing was noticeably slow. The climax was really built up to, and I think that added a lot to the book.

My favorite part of reading a book, is when you are reading, and everything is silent, and you start to laugh out loud about something that happened in the book.

So today, while finishing B,G, AOHM I lied in my bed, licking the last bit of chocolate from my pretzel M&Ms that had glazed my lips, when the text made me laugh out loud. I had to read it over 3 times, to satisfy myself (I won't tell the part, for there  are different ones for every person.)

Thus, this book was a very worthwhile read, and I have but one complaint. The author used a lot of "said"s. So of course, me the Thesaurus hogger, could think of a bunch of words to replace --. (said)

I give this book 5 stars, and it will appeal to people from 6th to Senior* year (of high school)

*Note, the subject matter may be appealing, but depending on your reading level the book might be a bit easy...

So that is all about that book! The next book I'm going to start is called Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me by Lisa Papademetriou. I have no preference on this author, so I'll be sure to let you know!

Word of the day Material: the substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed

Quote of the day: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music"--Aldous Huxley

That is all for today, (as far is know this moment)

I will post again soon!

~Remedyleaf

Good! and Bad!!

This week I have read A True Princess which was very sweet and I enjoyed the little lick of goodness.

Then, I started a book called, Rules For Secret Keeping by Lauren Barnholdt. This book, was very cheesy. It was pretty predictable. Also, the author mentioned modern things (Iphones) and things that have long dated (Miley Cyrus)

The worst part was that the book had three main problems, and only two of them were solved! The last one the were literally sitting down at the table to talk about when that was the last paragraph.

I was very disappointed with this book, I can barely give it 2 stars.

The stars are only there because the author can write a book, with a pretty developed story line (excluding the fact that the book text dropped)


Word of the day is -tail: the reverse side of a coin

Quote of the day: "Practice makes perfect, but nobody's perfect, so why practice?"-Unknown

Read a good book for me will ya?

~Remedyleaf

Monday...

Good day!

I'm still reading A True Princess... I've got to work on that!

I hope everyone enjoys all of my collected quotes, but today, we're doing word of the day and week!

Word of the day- Looney: Lunatic, insane


Word of the week- Joe: a fellow; guy


Lots of reads coming soon!


~Remedyleaf

Chilly Rain...

Hey!

Today I have not gotten to read as much as I would have liked to, but, I have made progress!

I'm still reading A True Princess and I started to re-read A Wrinkle In Time which is always and forever amazing!

Now though, I want to talk about a book I read a while ago, that I just found. It's called Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem. This book is fantastic, and I want to read it very soon! (again)

A few days ago I emailed Jaclyn Moriarty (via her website) and she emailed me back!! [I was raving about The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie...]

Word of the day- Escape: to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty

Quote of the day: "Alway's desire to learn something useful."- Sophocles

With lots of care...

~Remedyleaf

Good morning!!

Hello! Good day!

Last night I finished The Trouble With May Amelia which was just as good as its 1st book. I loved how each book really had it's own plot, yet the author let the little things fly between books. I was very impressed with the magnitude of greatness that the book depicted...

So, I started my next book, A True Princess  by Diane Zahler. So far so good! The book starts of a little fast, but I'm sure that that just helped with the plot!

Word of the day: Trouble- to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate

Quote of the day: "In a gentle way you can shake the world"-Mohandas Gandhi

New book!!!

Good evening!

Last night I finished The Giver which was fantastic! It was very detailed and well written. That book fully deserved it's Newbery Medal.

Today I started The Trouble With May Amelia sequel to Our Only May Amelia.

So far so good, and it's very enjoyable! With the characters back, it's like visiting old friends, that you only see once a year...

Word of the day- Celebrate:to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.

Quote of the day- "Happiness is the natural flower of duty"-Phillips Brooks

Keep your chin up,

~Remedyleaf