Review: Video Game Storytelling by Evan Skolnick

Title:Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques

Author: Evan Skolnick
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Review Copy

Age Range: anyone

Publisher/Publication Date: Watson-Guptill, December 2, 2014

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Summary from Goodreads...

With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. WithVideo Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. Full Summary Here

So for my first nonfiction read of 2015 I got Video Game Storytelling by Evan Skolnick and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. This book was all about the art of putting together a good video game story, narrative, and how all of the parts should go along with one another for a better, coherent game experience for players.

“Conflict powers your story. Conflict is the burning energy that propels it forward. And if your tale runs out of fuel before it reaches its destination, you’ve got a problem” (p.7).

The very beginning of Video Game Storytelling dishes out some important advice on story conflicts and the importance of them before jumping right into the three-Act Structure. Across the various chapters, the information delves more into it as the different areas of game storytelling, breaking it down into sections. These individual sections expertly presented explanations and used well-known movies and video games as examples.

“The Monomyth is composed of two main elements: archetypes and story structure” (p.28).

This book also covered typical characters in games and their respective arcs. I found those chapters particularly interesting. Skolnick broke down the basic structure of video game storytelling into various parts that highlighted the importance of each and how they could be applied to video games. There’s a lot of information that’s covered, but presented straight-forwardly with plenty of examples of how it was all used previously. Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read it.

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review, thank you! 

Review: Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards

 Title: Doctor Who: Silhouette 
Author: Justin Richards
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, September 9, 2014
Genre: Science Fiction; Action & Adventure
Format/Source: Paperback, Blogging for Books (Review Copy)

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads

Summary

"Vastra and Strax and Jenny? Oh no, we don't need to bother them. Trust me."

Marlowe Hapworth is found dead in his locked study, killed by an unknown assailant. This is a case for the Great Detective, Madame Vastra.

Rick Bellamy, bare-knuckle boxer, has the life drawn out of him by a figure dressed as an undertaker. This angers Strax the Sontaran.

The Carnival of Curiosities, a collection of bizarre and fascinating sideshows and performers. This is where Jenny Flint looks for answers.

How are these things connected? And what does Orestes Milton, rich industrialist, have to do with it all? This is where the Doctor and Clara come in. The Doctor and his friends find themselves thrust into a world where nothing and no one are what they seem. Can they unravel the truth before the most dangerous weapon ever developed is unleashed on London?

I hate to admit that prior to Silhouette I’d never read a Doctor Who book or watched the series. I had heard great things about the series and was curious to find out what all the excitement was about. Now that I’ve read it, I think that I’m a die-hard Doctor Who fan in training.

Silhouette takes place in London during the Victorian era. It’s the adventures of the 12th Doctor Who. During this installment of Doctor Who, he travels through time to investigate a mysterious spike in energy in Victorian London. He soon found himself caught up in the investigation of Marlowe Hapworth’s mysterious death.

Although the story started out slow, the pace soon picked up with a shocking turn of events around every corner. I loved the interesting take on emotions and paper. And the conclusion—well, it was just epic.

I am looking forward to reading additional books featuring the 12th Doctor Who and would definitely recommend Silhouette to readers who love suspenseful science fiction stories.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

JUSTIN RICHARDS has written for stage and screen as well as writing novels and graphic novels. He has also co-written several action thrillers for older children with the acknowledged master of the genre Jack Higgins. Justin acts as Creative Consultant to BBC Books' range of Doctor Who titles, as well as writing quite a few himself. Married with two children (both boys), Justin lives and works in Warwick, within sight of one of Britain's best-preserved castles.

Alice Book Tag

I thought I would do something different today and making a book tag seemed like fun. So here is my Alice Book Tag inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

“Down the Rabbit-Hole” What are the first books you've read by three of your favorite authors?

I first read the Rithmatist when I won a hardcover copy, and since then I’m a total Brandon Sanderson fan. Jennifer Estep is my second pick, and I started with Touch of Frost.  And for my last pick, I'm going to go with F.T. Bradley's Double Vision.

“Pool of Tears” What book did you think you would love, but ended up not liking?

I’m sorry, I really am, but I thought I would like Towering by Alex Flinn. It was a retelling—I thought I would like it—but nope, nope, nope. Now that I think about it there was a review for it, but it never got posted.

“A Mad Tea-Party” What is one of your favorite series that has more than three books?

I’m going to go with the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep—plus I have all of the print books.

“The Queen’s Croquet Ground” What's your favorite book that has a prince or princess somewhere in the story?

For this one I’m going to say the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

And finally “It’s a Cheshire-Cat” What favorite book has a thief as a main or secondary character?

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson—I don’t think this one needs much of an explanation.  If you want to know what I mean, just read the book.

I'm not going to tag anyone since this was just for fun. Feel free to use my questions if you would like to make your own post, but all I ask is that you link back to the original (and/or let me know because I'd love to see your answers). Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!

Musing Mondays (17)

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the week...

Random weekly question: Has any author ever had a huge influence on your reading? Who, and why?

I don't think any one author had a huge influence on my reading. However, recently I have to say that Brandon Sanderson got me interested in fantasy again. His writing style has a way of drawing me into the story.

On another note...
 

So, I started to think about all of the books I’m waiting for this year, and I realized there weren't that many. I thought there were more at first…but I guess not. There are a few older books I want to read, but for the most part my list of new releases is relatively small—like REALLY small.

• Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep
• Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

That’s it, I’m not kidding. There might be some other fictional books that catch my interest later this year, but for now those are the only ones I’m really waiting for. Of course I'll be searching for more nonfiction books to read.

Question: What books are you waiting for in 2015? Are there any books that you recommend? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

The Friday 56 (17)

     The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"At the time, the hostile reaction had perplexed Aelyx, but now he understood with crystal clarity why he'd upset the boy."--Until Midnight by Melissa Landers


This quote isn't exactly on page 56 but I wanted to share it anyway. What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Until Midnight by Melissa Landers

Title: Until Midnight
Author: Melissa Landers
Souce/Format: freebie, iTunes ebook editon
Age Range: YA
Publisher/ Publication Date: Disney Hyperion, December 23, 2014

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     When I saw that Until Midnight by Melissa Landers was free, I got it as a way to get introduced to the writers’ style to see if I would be interested in reading the actual novel that went along with it. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the short story. It was easy to get into—even though I didn’t read Alienated—it was short and sweet. I liked Cara and Aelyx in this short story and I’m curious to see how their relationship got started. The writing paired nicely with the story, and had a good flow to it. Until Midnight was a great way to start the year, and I might consider picking up another book by Melissa Landers. Actual rating 3.5

Musing Mondays (16)

 
     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the week...

     This is the first Musing Mondays post of 2015, hooray! As you can see above I changed the old banner during my vacation so that it matched with the header of Our Thoughts Precisely—and it was missing a dash of blue. So, for this Musing Monday’s I'm going to briefly discuss the Goodreads Reading Challenge. So what is it? Basically, you can set a goal on Goodreads pertaining to the amount of books you want to read in a year, as a sort of challenge for yourself.

     Will I participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge? 

     No, I won’t be participating in the Reading Challenge this year. I’ve never done so, and I don’t think I ever will.

     Why not?

     I think the simple reason is that I read a random number of books each year—and setting a goal won’t help with that. When I read, it solely depends on what I feel like doing at the time.  For me, I almost feel like I would get through books considerably slower if I set a goal with a specific number, because my enthusiasm wouldn't be there.  As you can see with my 2015: Blogger Resolutions post, all of my goals for the year are pretty open ended.  There's no specific amount for any of them.  They are relatively flexible goals.

     Any final thoughts on the Goodreads Reading Challenge?

     I think the challenge is good for some people and not for others. For me, well, I’m on the not-so-much side.

     Question: What are your thoughts on the Goodreads Reading Challenge? Does setting a goal help you read more or less?

*Check back next Monday for my list of Most Anticipated 2015 New Releases. (Hint: It's going to be short.)

2015: Blogger Resolutions

     Well, hello 2015! Its hard to believe 2014 is already over, but it is. Anyway, I'm going to get to the main point of this post--my 2015 blogger resolutions. I have a few for this year and thought that I would share them here on the blog.

1. Continue to have fun with the blog (I think this is the most important one)
2. Read more classics
3. Find more reasons to use the 2015 banner (pictured above). I have no clue what I'm going to do yet, but I will find a way...somehow.
4. Read more nonfiction--I really enjoyed the art books I read last year, which ultimately made me want to read more nonfiction.  

     I really don't have many resolutions besides those four, but I hope to have another great year of blogging!

     

     

Happy New Year!

Its 2015, Happy New Year from Our Thoughts Precisely!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Our Thoughts Precisely!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

2014: End of the Year Wrap Up & Favorite Reads

     2014 is nearly over.  Seriously, Christmas is practically around the corner so I figured it was time to do a wrap up for the year. This is probably one of the last posts on Our Thoughts Precisely before the new year.

     I have to say that 2014 was a much better year that 2013.  I didn't read as much, but most of the books I read were pretty good.  I think where the blog activity sort of dropped off for a while was during the move.  And with all the books in boxes and lack of internet connection for a while, I got no reading or blogging done. But after the move was over and everything was unpacked, things picked up again. The blog also got a new look this year, and I have to say that I'm relatively happy with it. I might add a few things here and there, but mostly it'll probably stay the same.

     What I learned this year...

     Balancing life with blogging/reading is more important than the number of books I read, and its perfectly fine that way.  Although--despite the lack of quantity--I read a bunch of good books, which makes me happy. Last year I, as a reader, still tried to finish every book.  But this past year I did something a little different.  I gave books the first 100 or so pages to grab my interest.  And if I really wasn't feeling it then I DNF'd it. That method saved a lot of time, and I got to read the books that I truly enjoyed.

     Some things from 2014...

     Through October and November I did a series of post called Falling into Fall.  It was just a fun way to share some of the things I wanted to do during fall. All links can be found on the Features Page.  I also got involved in a couple of weekly memes: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice & Musing Mondays hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.

     Favorite reads of 2014...

     So, since its almost the end of the year I figured that I would share some of my favorite books that I read in 2014!  Some of the books on the list were released some time ago so the year they came out doesn't matter much to me.  It's in no particular order, and placement has nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the book.

• Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
• The Warrior by Victoria Scott 
• The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy
• Living Violet by Jamie Reed
• The Archived by Victoria Schwab
• Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis
• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
• Foundations in Comic Book Art by John Paul Lowe
• Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star by Rachel Renee Russell
• Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep
• Crystal Fire by Jordan Dane
• Double Vision: The Alias Men by F.T. Bradley 
• Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne
• Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Monstrously Funny Cartoons by Christopher Hart

*I will be taking a break from blogging to enjoy my holiday. Any posts that show up after this one were already scheduled (There's only 2 of them). Happy Holidays!
     

The Friday 56 (16)

     The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"What personality types make for the funniest vampires? (The answers may surprise you.)"--Monstrously Funny Cartoons by Christopher Hart



What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Monstrously Funny Cartoons by Christopher Hart

Title:Monstrously Funny Cartoons 
Author: Christopher Hart
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Paperback Review Copy
Age range: anyone
Publisher/Publication Date: Watson-Guptill, October 14, 2014

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Book Summary from Goodreads...

Learn to draw the silliest and scariest monsters, zombies, vampires, witches, mummies, and other creepy cartoon favorites. Cartooning master Christopher Hart teaches aspiring artists all the drawing tips and tricks they need to create laugh-out-loud renditions of their favorite monsters and scary creatures. Full Summary Here

     Monstrously Funny Cartoons by Christopher Hart is a great step-by-step guide on how to draw classic monsters in cartoon style. There are easy-to-follow steps on faces, eyes, and walking postures to ensure the best possible results.

“Compared with many of the monsters you’ve drawn so far—such as vampires with their capes—the monsters in this chapter are subject to greater interpretation” (p.107).

     This book has a wide range of…I guess you could call them tutorials, that go over everything from zombies to vampires—and even creatures “born of dreams and nightmares.” There was also a variety of examples and steps for aliens, mummies, and legendary monsters like ghosts, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Abominable Snowman.

“Don’t render a scene, suggest one. Draw a limited number of elements that are designed to create associations in the eye of the observer” (p.133).

     There was also a chapter on drawing backgrounds with suggestions and tips. So, if you’re interested in creating cartoons, and need an easy guide to start with I recommend Monstrously Funny Cartoons. As for me, I will be keeping this one on hand right alongside all of my other art books.

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review, thank you! 

2014 Holiday Gift Ideas for Readers

    Every time I look around, more time has passed.  Christmas is coming up soon, so today I thought I would share a few things that could make a nice gift for anyone (It doesn't have to be a reader). I'm going to start with books first and then a few others things.  I don't have many recommendations, but here they are anyway:

     Barnes & Noble collectible classic books. I recently got Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories. I do have to say that I love that edition of it, but for someone who likes classics, it could make a good gift.

     Double Vision Trilogy by F.T, Bradley The great thing about this middle grade trilogy is that it's already finished, and it provides lots of laughs as you follow Linc's adventures with Pandora.

     The League of Princes Trilogy by Christopher Healy This is another trilogy that completed this year. I love this series precisely because of its different take on the classic fairy tales that we already know.  

     A Wrinkle in Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle It's another great classic series. And I love the fact that it comes in a boxed set.

     Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep Overall, I liked how this series handled the mythology, and managed to intertwine it with the plot.

     Alright then, moving on. For those who like cute coffee mugs I thought of the Cute Cat Mug from Tickled Teal. (There are also some Harry Potter themed ones.)

     Maggie Stiefvater art prints & more on Society 6. I really do like her style of art.

    An assortment of available tote bags through Society 6. There are too many pretty prints available to just list one.

      That's all for today, happy reading!

Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Title:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories
Author: Lweis Carroll
Source/Format: Purchased, Barnes & Noble Hardcover Edition
Age Range: Anyone
Publisher/Publication Date: Barnes & Noble, November 1, 2010 (First Published June 1, 1962)
Goodreads     Barnes & Noble

    So, on Halloween I went out and bought Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Other Stories in a gorgeous hardcover edition from Barnes & Noble.  This review will only cover the first story.

     I've seen the movies, even the more recent one, but this is the first time I've read the original book.  Considering how much I love Alice in Wonderland, I should have gotten around to reading it sooner.  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is as the title suggests: Alice’s adventures with the variety of characters that live there. The story had a series of miscellaneous events that just sort of happened at random. Regardless of this fact, I loved it. Actually, I think I liked the novel better than the movies.
 
     Alice was a child that came across as a bit of a know-it-all, and seemed to always want to be right. She was almost as random as the storyline, but overall her faults didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I felt like I got a better understanding of the characters by reading the original novel. But my favorite character will always be the Cheshire Cat. The whimsical setting of wonderland paired nicely with the writing that flowed well and had the right amount of descriptions and dialogue. So yes, I loved this book, and that’s all I really have to say on it. I definitely recommend reading the original.

Musing Mondays (15)

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

    I thought I would answer 3 questions for Musing Mondays this week.  Well here goes:

     Long books or short books? 

     I will admit that I like longer books and don't mind an abundance of detail either.  I like when the world within the book is thoroughly explained.  I prefer long epic tales and usually look to read them first.  However, despite my love of lengthy novels, I occasionally enjoy a shorter one.  So, I guess you can say that I enjoy all kinds of books--long or short depending on how much time I have to read.

     Standalone or series?

     

     Both.  I like long series because it gives me time to get invested in the characters and the overall story.  But at the same time I also like standalones where the story is nicely wrapped up into one book. 

     Do book covers matter when deciding on what book to buy?

     

     Covers are just covers in my opinion.  I care more about the story rather than anything else.  So I try not to buy books based off the cover alone.

     Well that's it for today.  Basically, books are books. It doesn't matter if they're long or short, series or standalones, as long as the stories are great.  I try not to judge just by the cover, because it could look pretty, but the story might not be so great.  Question: Standalone or series? Long books, short books, or both? Do nice book cover's play a part in if you buy a book or not?

The Friday 56 (15)

     The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"Then one night I thought about Jim Rockford and The Avengers--the UK ones I mean--for whatever reason, and I found my book. So I had to repitch. I got it, luckily, but everyone thoughts I was nuts. Anyway."--Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis

What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Words for Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis

Title:Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels 
Author: Brian Michael Bendis, Foreword by Joe Quesada
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Review Copy
Age Range: anyone
Publisher/Publishing Date: Watson-Guptill, July 22, 2014

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Book Summary from Goodreads...

One of the most popular writers in modern comics, Brian Michael Bendis reveals the tools and techniques he and other top creators use to create some of the most popular comic book and graphic novel stories of all time.Words for Pictures shows readers the creative methods of a writer at the very top of his field. Full Summary Here

     Words for Pictures (The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels) by Brian Michael Bendis, is a great guide for tips on how to structure stories for comics. It also offers an insight into the business aspect of the comic industry, and offers easy guidelines to remember.

“He learned how to fail. This is the key to success” (p.xi).

     In the beginning, this book goes over type A and B artists to give an example. But it makes a strong point, and it was all within a few paragraphs. There’s always room for improvement, and I like how the information was presented. It states some very true points on criticism and how some could take it more personal than others.

“If you’re not falling, you’re not really trying hard enough. This book is about falling, and it’s about failing. Any book that offers to provide you with a road map to success in any given field ultimately is about failure" (p.xii).

     There’s a lot to learn in this book, and I like how Bendis handled the explanation on the topics. I especially like the examples given on pitch documents, story outlines, the pros and cons of using a full script, and “a marvel style situation.” The script examples were also nice.

“I don’t want you to write like me. I want you to write like you” (p.8).

     There was never a truer statement—and it applies to all forms of writing. The book stresses the idea of developing your own individual styles, but also offers handy explanations on what different people do when working in groups. So, in the end I enjoyed reading Words for Pictures, and I will definitely keep this book on hand as a reference.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for review, thank you!

Musing Mondays (14)

  

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week. 

My Musings for the Week:

     Wow, it's Monday already. And where the heck did November go?  I don't know, it just seems like the month passed by too quickly.  It's already December which means that the year is almost over. Seriously, where did the time go?  

     Well, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I did a little shopping over the weekend, and I thought I would share some of my purchases.  I actually bought a few DVDs, which is one thing I normally don't do.  I picked up The Lego Movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Sherlock, and Pacific Rim. There was a really good sale on them, so I just had to get them.  And lastly, I picked up a few books from the Book Outlet: The Keep by Veronica Wolff & The Bone Season.  I'm really excited to read both.  So that's basically it, as I said I did "a little shopping" as in, not a lot.  Question: Did you take advantage of any of the sales going on over the weekend?

Falling into Fall {#5}

     Thank you to everyone who stopped by & took a look at the Falling Into Fall posts. First, Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you're all enjoying your day. Second, this is the final Falling into Fall post of 2014.  Who knows, maybe I'll dive back into it next year. Below are the links to all previous posts which can be found on the Features Page.  Thanks for following along and happy reading!

Roundup of links:

October 2 Introduction
October 16 Food/Recipes
October 28 Falling Into Fall Extras
October 30 Halloween/Movies/TV shows
November 13 Craft Links
November 27 (Today) Wrap-up. 

 

Musing Mondays (13)

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week. 

My Musings for the Week:

     Today I'm going to share a few books that I would like to reread but don't have the time to.  They're all my favorites, so order on the list doesn't really apply because I love all of them.

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there by Lewis Carroll
2. Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep
3. Mistborn & The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
4. Double Vision Trilogy by F.T. Bradley
5. Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
6. The League of Princes series by Christopher Healy
7. The Archived by Victoria Schwab 
8. Dante Walker series & Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
9. First 3 books in the Agency series by Y.S. Lee
10. Daughter of Smoke & Bone & Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
11. Kat Incorrigible series by Stephanie Burgis
12. This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
13. Ink by Amanda Sun

     Well, those are just a few of the books I absolutely loved and would like to read again if and when I have the time.  Question: What are some of the books you would like to reread, but might not have the time to?

The Friday 56 (14)

     The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

""Don't wait too long," Kate said. "Hollywood is like any other place. People will take what they can get before someone else does.""--Double Vision: The Alias Men by F.T. Bradley


What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Title: Midnight Thief
Author: Livia Blackburne
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Disney-Hyperion July 8, 2014

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble    Book Depository   
  

     I have read awesome books and I have read terrible books, but Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne fell in between the two. The characters were alright, the plot I found to be a tad bit predictable at times, but overall it wasn't half bad. Kyra was an ok main character, but she was special with an ability that set her apart from everyone else, essentially making her a good thief because of it. She could climb walls—basically up the sides of buildings like she was some kind of squirrel on caffeine. Her loyalty was suspect, but some of her decisions and hesitations I understand considering the circumstances. Tristam was mildly interesting, I guess, he was a young palace knight who experienced tragedy which motivated him to do what he did in Midnight Thief—but I felt like he sort of lost his way, as in his judgment got a little clouded when Kyra was around. James…oh James *sigh* he was shady, and honestly I didn’t like him, period. I felt like he wanted Kyra to be something she was not. As I said before the plot was alright, but halfway through I figured out what was going on. The writing was pretty good with enough descriptions to hold my interest in the world. All in all Midnight Thief was pretty average for me, and I would consider reading another book by Livia Blackburne.

Falling into Fall {#4}

    Welcome to the next Falling into Fall post.  This post is all about fall themed crafts.  The first craft is tote bags.  Over the past year I've seen an array of tote bags from those with themes based on books, to just those that are simple, or more complex with intricate designs and patterns. Tote bags are simply awesome and below are links to those and other easy projects: 

Kate Spade Inspired Bow Tote @Flamingo Toes (A Creative Blog) This tote bag looks a little more complex, but easy enough to do.  I like the design and would like to make one if  and when I have the time and supplies. (Just with fall colors)

A Simple Six-Pocket Bag @Better Homes and Gardens There are lots of pockets on this one, so if you need to carry books...um...more books,  maybe a wallet or something.

DIY Monogram Tote Bag @Sweet T Makes Three (Homemaking in the Heart of Dixie!) This one is cool. I like how it's personalized with the monogram.

How To: Make A Simple Tote Bag @Cardboard Cities This one is simple and looks quick and easy to make.

Exquisite DIY Bookmarks @Shelterness I don't think its possible to have too many bookmarks, and the ones found at Shelterness are so pretty.

DIY Safety Pin Bracelet @Redfly Creations I really like how they crafted the safety pin bracelets and want to try it eventually since it's super simple.

Easy to make Pencil Holder @Happy Happy Nester I think this is a great and simple way to organize all of those spare pencils and pens.

Duct Tape Accordion Style Clutch Wallet @ JWallets Youtube Channel Okay, this is a really unique use of duct tape--it's a duct tape wallet.

Tote to Backpack @ Sincerley Kinsey  Oh, and finally, I just love this tutorial on how to easily transform a tote into a backpack!

     Well that's it. Check back November 27 for the last post. Question: what are some of your favorite crafts?

{All current post links can be found on the Features Page}

Musing Mondays (12)

    Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week. Want to join?  Visit the link above. 

My Musings for the Week:

     I haven't done a Musing Mondays in a while, so here's one for today.  Since I want to keep this simple, I thought I might do something a little different. So I thought book quotes that I would want as bookish jewelry would be a fun topic. There are so many quotes that I've come across that I absolutely love, but here's just three I would want as jewelry in my jewelry box.

1) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: ""Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little timidly, "why you are painting those roses?""

2) The Rithematist by Brandon Sanderson: ""You'll deal with unicorns--maybe some flower people and a Pegasus or two-- and you'll like it.""

3) Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld: "Though we find the comparison to cats a bit infuriating, don't we Tazza?"

     Those are my three quotes, but there are many more.  Which quotes would you want on a piece of your jewelry?