Bloggiesta Spring 2015

The idea behind Bloggiesta is to spend these next four days working on perfecting your blog and connecting with other bloggers who are doing the same thing. Spread the word and get all your friends to come and fiesta with us!  If you haven’t heard about Bloggiesta before, it’s a weekend (March 23-29) where we all sit down to work on our blogs, do those things we keep putting off, as well as network and meet new bloggers and participate in challenges and giveaways. Definitely check it out, it’s a lot of fun! Plus this time Bloggiesta is an entire week!

I will update just this one post here so people don't keep seeing the same post over and over again.  So head here if you want to see my updates!  Here are my goals:

1.  I do this every time.  I moderate two book clubs on goodreads (Stephen King Fans and the Young Adult Book Club) and I need to moderate all the posts that happen on there.  I need to read through each and every thread/topic and use this weekend to do it since it takes so long and I have to stay caught up on it.
2. Back up Blog
3. Comment on Blogs participating in Bloggiesta
4. Participate in Challenges
5. Go through blogs I follow and stop following the ones that no longer blog, or that I don't stop by and visit.
6. Make a Once Upon a Time readathon blog post this weekend
7.  Come up with ideas for future discussions on the blog and write them up
8.

 

Trust me.. this list will get longer as the weekend goes on.  It always does!!! Usually I am quite successful during Bloggiesta.  Good luck everyone!!

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader.

Hello Hello!  Well last week was slow on the blog.  There were two posts that I wanted to get up but didn't get finished.  I was busy cleaning the house since I am having guests come in the next two weeks.  It is going to be busy being a tourist host.. and tiring, but also fun!  I just have to keep the house clean for those two weeks.  LOL!  We all know how that goes.  I am finally reading Dreams of Gods and Monsters.  I just kept putting it off... and finally dove in.  Loving it so far! 

On the Blog: Some Robin Hood Posts:
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen- Review
Away to Whimsical Fairy Tale Land- Introduction


Around the Blogospere:
-Why Books and Cats are the Perfect Companions - oh the books!
-Little Blogging things that make us happy! - Reading is my Treasure
-Did any of your exs introduce you to some great or bad books???  _Wordsmithsonia
-BLOGGIESTA is coming up!!  I need this soooo bad!   If you don't know what this is... it's where everyone works on their blogs for one week.  Contests and advice the entire week. 

-Another great event coming up is "A Day in the Life of a Blogger" hosted by Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity. 

Internet:

A few cool trailers have come out recently, Game of Thrones Season 5

The new Avengers Tailer:


That is all for this week.  I am going to try to get some posts up next week... with company though I may not get as many up as I would like.  

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen- Review

Title: Scarlet
Author: A.C.Gaughen
Pages: 292
Published: February 14th 2012 by Walker Childrens
Source: Library ebook
Links: Goodreads, 

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

I read this book so fast.. one day really. I joined Away to Whimsical Fairy Land event last minute so I had to hurry and read this book for my Robin Hood retelling.  I have actually been wanting to read this book for a while now since I knew it was a Robin Hood story.  I love Robin Hood!  This book was an OK read to me which is too bad.  It wasn't fantastic or out of this world. All our favorite characters from the Robin Hood universe do make an appearance. There is a love triangle which was one of the weaker ones I have read.  I mean... it's with Robin Hood and Little John.  

This book was written in dialect and it was so awful.  As the book goes on the author seems to stop trying so hard with the dialect and it gets easier to read. Or maybe I just got used to the dialect?  The main character is Will Scarlet... who pretends like she's a boy and is hiding out with Robin Hood and his gang. Will tries really hard to be someone who can take care of her self. She is always telling that to everyone... but I don't know why she has to keep repeating it through the entire book. 

I did like the twist at the end of the book about Will Scarlet and for some reason I didn't even see it coming.  Start spoiler: Will turns out to be Maid Marian.  I should've totally known that but I just assumed it was the new representation of the Will character from the stories.  I am guessing now that she has revealed that she is actually high lady so now maybe she won't do that fake accent anymore. So we discover that Marian was supposed to marry Guy of Gisbourne but ran away he has been hunting for her for years and years and finally catches up to her. So the end of the book is just some crazy events.  Scarlet marries Guy and then runs off and leaves will Robin from exciting scene where Robin is captured. Just a crazy ending. End Spoiler

The book being a series ends up in the air. I can't decide if I am going to continue on in the series or not.  I do want to know what happens with Guy and all the characters.... but since this book was only mediocre and there are so many books out there I need to read, I don't know if I will spend time reading it.  We'll see.  So glad I read this in time for Away to Whimsical Fairy Land!

 

The crystal ball says:

 

Rain is pouring...  Not sure if this was really worth my time, must get an umbrella.

Away to Whimsical Fairy Tale Land- Introduction

Away to Whimsical Fairy Tale Land Introduction

This week kicks off Away to Whimsical Fairy Tale Land.  I am so excited about it because I love fairy tales so much. There is still time to sign up here.  My posts are going to be a little late for this event because my laptop broke yesterday and I had to wait till I got home to get on the desktop computer to finish this post. Now for my introduction: 

What is the fairy tale you picked?  

I chose to pick Robin Hood.  I love Robin Hood's tale.  Technically... all Robin Hood stories are retellings because Robin Hood is based on tales of a real character.  There is no accurate source material though many people use The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle as the earliest telling so I will be using that book too. 

Why did you pick your fairy tale of choice? 

I picked this one because I find Robin Hood to be interesting.  I really loved Robin Hood from when I was a kid and would watch the Disney Robin Hood movie.  Love love!  Then when I was a teenager I fell in love with the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner.  I mean such an amazing story.  Plus I mean.. the song that goes with the movie???  Swoon.  I was going to post the video here but Bryan Adams has made it to where it can't be embeded.. so we'll go with this: 

Why do you love Fairy Tales?

I  think the reason I love Fairy Tales is because they just take me away to a magical place that seems like it's fun. I suppose I love Fantasy and to me that is what a Fairy Tale is. Plus maybe it's because my mom and dad surrounded my sister and I with Fairy Tales when we were young.  

What are some of your favorite Fairy Tales?

I have so many I love!! Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland. I love Villains so much. Maleficent is my favorite.   I have actually read most of the source stories 

That's all.  Be sure to stop by back and check out my review of a Robin Hood retelling.

 

 

Sunday Post

Let's chat about what's going on this week... on my blog.. on other blogs... on the internet... and just everywhere!    I link up my post to Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reader.

Still getting plenty of snow in this part of the world.  I am so ready for some warmer weather. I think next Friday we might just hit 50 degrees.  I can't believe March is here already.  Sometimes time really does just fly by.  I kind of cheated on my goals this year of reading books that I own.  I am participating in Away to Whimsical Fairy Tale Land (see below) and so I am reading a Robin Hood retelling that I checked out from the library. I went to see Fifty Shades of Grey this week... and well... I suppose it's what I expected.  Be sure to come by next week and check out all my posts about Robin Hood!

On the Blog:
Waiting on Wednesday- Finders Keepers Stephen King...
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Review

Around the Blogospere:
-I am just finding out about this event but will totally be participating..A Way to Whimsical Fairy Land is an event all about fairy tale retellings.  I am going to do Robin Hood so be on the look out on the blog that week for some great discussions and reviews. 

-Do you wish more villains had a book of their own???  By Paper Fury
- One of my favorite bloggers Herding Cats an Burning Soup talks about age of women in romance novels.  Is it OK that the women are practically all in their 20s???
-Are Male Protagonists a dying breed? - by Wordsmithonia 

Internet:
I love that there is a new Batman trailer out for the new game.  Bummed that it's Rocksteady's last Batman game and I am also bummed that the game is going to be rated M.  This is because my library won't buy and check out games that are rated M.  They will only get ones that are rated T or lower.  I don't get this because they rent rated R movies.... I brought this up to them and this is what they said:

"Public libraries promote and sustain popular culture as part of their charge. Library collections are modified over time to reflect changes in popular culture and technology, as with the acquisition of music, software, and movies. Libraries began to circulate video games in this fashion. It is the philosophy of the public library to provide equitable access to materials of interest to the community, and video games have proven to be popular.

PPLD made an initial decision to circulate games up through the level T, for teen, by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. It was determined at that time the collection was developed that M-rated materials, for mature, would not be added for circulation. This decision was based on the need to develop standards for selecting M-rated games and determining policies related to their circulation.
While Pikes Peak Library District is committed to providing the broadest access possible through its collection of materials, there has been no movement to date on the addition of M-rated games. Analysis of the games and the cultural landscape surrounding them is ongoing."

Anyways... here is the game trailer:

Books Books Books
Currently reading Scarlet by AC Gaughen... and going to be getting to some more comics this week.  What about you?  How is your week going?