Update

Hi Everyone! Sorry for my inactivity of late; hope to be back on track by the end of this week!

Today I learned that I've received the Honest Scrap award from Nina at J'adore Happy Endings- thanks so much, Nina! I've actually never seen this award before, but I think it's a great way to promote honesty and integrity in the blogging community.

This is the Honest Scrap Award. It is for those bloggers who write from the heart.
The rules: Pass it along to seven other bloggers and then list ten honest things about yourself.

My Seven:

Will be up soon! (Homework has created some time restraints for this post)


My Ten:

1. Gilmore Girls, despite being off the air, remains my favorite t.v. show. I have seen every single episode (thanks to Blockbuster mail)

2. I found out that I have never really been challenged in school until this year. I'm not really sure that's settling well with me.

3. I love baking. Cookies, brownies, carrot cake- you name it!

4. I hate heights. Roller coasters are the only exception to this rule. Because, well, roller coasters are thrilling (and you're strapped in.)

5. Getting letters or packages in the mail makes me incredibly happy.

6. I am terrible at talking in front of people, and I haven't found a cure. I still shake, stammer, and cringe before I walk in front of the class.

7. As a kid I was obsessed with American Girl Dolls. Felicity especially. Any of you ever play with those?

8. Ingrid Michaelson is my favorite singer...anyone else like her?

9. Although I've always enjoyed reading, my real frenzy began in the fourth grade, and hasn't slowed much since.

10. If I could wear pajamas to school, I would.

<3 Cate

River Secrets by Shannon Hale Review

Razo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier. He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission--escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy.
But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, Razo discovers the first dead body. He befriends both the high and low born, people who can perhaps provide them with vital information. And Razo is the one who must embrace his own talents in order to get the Bayern soldiers home again, alive. -Goodreads

Thanks for bearing with me through my Shannon Hale phase, everyone! One more to go, and then there'll be a little more diversity in reviews!

River Secrets has never been my favorite of the Bayern Books; I've always been more drawn to The Goose Girl and Enna Burning. This time around, however, my appreciation for Razo's story went up a few notches. I'm not all that sure what happened...but I felt like I could connect with Razo and found him to be such a humorous and lighthearted character.

I'm not going to get too fangirlish now, but if you know me, you know that I adore Shannon Hale's writing style. Each sentence is carefully crafted and incredibly fluid. I can never get over just how beautiful her writing is.

Although you can pick up any one of the books of the Bayern series and understand the plot, I would recommend you start from the first book. Happy Reading!

Rating: 9/10

Let's Be Friends Award

Thanks so much to Kathy over at Bookworm Nation for presenting me with this award! I'm delighted to pass it on to other bloggers! First, however, you must read this well-crafted description:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I know that many of you bloggers have probably already received this award, but humor me! Know that one more person also finds you incredibly friendly and appreciates your kind efforts:

*Sandy at Pirate Penguin's Reads
*Melanie at Melanie's Musings
*Nicole at Word for Teens
*SuzyQ at From Eye to Eye
*Briana at The Book Pixie
*Rocs at A Beginning, Middle, and End
*Alley at Sarcastic Humour and Chewed Up Pen Caps

In My Mailbox (2)

This week I have and IMM post to share with you. Here are some books I picked up this week:

From a contest hosted by The Story Siren:







From the Library:





I'm excited to read all of these; each looks very interesting and all the covers are gorgeous!

<3 Cate

Flashback Friday (3)

Hello Everyone! This is my third Flashback Friday entry, which is essentially a post where I share a little about a favorite book of mine from when I was younger. You're welcome to participate- I'd love to hear what books you loved at a young age! Please just leave a comment with a link!

This week, I decided to showcase Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Yet another survival story! I believe this one is about a girl who is left to fend for herself on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

To be honest, this boook wasn't very popular at my school library. Each 4th grade student was required to read a certain number of books per month, and most kids picked the shortest stories they could find. However, I remember taking this book home and devouring it within a few hours. The plot was very intriguing to me, and it became one of my (many) favorite books.

Coming up next week there'll be a twist- a book that I didn't like so much...stay tuned to see!

<3 Cate

Excuses, Excuses

Hi, Everyone. It is Thursday. I last posted Sunday.

Homework is the villain in this situation. It has the ability to eat away large chunks of free time.

Super-Sparrow (me!) is currently finding a way to defeat the stress-inducing monster. So far, no luck.

Review up soon. Until then, you know where to find me. {knee-deep in homework}

<3 Cate