Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

Goodreads Synopsis:    There are six things very wrong with my life:

1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.

2. It is on my nose

3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.

4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.

5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.

6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.

In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"

My Thoughts:

-    I had high hopes for this book. I was hoping it would be hilarious and a quick fun read. It was quick, but not fun. It was like Princess Diaries all over again, but worse.

-    I did laugh at first, but Georgia quickly became VERY annoying. She was really dumb, painfully dumb. She was also really whiny and superficial. I just couldn't take it.

-    The rest of the characters weren't any better.

-    I take back the quick remark. I wanted to finish the book, so I drudged through the last half. Ugh!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Goodreads Says:    Picture the magic – discover J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world with glorious full-colour illustration by Jim Kay, winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

An extraordinary creative achievement by an extraordinary talent, Jim Kay’s inspired reimagining of J.K. Rowling’s classic series has captured a devoted following worldwide. This stunning new fully illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban brings more breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters – including Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Professor Trelawney. With paint, pencil and pixels, Kay conjures the wizarding world as we have never seen it before. Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this full-colour edition will captivate fans and new readers alike as Harry, now in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, faces Dementors, death omens and – of course – danger.

My Thoughts:

-    This is my favorite book in the series, and it was SO much fun to see it illustrated.

-    The pictures are amazing! I loved the drawings of Buckbeak, the characters, and the landscape. It was awesome!

-    Gnome was scared of some of the pictures. She had a nightmare about grindylows, and the dementors creeped her out. She really liked the story though. She especially loved the ending.

-    I love the new characters introduced in this book. This book and its characters are so pivotal in the series, and readers learn SO much. 

-    I LOVE LOVE LOVE that these versions of the book aren't translated. I love all the British lingo. 

Previous Books

Old Man's Cave

Goodreads Synopsis:    A showdown with the rat creatures and a secret ceremony by moonlight; revelations and battles: The Bone cousins are in the thick of it again!

The thrilling BONE saga continues in book six. As war spreads through the valley, the Bone cousins join Gran'ma Ben and Lucius at Old Man's Cave to make a stand against the rat creatures.

But not everything goes as planned. By the end of the book, Phoney Bone is strapped to a stone altar and about to be sacrificed; Thorn is lying lifeless nearby; and the rumblings of an earthquake suggest that the Lord of the Locusts is about to be released. Fone and Smiley Bone must do something drastic to save their friends.

My Thoughts:

-    Things are way more complicated than I though. I hope I'm understanding everything correctly. 

-    Why do we need to see the cat's anatomy?

-    The story is really taking off! Wow! There are some major reveals in this one.

-    I'm happy to finally see Thorn stepping it up and doing something. 

-    This is one of my favorites in the series so far! 

Previous Bone Books

(click covers to see my thoughts)

  
 

Fruits Basket: Volume 3

From Goodreads:    It's Valentines Day and you know what that means -- lots of chocolates for the cutest boys at school! In this case, it's a pretty close tie between hot-headed Kyo Sohma and Yuki 'prince charming' Sohma. Of course the kind-hearted Tohru, guest of the Sohma family, has chocolates for everyone! But when White Day comes around, what will the Sohma family give back? How about a trip to the family hot springs?! Also, a new member of the Zodiac shows up at school to lay the 'MOO'ves on Kyo.








My Thoughts:

-    Hatori and Shigure are hard to tell apart at times.

-    Is Okami a zombie!?!?

-    Tohru has such a positive outlook on life.  I want to be like that.

-    What is up with Shigure's editor? She is a spaz!

-    Yuki is still a fem.

-    I like Haru. He is cool!

-    There are a lot of people in this manga, but it's handled very well.  I don't get confused or anything. It's just that some of them look the same.


Series Info:

This was the 3rd Volume in the Fruits Basket series. To see my thoughts on the previous volumes, click on the covers below.

 

Fruits Basket: Volume 2

Goodreads Bit:    The enigmatic Sohma family shares a great secret -- they are possessed by spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, and when they are hugged by members of the opposite sex, they transform into their Zodiac animal! Tohru Honda, an orphaned high school freshman, is given lodging in the Sohma household in exchange for taking care of household chores. The humble Tohru is quite grateful for the Sohma family's generosity, but the longer she stays with them, the more they realize what a blessing she is in their lives as well.







My Thoughts:

-    I want to meet this author.  She seems awesome! I love her little notes randomly placed throughout the book.

-    Not my favorite style of anime I've seen, but it's good.

-    I want to learn how to make onigiri!

-    I would make a better rabbit that Momiji. I can't believe my zodiac is the weird German kid.

-    Yuki is such a girl!

-    What is with the sea horse!?!?! There is no sea horse zodiac!

-    This love triangle is really buggin' me.

-    Tohru has some amazing friends!


Series Info:

This is Volume 2 in the Fruits Basket series. Click on the cover below to see my thoughts on the first volume.

Fruits Basket: Vol 1

Goodreads Bit:    Tohru Honda was an orphan, living with her grandfather, when one day fate kicked her out of the house and she was forced to take up residence in a tent in the forest. Little did she know that the land she was staying on belonged to the Sohma family, a mysterious clan. After stumbling upon the teenage squatter, the Sohmas invite Tohru to stay in their house in exchange for housework. Everything's going well until she discovers the Sohma family's greatest secret: when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they each turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal!






My Thoughts:

-    I'm so confused, but I'm still interested.

-    Yuki looks like a girl! Some of the characters even think it's a girl.

-    Hugs? That is what turns them into their Zodiac? Kinda weird!

-    There is always a crazy girl in every Anima/Manga isn't there? Kagura is going to be annoying!

-    Tohru has a good deal! She gets to live with those guys in exchange for keeping house. It's kinda like a Snow White situation but better. 

-    I feel like every girl in Anima/Manga is an amazing cook! I'm so jealous!

The Mirror of Merlin

From Goodreads:    What is the nature of fate? Is young Merlin destined to be a powerful wizard, or does he have a choice? These are the questions Merlin must answer as he travels with the deer woman Hallia to the Haunted Marsh where the marsh ghouls have begun a campaign of destruction. Or are the ghouls being manipulated by an even greater source of evil? An evil that seeks to destroy not the marsh, but Merlin himself? Here, in the fourth installment of the Lost Years of Merlin, epic master storyteller T. A. Barron weaves a tale of humor, adventure, and surprise as Merlin unravels the mystery of the Haunted Marsh, meets a boy named Arthur, and travels through a mirror of mist that brings him face to face with his destiny.



My Thoughts:

-    The story wasn't very good in this one.  Merlin kinda just traveled around.  It got better about half way through.

-    The Ballymag's dialogue is annoying.  I had to slow down to read what he said.

-    Merlin hasn't said chants to do magic before.  Why does he need to now?

-    Merlin is still very arrogant and ornery.  Will he ever learn?

-    I loved that they added Ector into the story!

-    I think I'm getting burnt out on these books.  I will probably take a break and read something else before tackling the last book.


Series Info:

This is the 4th book in the Lost Years of Merlin series.  To see my thoughts on the previous books, click on the covers below.

  

Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow, Volume 4

From Goodreads:    Capturing Clow Cards was only the beginning...Once upon a magic night, an English sorcerer mixed Western wizardry with Eastern enchantments to create a magical deck of cards called the Clow Cards. These cards were hidden inside a dusty old book for decades, their powers virtually wasted. Then one fateful day, a young girl named Sakura Kinomoto discovered the book in her father's library. When she opened it, however, the Clow Cards were gone - and so was life as she knew it. The book's magical guardian, Cerberus, declared Sakura the Cardcaptor, and after many exciting adventures, she finally retrieved all of the cards. Now Sakura has earned the title Master of the Clow. After defeating Clow Reed's latest batch of magical tests, Sakura must tackle her greatest challenge yet. No, not another enchantment, but the feelings in her heart. Young Sakura has long fostered deep feelings for the older boy, Yukito, and even though it's unlikely that he feels the same way about her, she cannot continue to keep her feelings secret. But even as Sakura prepares to pour out her heart, Eriol, the mysterious transfer student with an unknown link to Clow Reed, plots another dangerous trap for the new Master of the Clow. Attention all Cardcaptors! This book contains a bonus Sakura Card. Collect all 6!

My Thoughts:

-    This volume spent most of the time on relationships.

-    I am so confused with all the love triangles!

-    Is Yukito gay then?  I feel like everyone in this series is Bi.


Series Info:

This is Volume 4 of the Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow series.  Click on the covers below to see my thoughts on the previous 3 volumes.

  

Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow, Volume 3

Goodreads Bit:    Capturing Clow Cards was only the beginning...Once upon a magic night, an English sorcerer mixed Western wizardry with Eastern enchantments to create a magical deck of cards called the Clow Cards. These cards were hidden inside a dusty old book for decades, their powers virtually wasted. Then one fateful day, a young girl named Sakura Kinomoto discovered the book in her father's library. When she opened it, however, the Clow Cards were gone - and so was life as she knew it. The book's magical guardian, Cerberus, declared Sakura the Cardcaptor, and after many exciting adventures, she finally retrieved all of the cards. Now Sakura has earned the title Master of the Clow. The mysterious presence of Clow Reed continues to test Sakura with new dangers that require all of her energy to defeat. And this means that she no longer has the energy to support Yue, the Guardian of the Moon, and now he could disappear forever! Most of the time, Yue stays in his human form as Yukito, the boy Sakura has a crush on, but now that Yue is weakening, Yukito is deathly ill. If Sakura can't find a way to help him, boy and guardian will disappear forever! Attention all Cardcaptors! This book contains a bonus Sakura Card. Collect all 6!

My Thoughts:

-    Sakura has big feet!

-    I'm glad we don't celebrate White Day, unless it was a dayoff, then I'd want to celebrate it.  We don't get Valentine's off, so I doubt we would get White Day off.

-    The sheep costume was weird.  I was confused for a minute.

-    Tomoyo is more of a stalker than a friend.  It is weird.

-    The end was a little confusing.  I'm not sure what happened.

-    I want a break down of Toya's power.  What exactly can he do?


Series Info:

This is Volume 3 in the Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow series.  Click on the covers to see my thoughts on the previous volumes.

 

Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow, Volume 2

From Goodreads:    Sakura was an average 4th-grader until the day she found the Clow, an enchanted book of magical Clow Cards. But the cards were missing Kerberos, the Creature of the Seal, emerged from the cover to warn that if the cards were not returned, they would come to life and do evil. Kerberos made Sakura a Cardcaptor, and their magical hunt for the cards began. The Cardcaptor manage spawned the hit anime and TV series shown on the Kids' WB network and Cartoon Network.








My Thoughts:

-    Yukito and Sakura's dad look the same.  Sometimes it is hard to tell them apart. 

-    This makes me want to get a bear for my hubby, but he probably wouldn't appreciate it.

-    Sometimes they spell Cerebos with a C and sometimes with a K.  Which is correct?

-    I love that Toya calls his little sister the Monster.

-    I enjoyed this volume a lot more than the first one.  There was more content. 

-    I can't decide if Clow Reed is a bad guy or a good guy.


Series Info:

This is Volume 2 of the series, or Volume 8 of the overall series.  Click on the cover to see my thoughts on the previous volume.

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Goodreads Bit:    In this hilarious retelling of "Sleeping Beauty, " Princess Sonora, who is ten times smarter than anyone else, vows to choose for herself the best time to be pricked by the spindle. Full color.















My Thoughts:

-    This was a short and silly re-telling of Sleeping Beauty.

-    I love the book under the dust jacket!  It is purple and looks like an old fashioned book.

-    Hooray for books with maps!  Although this one really didn't need a map.

-    Sonora would be an annoying person to be around.  One of the fairies should have blessed her to not be annoying.  

-    There are some cute illustrations throughout the book, nothing fancy, but they were fun to see.  

-    I think a younger audience, probably girls, would appreciate this book more than I did.  

Stuart Little

My Thoughts:

-    This was a cute movie.  It was a bit cheesy, but cute.

-    The CG was alright.  It was good for the time this came out.  They did a good job with the cat mouths.

-    The little boy, George, is really cute!

-    This is such a different role for Hugh Laurie.  It was weird to see him as this character.

-    I want a house like the Little house.  It is so perfect!  I wouldn't want it squished between two skyscrapers though.  Same house, different location.

-    The voice acting was great!

-    The story is cute.  I can't really remember the book very well, but I liked this movie, and I think a lot of kids would like this.  

Blast from the Past

My Thoughts:

-    Calvin Webber is one prepared guy.

-    I would go NUTS underground!!  I think I would be a lot like Adam's mom.

-    This was a pretty funny movie.  I laughed a lot.

-    I am not a Brendan Fraser fan.  In fact, I usually shun movies he is in, but he was good in this one. 

-    Growing up in Genola in my parents house, I kinda feel like Adam sometimes.  For instance, Abbott and Costello are my favorite comedians!  

-    I enjoyed Dave Foley's character.  He plays a fun gay man.  I want to be his friend. 

-    There were some cheesy moments. I like the first half better than the second half. 

-    I thought I wouldn't like this movie, but I did! 


Tyson's Thought:

-    Alicia Silverstone looks gassy.

David Copperfield

Description from PBS (I couldn't find a trailer in English):  As an aspiring writer, young David Copperfield (Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter films) could never have dreamed up a life story as epic as the one he was about to live. Born to a loving mother, Copperfield has a turbulent childhood at the hands of a cruel stepfather, followed by a rough education in real life at Mr. Creakle's school. Yet, Copperfield is also guided by unexpected goodness — in the forms of servant Peggotty, Mr. Micawber and aunt Betsey Trotwood. As Copperfield matures into manhood, he finds love, experiences betrayal, and reaches beyond the afflictions of his own life to find happiness. Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen star in this 2000 adaptation of one of Charles Dickens's most autobiographical novels.

My Thoughts:

-    Daniel Radcliffe is so young!!

-    David's stepfather is a totally jerk!!  I hate him!

-    Maggie Smith plays a wonderful Betsey Trotwood!!  She is awesome!  I love the part where to she fends off David's stepfather!!  

-    All the sub characters were more lovable and memorable than the main character, David.  I loved Peggoty!!  She was so loyal.  Dora is so dumb, but she grew on me.  She is like child, but she is always happy and in good spirits.  I also loved Mr. Micawber and Mr. Dick!

-    I'm SO glad that serpent, Mr. Heeps, got what he deserved!!

-    The movie was really long, but it was really interesting, and I was do captivated.  The intricate story was so Dickens.  I love his works, and I'm super excited to read David Copperfield now!!  I haven't read it yet, but I am definitely going to now!!