The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

The eleventh book I read this year was THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER by the lovely LEANNA RENEE HIEBER.

This review is really gonna suck.  It seems the more I love the book, the harder it is to review.  And especially with the fact that this book is the second in the series, it's hard to review knowing that I'm going to give some things away about the first book (The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker).

The books starts off directly where the last one left off.  I'll just paste the email I sent to Leanna to show you how epic I found this book:


Leanna,


I just finished your wonderful second novel! OH. MY. GOD! Leanna, I absolutely love it! Now I know why you justified at my school a month ago that if you had to kill a character it was okay because you wrote about ghosts.


I think I cried more when Alexi cried than when ______ died. Leanna...I don't know what to say. And Percy's ________! And Michael and Rebbecca! And Elijah and Josie! And Alexi... my God, Alexi! I love him!


I loved the whole book and I'm so sorry that it took me four whole weeks to finish it! I feel so bad, but now I cannot wait for "A Midwinter Fantasy"! *I loved the foreshadowing by Percy in relation to the upcoming novel, by the way.*


I don't know what else to say except, I LOVE YOU! You're such a great writer and your books are amazing! I'm so proud of you and you're such an inspiration! God Bless you!


Love always,
Hanna

As you could probably tell, I have a very hard time putting this book to words.  I think what I liked most about this book is that Percy definitely has more of a backbone in this book than she did in the first.  And as much as I love strong characters, I think Percy needed to be somewhat weaker in the first book so that you could see the change in her.  In book two, Percy is more willing to take risks to help and save the ones she loves.  She doesn't quite understand who she is, but she's learning and accepting it all at once.  Alexi is a great help to her, as well. 

The Guard openly welcome her.  The Headmistress, of course, is a bit jealous, but she'd never admit it. 

The language in this book is fabulous!  It will make you not only feel like you're in Victorian London, but also WISH you were there and could have a permanent residence there.

I cannot praise this series enough!  Seriously, go read these books!  I promise you, there's something for everyone in this Strangely Beautiful world!!!!!

I rate this book 5/5 stars!!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Hey guys!  I found some pretty cool videos on Tangle which is also refered to as "GodTube".  I really like these two.  I couldn't find the "embed" button on the first one, sorry.



http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/coffey-anderson-i-gotta-feeling-christ-mix-bep-cover&utm_source=newsletter072610&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklytopvideos



Check them out!  I really like them.  Well, I really don't have anything else to blog about today...

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Toy Story 3

I went to see Toy Story 3 yesterday with my dad and my brother.  I'd been wanting to go see it since it came out, and just now had the chance.  I even re-watched the first two to remind myself how much I love those movies.  I don't care what other people may think about me watching Toy Story in my free time, and I did try to use my little sister as an excuse, but she soon got distracted.  I realized that there were several hints in Toy Story 2 as to what Toy Story 3 would be about. 

Toy Story 3 definitely lived up to my expectations, and it's amazing how suspenseful a movie about toys can be.  But so many times you're really not sure if Buzz and Woody will save the other toys.  Not all of the gang is still there, a lot have been sold, but Andy held onto the main characters.  The whole movie is pretty much about growing up and moving on, from a toy's point of view.  They haven't been played with in years, and when given the opportunity to be played with again they have to choose to go against what they've always lived by - it's their duty to be there for Andy no matter what - or stay in a box somewhere.

I have to admit, I cried.  It amazed me how emotional a movie about toys can be, but it was really sad and touching.  It made me want to go home and find Mommy Bear (my favorite stuffed animal) and hug her and promise her I'd never stop loving her.  And I did.  Never again will I stuff her into my closet and pile a bunch of crap on top of her.  When I was a kid, if I spent the night anywhere, she went with me.  I slept with her every night, up until I was about ten.  Of course, I didn't get her until I was like seven.  She belonged to my mom, and my grandma gave her to me.  But you know, I still have to take my mom's old pillow with me when I go anywhere over night, and I have to have it to sleep. 

I think the whole point of Toy Story is to make us realize that no matter how old you are, some part of your childhood still lives inside you.  Memories, friends, games...toys.  And you're never too old for any of it.

Go see this movie!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

The tenth book I read this year was Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

I've really put this review off, because I don't want to review it.  But I want to review other books I've read, so I have to get this one out of the way. 

Personally, I didn't like this book.  It was a pretty quick read due to the fact that it was written as poetry.  But I have a hard time getting through books written that way.  Added to the fact that it was historical fiction (which I'm VERY picky about), this book held little interest for me.

The story is set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl.  Everything Billie Jo has ever known is dust.  Her whole life revolves around keeping out the dust - usually unsuccessfully - and cleaning up after a dust storm has rolled through. 

But Billie Jo never thought that one day tragedy would strike her family, and worse, a lot of people would blame her for the accident.  Billie Jo soon discovers that blame is unthinkingly put upon people based upon how an outsider views it.  Billie Jo also finds her relationship with her father is strained, because she can never forgive him for leaving that pale of kerosene by the stove.

As Billie Jo recovers from the accident, she decides she'll never again play the piano.  Especially not her Mama's piano.  As her life has and is changing desperately, Billie Jo escapes the dust.  Only to realize that what you go out looking for is never as good as what you had.  She realizes that home is home and family is family.  And dust might just have to be part of that family.

I give this story 2/5 stars. 

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

People there's a difference

Okay, I have a pet peeve (okay, I have a lot of them) and I've wanted to write about this one for a while. 

I absolutely cannot stand it when someone calls me an author.  I am not an author, I am a writer.  Let's talk about the difference between the two, shall we?

When it's okay to call a writer an author: When you're reading something they wrote and you say something about the AUTHOR of the piece feeling a certain way, writing a certain way, or anything along those lines.

That's basically the only exception.  Now, you may pose the question "What's the difference between an author and a writer?  Here's my answer: A publishing contract. 
Until you're published, you're a writer.  An author is someone that has their name out there and it's attached to a book, a poem, a newspaper article. 

There was this girl in Power of the Pen, and one day she said "I'm an author...I write things."  I wanted to tell her that she's not an author.  Yes, she's a good writer - very detailed and she knows her stuff - but she's by no means an author.  On my other blog in my introduction post I said that I would never claim to be an expert or even an author.  I've had questions about not considering myself an author.  But I don't.  People, don't you see?  Until I'm published I will not - never - refer to myself as an author.  And even then, I might still refer to myself as a writer.  Because that's what I am, I write.  I'd be the author of my books, but I'm still a writer.

Does this make sense to anybody else but me?

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I finished draft one of my novel.  I can't believe that it's been a whole year, it doesn't seem possible.  But then again, it really seems like it should have been longer.  I've achieved so much in the year that it really doesn't seem possible that I could've written that draft.  I kid you not, nobody will ever see that first draft ever again.  I considered burning it at my friend's bonfire, but then I remembered I had notes on it.

As many of you probably remember, I posted a video of me finishing my first draft on my YouTube page, as well as here on this blog.  It was a very emotional thing for me, and people ask me how it feels to finish a draft.  It's something I can't explain because I feel that you can only know the feeling if you've experienced it.  It's kind of like winning a gold medal in the Olympics (or, you know, eight.) for your country.  You wonder how amazing that would feel, maybe even dream about it, but you'll never know unless you win one for yourself.  Okay, maybe that should've been compared to publishing your book - because I still can't imagine how that feels and I dream about that.  So, finishing your first draft is kind of like *bad example* shooting a gun.  You'll never know what it feels like unless you do it.  And from there, you can figure out if you like shooting guns (writing the story) or if you'd rather take up a different hobby (start a different story).

Either way, I just want to encourage people to realize one thing.  No matter how bad you think your first draft is, keep writing it.  Finish it.  Every first draft sucks.  But at least finish it, shoot that gun, so you know what it feels like.  Then, decide if you want to put the time and energy into the story to write a second draft, or if you'd rather put that time and energy into writing a different story, or something else in general.  But do me a favor, always save that first draft (don't burn it) because you never know when it might strike you as 'worth while' again. 

Expect me to be party-dancing tonight at 9:24pm tonight!!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

*And on a side note, Jane Austen died on this day in 1817.  :'(
**And Brian, at Twilight Teez (no longer in business) had a daughter who died shortly after birth on this day last year.  :'(

Strangely Beautiful #3!!!

Leanna Renee Hieber recently announced the title for the third "Strangely Beautiful" book! It's a prequel to the first book, due to be released in spring of 2011.  The title will be:

THE PERILOUS PROPHECY OF GUARD AND GODDESS

Ahh!  I'm soooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book 2.5 will be coming out in late September of 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Motavation

Okay, so as anyone who knows me probably knows I'm not the easiest person to motavate when I don't want to be motavated.  Now, before I go on with this, let me say that being motavated and be determined and devoted are two VERY different things.

So my issue is that I can't get motavated to write.  And it's not even that I'm at a point where I don't know what I want or need to write next, it's just that I can't write it.  Not that it's a scene that I don't like or that's a painful scene, no.  I just can't write it.  I have the words in my head, but I can't write it.  It's not that I'm not devoted to the story or determined to put everything I have into it - it's just that I can get motavated.  Perhaps it's because I usually don't get up until 11 - noon-ish.

I feel like I'm wasting my prime writing time in the summer because I've finished one whole chapter this whole summer.  Anyone have any suggestions to cure this horrid condition that I'm sure has to be some kind of mental disease?

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Favorite Actor

So, you all know my favorite actor is Robert Pattinson.  But I've found another actor that I really enjoy.  I don't have a crush on this one, just really appreciate who he is and how he plays in movies.

Nicholas Cage.  I know, he's pretty popular.  But over the past few days, I've realized why I love his movies.

I happened to end up watching "National Treasure the Book of Secrets" the other night.  I LOVE National Treasure - probably two of my favorite movies.  But then yesterday we had a storm, so my Direct TV went out.  I asked my brother to go look for "Next" - a movie starring Nicholas Cage.  It's also probably one of my favorite movies.  Basically, the FBI are looking for Chris Johnson, an LA magician who can see the future to help prevent a nuclear attack on the United States.  It's an amazing movie, that for some reason didn't get much attention.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you rent it.  It's rated PG-13.  It has some language and a few scenes, and violence.

I really want to go see Sorcerer's Apprentice.  I think it came out today.  :)

~Officially Inspired~

Ugh Suspense Kills Me!

Okay, I know that suspense is pretty much essential in a book, but it really kills me.

For example, I'm nearly done with Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (I know, getting through it fast), and it's the height of the plot.  Although, I kinda guessed what happens a while ago, it's still like "OhMyGodWhat'sGonnaHappen?!?".  However, I'm the kind of person that expects the worst so I can't stand to read it all when I have a bad feeling about things.  Suspense really kills me.  Am I alone?

Another example, if I'm watching the #1 Movie in America January - June (Remember Me) with anyone that's never seen the movie, it's so suspenseful for me to the point of where I almost feel sick!  I know what happens, but it's such a shocking ending that the viewer never expects it.  I know I can't tell them, so I have to bite my tongue so much that I swear it'll bleed. 

Ahh!  I'm still kinda jumpy from the last chapter of Sisters Red.  I'm like 10 tracks into disk 8/9.  I love the book, but omg it's kinda killin' me here!

*Shamelessly goes back to reading.*

--Officially Inspired

A few things

First off, today is the last day to enter a story and vote in the second writing competition on http://www.twoteensonedream.blogspot.com/ - which will probably close the polls and everything about 5pm EST tonight  11:59pm EST tonight due to the fact that we had a tie in the voting process- so get a move on!

Secondly, I started reading Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce last night.  I'm listening to the audio along with it, so I'm already over 100 pages in and I LOVE it! 

Just wanted y'all to know!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

A Love Letter

Dear Mr. Bron-bron James,

I would like to say up front that I respect that you must make your own decisions, and that you have every right to.  As does every other human being on the face of this Earth and every extra-terrestrial in any other universe that might have been created. 

Now, that that's over with, I would like to say that I am deeply and horribly upset by your decision to leave Cleveland (one of the best cities in the world) and join the Miami Heat.  I would like you to know that if you chose Miami for the ocean-front view and everything, it will not be long before oil overtakes those sandy beaches.  Would you have to worry about that in wonderful Ohio?  NO!  Also, the Cavaliers are such a wonderful team, and you have gone far with them.  Not only this, but Cavalier fans welcomed you with wide open arms and supported you through thick and thin here in Ohio.  Do you not see that you were loved?  And since you were so loved, you must realize the anger your decision will cause.  Not only did your fans love you, they loved the team.  So do not expect Cavalier fans to suddenly become Heat fans because you went there.  No sir, Ohio team fans are loyal and devoted - no matter what (hence why the Bengals have any fans left). 

You had great opportunities here with the Cavs, and just because your friend went to Miami... I just can't justify it.  I think you could've gone a lot farther here in Cleveland than you will in Miami, but, again, it was your decision.  You must've had good reasoning behind it.  And it is no one's business to question or look into your decision - although everybody will.  I'm just saying that though you will be missed in Cleveland, it might not be so pleasant when you return to face the Cavs.  For some reason, fans might hold a grudge to this.  I'm just saying.

With all due respect, this was a dumb decision.  And I would like to repeat that you had every right to make the decision for yourself.  I wish you nothing but luck, however I'm hoping that the Cavs will win it all this coming season.

Respectfully Yours,
Officially Inspired

I'm actually posting about sports?!?

No, you have not accidentally clicked on my brother's blog.  This is still Wonderful Writing Website and I'm still Officially Inspired.  Do not worry.  This shall be painless.

So, two big things are going on in the world of sports today. 

Number one, Lebron James makes a decision whether he will be staying with the Cleveland Cavaliers (like he should) or if he will go to any other of the teams that have optioned him (this would be a bad choice).  Tonight at nine o'clock EST ESPN will host an hour-long special.  Be sure to turn in, or at least check in at the very end when they will announce (like American Idol does) the only thing we want to know.

Number two, and more importantly, tonight we will find out if JOEY VOTTO has made the All-Star game by fans voting for him.  Reds fans have even made national news about VOTING VOTTO FEVER.  Some people have voted over 100 times - and my brother has voted tons.  It's really cool to see that even though the Reds aren't the best team out there and not many people outside of Ohio like them, the people that are fans do really appreciate and respect our players.  It just makes me feel good that we've come together to get this excellent player who really deserves to be in the All-Star game, into the All-Star game.  (Mike Pelfrey really deserved to be there too, and I think there's a lot of politics involved there outside of the fact that he has to pitch the day after.) Can't wait to see if he got in!!

Well, hope everyone's having a wonderful July so far!  Lemme know if there's something you want me to blog about - I've kind of been running out of ideas with writing topics.  :(

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The ninth book I read this year was LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

I think one of the main things that makes this book scarily good is the fact that it's totally relatable.  I mean, Miranda could have very well have been me, and her family very well could have been my family.  Because of this reason, it really puts the whole situation into perspective.  But not only this, for me it made me realize how much I have and how much of my life is considered a 'luxury'.  Fresh food, the computer, chocolate.  They're luxuries - not necessities.

Throughout this book, there's always the overhanging threat of dying.  And I couldn't help but put myself in Miranda's shoes.  There's always a conflict of the pros and cons of death vs life.  And while Miranda never really considered it, it almost seemed like, in that situation, it'd be easier to just die instead of going on living like that.  Not only would you no longer have to worry about yourself or have to deal with the hunger or the cold or the boredom, your family wouldn't have to worry about your safety and your healt or feeding you.  And feeding you would be the hardest thing by far.  One more mouth to feed makes a huge difference in a situation where food is limited.  Honestly, I'm not sure how I could possibly live in this situation.  I have to have fresh food, I can hardly stand to eat frozen things for more than a few days at lunch.  Just the idea of having no fresh fruit or veggies, no milk or meat or anything - I don't know how I'd manage.

To me, it seemed like this book was always set in a time of calmness or panic.  There was really no in between.  Of course, that's understandable when the moon has pretty much collided with the Earth. 

I really loved the characters of this novel - simply because they were relateable.  First lets talk about Miranda's family.  Her brother Johnny could have been my brother.  Johnny's younger than Miranda and he loves baseball.  The whole family worries about Johnny eating more than they worry about themselves eating because he's the youngest and if any of them survive, they want it to be him.  Matt, Miranda's older brother.  I don't know why, but it seems like characters always have a better relationship with their older brothers than any other sibling.  Which is odd to me, but for some reason I always take a special liking to the older siblings.  In this book I really liked Matt because he tried to never keep anything from Miranda - even if their mother did.  Miranda's mom would tell Matt everything, because he was in college and he was the closest to her age.  Miranda's parents got divorced a while back, so Matt is the only 'equal' she has left.  Now, Mom herself kind of bothered me a bit - and I'm not exactly sure why.  It seemed to me a lot of the time she was 'giving up' on herself.  She wouldn't let her children give up, but she pretty much had.  She was eating less and less and everything.  I've heard people argue that it was a sacrifice for her children, but to me if you want your kids to stay strong through something like this, you have to be strong yourself. 

Peter, Mom's boyfriend just kind of rubbed me the wrong way when we first met him.  Although he always brought food, he also brought news of what the lastest disease people were dying from was.  However, at the end seeing how hard he was working to help save people really made me appreciate what doctors do all the more.  Honestly, I don't notice them enough because I simply hate the idea of going to the doctor.  Megan, Miranda's friend, and her Pastor.  Oh my gosh how they irritated me.  It really bothered me that the Pastor was basically telling Megan to starve herself for the Lord.  I mean, finding faith during this situation would be so important, but God would never want you to starve yourself.  And the Pastor himself was eating well when all of his pupils weren't.  Connection there?  Yep.  And then when Megan dies, the Church takes her in and burries her.  But when Megan's mom committs suicide, the Church won't take her because it was an 'unholy' death.  Wasn't Megan doing the same thing?  Killing herself?  It just really bothered me.  Sammi, Miranda's other friend, ran off with a 40-year-old guy in hopes of escaping the disaster, hoping it'd be better somewhere else.  She claimed she loved him, but who knows?  Maybe she just thought he could provide better for her than her parents could.  Finally, Dan, Miranda's boyfriend.  I loved him, and so did Miranda.  And then one day he left for the same reason Sammi did, but he didn't run off with a cougar.  I just think in this situation you'd have to get used to the idea of people leaving you.  Not knowing who your life will consist of day-to-day.  It'd be hard. 

And so I ask myself again, could I survive this?



I give this book 4/5 stars.

Robert Pattinson, Twilight, Harry Potter, and Everything Else fans unite!

So, if you haven't already heard, the Harry Potter Alliance is in 3rd place for a running that wins it a bunch of money - but they need first place to win. 

What the plan is is to get every Rob fan, Twi-hard, HP fan, and any other fan to go HERE and vote.  Now, I am unable to vote due to the fact that I do not have a facebook.  However, if u do, please go and vote.  If not for yourself, for me.  I think it's a great thing they're doing.  And here's more info about it.

First, this is a video from YouTube Phenomenon and bestselling author, John Green:



Secondly, this is a post directly from http://www.robertpattinson.org/ talking about it.

Fans are awesome. You know it. We know it. But what you may not know is that in the past few years, fans of everything from Twilight to Harry Potter to True Blood and more have raised tons of money for different charities.



But what if we united? What if all the fans of all the different stories out there united to help the world? Our friends at the Harry Potter Alliance (who happen to be big Twilight fans as well) want to do just that as they work to form the first ever United Fan Coalition where fans of ALL KINDS (beyond Harry Potter) celebrate the stories, movies, and artists they love by helping the world.


Robert Pattinson fans are some of the most devoted and passionate people out there, with the numbers and the heart to make a difference in a big way! Imagine what Robert Pattinson fans could accomplish if we joined up with other fans to support literacy and raise money for charity. Rob himself has done wonderful things for charity in the past, and many Twilight fans have followed his example before now.


You can make a big difference with only a few seconds of your time. The HP Alliance is in 3rd place to win $250,000 which will help us all do more to get books to children in need, and save lives through raising money for charities.


To vote, CLICK HERE, press the green “Get started to vote” button, hit “Like” (if you haven’t already), and then press “Vote now.” Encourage your friends and other fans to vote too!


It’s a ridiculously simple way to help a great cause and honor the twilight actors (and the characters they play) who have dedicated themselves to making the world a better place. Thanks for the support!

I think this could really make a difference to a lot of people, so please go and vote!  I know how much reading changed my life, and if it weren't for Twilight, I probably wouldn't be writing this right now - heck, I probably never would have written anything.  Knowing that some kids aren't as fortunate as I am to have books to read and smell and love makes me feel bad and I really just want to help them out.  And this is a simple way that only take a few seconds.  Now, I know I sound like one of those sappy people from those commercials about hungry kids across the nation, but I'm begging you to please help out this charity.  I also am very well aware of what Stephenie Meyer and Robert Pattinson have done for me, without even knowing I'm alive.  They've given me so much, and perhaps in their honor I could pay them back a bit.  There are several other people that come to mind that have helped form me as a writer and a person - Leanna Renee Hieber, for example.  So I'm adding Strangely Beautiful fans to the list too.  Let's do this together, guys!  I feel bad since I can't vote, because people know I'm a die-hard twi-hard and I absolutely adore Robert Pattinson (perhaps a bit too much for my own good...).  So, since I cannot vote, I thought I would help spread the word!  I think that it's an amazing thing how fans can come together like this to make a difference.  In all honesty, I think fans don't get enough respect because I truly believe that fans are the most loyal and passionate people out there.  And that's what makes this possible.  And perhaps now people will stop seeing us as just 'fangirls' or whatever.  Keep it circulating and please help out the HP Alliance!

God Bless!!
Officially Inspired

Independence Day 2010

I don’t know about other places, but the corn is definitely knee-high today! The hot, humid weather provides a very nourishing upbringing of the corn. Still wish it wasn’t hot and humid so much.

Today, as you’re well aware is the Fourth of July - the birthday of our country as its own country. Today we celebrate our Independence from Great Britain. I cannot imagine my life if we still lived under Britain’s eye, under their power. Obviously, I have nothing against England, but I think we’d live a whole other kind of life here if we were under their control. And it’s also nice to see that they respect our holidays such as the 4th and Memorial Day, by postponing all new episodes of BBC shows until the following weekend. No matter how much I wish I got to see Dr Who last night, I shall not complain because they are showing us respect.

I imagine the time of our Founding Fathers and wonder what they would think of our present-day country. Would they be proud of our advancements? Would they frown at the issues that we face everyday? Would they be ashamed of what some of our people have become? Would they still fight in the war, even with the modern day weaponry, having no experience with it? Most of all, would they be able to end these wars, with the US being the victor?

As much as I love this country, I have to admit that we’re not perfect - far from it. But so is every other country. Sometimes I wish that we could go back and live in the times of Jane Austen or Edgar Allen Poe, it was so simple and everyone knew each other and people were so polite. But then again, I would never want to live in that era. Their medicine developments were very limited, and added to that, the fact that I’d have to ride a horse, a carriage, or walk anywhere I went. I don’t know how I’d like that. And on top of that, having to wear all of those layers of clothes everyday, even in the 90 degree heat? No, I think I’ll stick with present-day. Because in present day we as Americans come together during thick and thin, and I think holidays are a great way to really see that. Most of all, I cannot imagine being under England’s control when 9-11 happened. No, that was America’s time to prove itself, that we could, if not fully, mostly recover from such a tragedy.

So today I ask you to just remember people in your lives that have made a difference in your community and remember what our Founding Fathers fought so hard to give us - Freedom. And most of all, remember that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!

May God Bless you, and may God continue to Bless America.

Fail

It's official - I FAIL as a blogger.

So, I went to see Eclipse at midnight on Wednesday morning / Tuesday night.  And I didn't even blog about it!  FAIL!

This time, I decided to leave all cameras at home, so I have no footage of my amazing time at the movies.  But I do have the memory of how good that movie was.  I'm sure you've seen the commercial about 'It's the best Twilight yet', which when I saw, I thought to myself 'well, that's not saying a whole lot'.  But it truly is - and I think my expectations for Breaking Dawn (parts 1 and 2) are now set really high because Eclipse was so amazing.

The action was amazing - the vampire speeds unbelievable - and sitting in the front row, center (again) made me feel like I was in Forks with the Cullens and my beloved Edward Cullen.  Charlie, Bella's dad, steals the show once again in two scenes.  One, when they're having 'the talk' and two when jacob tells Charlie that he kissed Bella.  However, that scene was pretty funny.  There was just enough pause inbetween each line for movie-goers to laugh.

My friend thought this movie was a little rushed, and however it might have been a little bit.  But I like it that way because they didn't really leave anything out. 

It's just a really good movie - possibly one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I've seen.  If you haven't seen it - go see it.  Even if you haven't seen the other Twilight movies, go see  it.

Oh, and I won this for knowing the answer to "Where did Stephenie Meyer go to college and what was her major?"

Anyone know?

Update

Just a quick update. I got a comment the other day wondering where I was with my novel, so here's the answer.

Approximately 171 pages, 44,725 words.