Book in Review

I finished reading Eoin Colfer's The Supernaturalist over the weekend, and I loved it.  The characters were engaging, though I did see some of the twists coming, but such is life.  This book wasn't nearly as hard to acquire as Prom Dates from Hell was, for which I'm very grateful.  It was an interesting glimpse into the future, and one that made me rather sad to imagine, especially in the treatment of "parentally challenged youth."

So, here's what the book says:

In the not-too-distant future, in a place call Satellite City, thirteen-year-old Cosmo Hill is unfortunate enough to come into the world unwanted by his parents. And so, as are all orphaned boys his age, Cosmo is dipped in a vaccine vat and sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. But when Cosmo attempts to escape, he finds himself caught in a web far worse that he could have ever imagined, embroiled with private police, illegal racing gangs, and a corporation cover-up, until he discovers a horrifying secret that will force him to question everything he knows and everything he believes in.

This is a pretty apt summary of the book.  I definitely recommend this little treasure if you have a couple hours to devote to reading.  The only thing that kept me from finishing this quickly was work. *grump*  Not that I don't love my job (insert slight sarcasm here), but it always seems to get in the way of reading.  That, and my love for NCIS: Los Angeles and Chris O'Donnell *dreamy sigh*.

Gotta love the library

Remember that really loooooong (okay, it wasn't really that long) post about the books I was reading?  Well, I forgot to add one and by the time I remembered, I was finished reading it 0.0

I just finished reading Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore.  I love this author!  The first book I ready by her was The Splendor Falls and it hooked me.  I began searching for other books written by her and was finally able to start the Maggie Quinn Girl vs. Evil series (the first is Prom Dates).  She also has a blog, full of hilarity and awesome.

Here's what the book says (i.e. the synopsis): 
Maggie Quinn, Girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer. Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. Fate seems to have different plans for her.

High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It's the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something's a bit off. And when realTwilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school's ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it's up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose.

Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl's got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell and the cheerleading squad.

Getting this book took some serious planning.  They didn't have it in my local library *tear* or in the library at my university.  In a moment of groundbreaking genius, I looked it up on the library site of my hometown.  One button click and a string of maniacal laughs later (and some pleading for my mum to mail me the book), I was able to read it.  It was a long process, but so worth it.  I'm definitely adding this book to my shelf, and instead of going through the same convoluted process, I'm just going to purchase the Maggie Quinn series from one of my favorite places.  Ever.  Barnes and Noble.

Yes.  There's nothing like the sweet, sweet scent of new books and Starbucks. *drool*

Anyway.  This is one of my new favorite books.  Maggie is a captivating character and I love how snarky she is.  I felt her pain--especially when her computer melts, in the literal sense.  I had trouble putting this book down (curse you, work!), but I somehow managed to finish this in about a day and a half, despite work getting in my way.  I'm looking forward to reading the next two in this series.

Robot Rock

My lovely friend called--or was it a text?--me yesterday and invited me to go to a movie with her and another friend at the dollar theater.  I was going to say no.  I mean, my room is a wreck (sorry Mum) and my house could also use a little sprucing (my poor roommate).  But, she told me it was Tron: Legacy and I've been wanting to watch it for awhile, now.  I totally have a crush on Garrett Hedlund----------------------------------------------->


Anyway.  I really enjoyed the movie.  It wasn't an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting thriller.  It was, what I'd call, a pretty feel-good movie.  There was definitely action, but it was something I could watch with my entire family (little niece and slightly older nephew included) which is important.

AND!  Daft Punk made a cameo.  SQUEE!  I love Daft Punk.  They did all of the music for this movie, which was fantastic.  One of my favorite moments in the movie was the Daft Punk cameo (they're always amusing).


This is a movie I'll be purchasing (and SOON!).  It's the type of movie I could pop into the DVD player if I'm having a bummer day and know my mood will improve.  I mean, c'mon.  It's Garrett Hedlund.  And he rides a motorcycle (specifically a Ducati), which drastically ups his hotness *drool*.

Need I say more?  No?  Didn't think so.

P.S.  He was in the movie Four Brothers, which is fantastic!  I loved that movie!  He's also in Country Strong.  I had no desire to see this movie...and now I'm tempted.

Books, books, books! *hummed to the tune of Boys, Boys, Boys*

I'm an avid reader.  And by avid I mean, if I can't read a book I'd keel over.  I love spending time in the library close to my home (it's only a twenty minute walk...and a five minute drive) and the local Barnes and Noble (or Borders if I feel like going for a drive).  During my college career, I've often been faced with a difficult question: To eat or buy a book?  Well, the answer to that question was ALWAYS buy a book.  Sad, but true.  Or, not really sad...but still true.

Moving on.

I went to the library a few days ago and went on manic I-Must-Have-EVERY-Book-Here mode and checked out a grand total of 23 books.  This would've been a huge disaster if I had done this at Barnes and Noble.  They would've been happy but my wallet would have cried.

What books did I check out, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Yeah, I really like adding pictures. 

Melay's Ultra-Special Reading List of AWESOME:

1) I actually checked out a TON of books for research that I'm doing for my novel.  Egads!  I know!  I'm writing a novel which requires research.  But it's happy-fun-time research, so all is currently well.

2) The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
So, I just started reading this book after hearing about it from an author (<--click me!) I really enjoy.  So far, so good.








 3) Misguided Angel by Melissa De la Cruz
I love this series!  Yes, it's a vampire story, but it's so much better!  I love how she treats the vampire theme.  So, go out and check out Blue Bloods which is the first installment.  You're welcome.









4) Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris
So, a good friend of mine (*wave* hi Hannah!) has suggested this book before and, like a dolt, I haven't taken a look until now.  I'll let you know what I think once it's been consumed by mah mind.







5) The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
I heart this author.  One of my favorite books by him is called The Wish List.  I just finished the second chapter, and I'm enjoying it so far.

6) Tiana's Cookbook: Recipes for Kids
No judging.  I loved The Princess and the Frog and when I found out there was a cookbook that showed you how to make the things she made in the movie (like her man-catching beignets), I had to check it out.  I haven't made anything from the book yet, but it'll come.







7) The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz
Yay!









8) The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne
I snagged this book because the title was intriguing.  So far, it's very light, which is nice (my brain needs a break from heavily involved books from time-to-time).








9) Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Again, I saw this suggestion in another lovely author's blog (she wrote The Splendor Falls which is spectacular!).  I haven't started, but it'll be read and soon.








10) The Ruby Knight by David Eddings
I've read this book so many times, but it never gets old.  It's the book/series I turn to when I'm having a bummer day.












11) The Hollow by Jessica Verday
My little sister was raving about this book.  So, I stole borrowed her copy and started to read.








There are, without a doubt, more books that I've failed to mention in this post because I own some books that I haven't read.  Bad Malia!

Well, that's all for now.  As I finish the books, I'll post reviews here.

Summer Movies

So, as many of you are aware, the summer movie season has started!  *cheers*  Yay!  It's been awhile since I've been really interested in the summer movies that have come out (basically, I haven't been excited since The Dark Knight was released), so I decided to commemorate my happiness with a blog post listing all of the movies I wanna see this summer.

I've also decided that once I see one of the movies on my list, I'm gonna post a review of them right here on my blog.  Huzzah!

If you're still interested, here are the movies that I'm looking forward to seeing.  I've even included pictures.  How lucky are you?

P.S.  All the titles in blue are the movies I may die if I don't see.  The titles in red are movies that I would survive without seeing but I would be depressed for a week or more.  So, really, it's better that I just see them all.  Yup.

1) Water For Elephants--4/22/11
 This movie stars Robert Pattison and Reese Witherspoon and it's about a vet student that, in essessence, runs away to join the circus...as their vet.  No flying trapeze.  Sigh.






2) Fast Five--4/29/11
Of course, this movie stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel as well as Dwayne Johnson.  I think I may have hyperventilated a little when I looked at the leads for this movie.

 3) Priest--5/13/11

Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet star in this very interesting-looking movie about a priest (Bettany) going against church orders to beat down a coven of vampires and rescue his niece.

4) Thor--5/6/11

Stars: Chris Hemsworth

Okay, I totally nerded out when I saw a preview for this movie.  After the trailer I watched on TV, I loaded up IMDB and watched the clips they had available.  Ah, bliss.

5) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides--5/20/11

Stars: Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.  

Huzzah for Captain Jack Sparrow!

 6) X-Men: First Class--6/3/11

Stars: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.  

I've been a fan of the X-Men for AGES.  I remember watching the old 90s cartoon and I was more recently sucked into X-Men Evolution as well as Wolverine and the X-Men.  I have to admit, I'm a little wary about this movie, just because I was kind of disappointed in X-Men 2 and 3, so I hope my dreams aren't shattered when I watch this movie.

7) Green Lantern--6/17/11

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively.  

Okay.  Ryan Reynolds is in this movie.  I love him.  'Nuff said.

8)  Winnie the Pooh--7/15/11

Stars: Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson.  

So, I feel like I need to justify my desire to see this movie.  I'm a fan of reliving/recapturing my childhood.  No judging.

9) Captain America: The First Avenger--7/22/11

Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving.

Another comic turned movie.  I also nerded out while watching one of the trailers.  I can't help it.  This movie looks fantastic!  And, I love both Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving.  I mean, how could I not see a movie that stars Hugo Weaving?

10) Cowboys and Aliens--7/29/11

Stars:Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford.  

Seriously?  Do I actually need to explain why I want to see this movie?  That should be answered by the actors headlining this summer flick.

11) Smurfs--7/29/11

Stars: Hank Azaria, Katy Perry.  

Again.  I claim that I'm recapturing my childhood.

12) Conan: The Barbarian--8/19/11

Stars: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman.  

I don't know why, exactly, I want to see this flick.  Perhaps it's because I enjoyed Jason Momoa in Stargate: Atlantis.  Other than that, I've got nothing.

13) Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World--8/19/11

Stars:Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven.  

Um...yeah.  I dunno.

14) Fright Night--8/19/11

Stars: Colin Farrell, David Tennant.  

This is a remake of a movie made back in the day and it sounded interesting.  And I really like Colin Farrell and David Tennant.  I mean, I can trust a movie that the good Doctor is in, right?

pour some sugar on me

Or, rather more specifically, down my throat.  Preferably in a beverage form because I'm dying and in desperate need of a caffeine boost.

On Monday, I have a Monster for breakfast (so delicious!).  It was amazing.  After months of being sleepy and not awake for work, I was wide awake.  As I was drinking my delicious beverage, I couldn't stop thinking that I could've been awake months ago!  What the devil's wrong with me?! 

With this in mind, I've begun scouring the stores for discounted energy drinks and sales on soda (such as Mountain Dew, currently on sale at Macey's for 0.99).  Yahoo!

Well, that's my rant for today. 
<--oh so tasty!

So...

This is gonna be a rather short post...as I'm sneaking on during work.

Anyway.  I decided that I'm going to post word counts for each of the projects I'm working on on my blog as a way of being accountable.  I've discovered that I'm a MAJOR procrastinator, so if I have some form of community accountability, the projects will actually get done (thanks be to Tera Lynn Childs for the inspiration).

More to come about the projects as well as a bit of catching-up.

Buh-bye for now.