Review: A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ged is a powerful wizard who was trained at a wizarding school on the island of Roke. While he was a student, though, his pride and need to prove himself led to his unleashing a dark and evil power; a Shadow that does not have a name. The Shadow haunts and hunts Ged so that the wizard cannot live in peace. Until Ged decides to switch from being the hunted to the hunter, that is. Ged has many adventures, fighting dragons, meeting rulers under the spell of a dark power, and spending many nights at sea with only his powers to keep him alive. After many encounters and long searches, Ged finally meets the Shadow and, with the help of friends, finds the strength and knowledge to defeat the evil he released.

Call for Donations!

Hey there!

So the NYC Marathon is in 2 weeks. That means it's getting close to the end of my fundraiser for the NYPL Correctional Services! If you would like to donate, please mail a check made out to NYPL Correctional Services to:

Correctional Services
Mid-Manhattan Library, NYPL
attn: Nick Higgins
455 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016

or donate online.

For more information about the NYPL Correctional Services program, click here. 

Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Review: The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

 I will start this by saying the same thing that I have seen written in many other reviews: This is NOT Harry Potter! Ok, I’m glad I got that out of the way. Now on to business.

HEY!!!

Today is my birthday! WEEEE!

Review: The Robe of Skulls

The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French

The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French was a very fast and entertaining book. It took me 2 subway rides and breakfast to finish, and it was worth every second. 

Lady Lamorna, a sorceress, wants to order a new dress from the Ancient Crones, but after placing the order realizes she is completely broke. So, she hatches a plan to turn all of the princes and princesses in the near kingdoms and then make their parents pay large sums of money to turn them back. With the help of Foyce, a half wearworlf and evil stepsister, Lady Lamorna succeeds in turning the royal children into frogs. 

Review: Sad Desk Salad

Sasd Desk Salad by Jessica Grose

Sad Desk Salad chronicles a week in the life of Alex Lyons, a blogger for the gossip website “Chick Habit.” From Monday to Thursday, Alex’s life becomes progressively more hectic, and on Friday it finally looks like things may settle.

There are of course the normal stresses of her job: writing her post quota for the day, making sure she gets enough page views for the month, and finding time to eat and shower without her boss sending her a nasty IM when Alex does not respond to an e-mail right away. Then there are the crises that are not so every-day. She and her co-workers find a hate blog about them and decide to find out who is behind it. Then, Alex receives an anonymous e-mail linking to a video of a celebrity's perfect daughter participating in some not-so-perfect activities. The rest of the week consists of Alex coping with the hate mail and death threats she receives after releasing the video on “Chick Habit.” Oh, and there is also relationship trouble between Alex and her co-workers, friends, mother, and boyfriend. And an appearance on the Today show.
All of that rolled into one week! I was exhausted just reading it.

Almost a month...

I must apologize to all four of my followers. It has been almost exactly one month since my last post. I will list what I have read since then, and the hopefully another post on my crazy awesome research project later in the week. I'm simply too tired to write it now. I had a busy day that started with running 18 miles and ended with...well...I don't know what. I'm still up!

Anyway, what I have been reading:

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James

To sum up, The Amber Spyglass was a satisfying, if not happy, ending to the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. A Discovery of Witches was light and fun. Definitely Twilight for adults. It was much less annoying because the main female is capable of taking care of herself, and is smart. She is a witch who needs training, but we glimpse how powerful she could become. Fifty Shades of Gray. Hmmm...
Well, I read it. Will I read the next 2? Don't plan on it.

And so until next time, that's all, folks!