30 + Change #4 (Nov & Dec 2010)

30 + Change will allow me to share with my followers what I buy every month on my Kindle. The goal of this monthly meme, is to not go too far over your budget, but we still have room for taxes and such, hence "+ change."

I never posted for November, and it's time to post December, so... This post will wrap-up 2 months!:

November - I bought almost no books..

1.) Saw 5 [movie]. Cost: $6.97. The SAW horror series is my absolute favorite pasttime, besides the Final Destination series :D.

2.) A Game for my Brother. Cost: $19.96. This is where most of my money went.. I felt like being nice that day.

3.) Radiance (Riley Bloom, #1) by Alyson Noel. Cost: $0.59. (The actual cost of the book was $5.59, but I paid back $5 in cash, so the amount of Kindle money I spent was only $0.59.) I had been interested in this novel for a while, and decided to try it out. Loved this book! I am glad that I got it. Rated it four wings. Review for Radiance.

Total Cost: $27.52

December - I didn't spend on other people this time :).

1.) Evermore (Immortals, #1) by Alyson Noel. Cost: $.99. I have been wanting to read this series for long. It was a somewhat miracle when I finally got the opportunity to buy it.

2.) Blue Moon (Immortals, #2) by Alyson Noel. Cost: $.99. The sequel to Evermore.

3.) Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Cost: $8.49. Elyssa recommended this to me long ago, and, finally, I had the chance to get it! This one actually came from WalMart, not the Kindle Store :).

4.) Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter. Cost: $8.99. Needed a book that started with "O" for a challenge on GoodReads; someone suggested this one. In the next five minutes, I had bought the book!

Total Cost: $30.46

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!!
Zakiya :D

2010 Reading Challenges -- Wrap-Up

Well, 2010 will be less than 2 days, so I figured some of you might want to know how I did in each of my challenges this year. It was only four, but I didn't do so hot. Oh well, there's always next year! :)

Stand Alone Challenge - SAB-erific (Goal, 15 books)

1. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - completed
2. Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens by Spencer Johnson - completed
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - completed
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - completed
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - completed (review)
6. Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell - completed (review)
7. Chicken Coup for the Teenage Soul: The Real Deal: Challenges by Jack Canfield - completed
8. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - completed (review)
9. Nightlight by Harvard Lampoon - completed (review)

A - Z Challenge - Authors & Titles (Goal, 52 books)

- Authors -

A. Alcott, Louisa May: Little Women - completed
B. Bray, Libba: A Great and Terrible Beauty - completed (review)
C. Cabot, Meg: The Princess Diaries - completed
D. Dan Brown: Digital Fortress - completed
E. n/a
F. n/a
G. Golding, William: Lord of the Flies - completed
H. Harrison, Lisi: Bratfest at Tiffany's - completed
I. n/a
J. Johnson, Spencer: Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens - completed
K. Kristin Cashore: Graceling - completed
L. Lemony Snicket: The Wide Window - completed
M. Mead, Richelle: Shadow Kiss - completed
N. n/a
O. Oppel, Kenneth: Silverwing - completed (review)
P. Patterson, James: The Angel Experiment - completed [twice this year!] (review)
Q. n/a
R. Riordan, Rick: The Sea of Monsters - completed
S. Stephenie Meyer: The Host - completed
T. Taylor, Mildred D.: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (review
U. n/a
V. Verna, Aardema: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears - completed [teacher read it to us in class during Africa week]
W. Westerfeld, Scott: Pretties - completed
X. n/a
Y. Yann Martel: Life of Pi - completed (review)
Z. Zoey Dean: Girls on Film - completed

- Book Titles -

A. Almost Famous by Zoey Dean - completed
B. Blonde Ambition by Zoey Dean - completed
C. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: The Real: Challenges by Jack Canfield - completed
D. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - completed
E. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - completed (review)
F. Frostbite by Richelle Mead - completed
G. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - completed
H. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - completed
I. n/a
J. n/a
K. n/a
L. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - completed (review)
M. Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast - completed (review)
N. Nightlight by Harvard Lampoon - completed (review
O. n/a
P. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard - completed (review)
Q. n/a
R. Reptile Room, The by Lemony Snicket - completed
S. Specials by Scott Westerfeld - completed
T. Talent by Zoey Dean - completed
U. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - completed
V. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - completed
W. Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens by Spencer Johnson - completed
X. n/a
Y. n/a
Z. Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman - completed (review)

eBook Challenge - Obsessed Level (Goal, 20 eBooks)

1. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard - completed (review)
2. Flawless by Sara Shepard - completed (review)
3. Perfect by Sara Shepard - completed (review)
4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - completed (review)
5. Unbelievable by Sara Shepard (review)
6. Chosen by P.C. & Kristin Cast (review)






Read Your Name Challenge - WALKING BUTTERFLY (Goal, 16 books)

W. Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens by Spencer Johnson - completed

A. A-List, The by Zoey Dean - completed

L. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - completed (review)

K. n/a

I. n/a

N. Nightlight by Harvard Lampoon - completed (review)
G. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - completed

B. Bad Beginning, The by Lemony Snicket - completed
U. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - completed
T. Talent by Zoey Dean - completed
T. Treasure Fever by Andy Griffiths - completed
E. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - completed (review)
R. Reptile Room, The by Lemony Snicket - completed
F. Flawless by Sara Shepard - completed (review)
L. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - completed
Y. n/a


Hopefully, I will be able to get some more books read in 2011. On January 1st (Saturday), there will be a post up telling you which 2011 Reading Challenges I will be participating in.

Happy Reading to all of my followers (and Happy New Year's!!),
ZAKIYA :D

Read It With A Buddy #3 - The Mind Readers

Leanne and I recently received The Mind Readers from Lori Brighton to read and review. Thought I should make an "occassion" out of it :). Enjoy! **I have to warn you that this isn't one of my best reviews; one because I'm rushing a little, and two because I don't want to include spoilers for fear of telling the entire book :).**

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Mind Readers
By Lori Brighton
Publisher: Smashwords - Dec 2010
170 pages, Google Docs
Date Finished: 27/12/2010 (Zakiya), 23/12/2010 (Leanne)
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action

Synopsis: Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows that Cameron can read minds. When Lewis Douglas arrives, he tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a place where she meets other Mind Readers. But when the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs.

~First Line: "The man sitting across from me at the cafe was thinking about murdering his wife."
~Last Line: " 'Whether you believe me or not, Sweetheart, I'm pretty much the only thing standing between you and death."

Ms Brighton did not pay nor bribe us to review this novel.

Zakiya's Review: OH MY GOSH!!!!!! For 2 or 3 months, I thought The Last Song was the best novel out there. I have been proven wrong! Lori Brighton's YA novel was filled with action, emotional pains, characters that I wanted to hurt -- physically. Once I got closer to the climax, I was practically yelling at the charries for doing stupid .... stuff :). The story's somewhat-hero, the one I yelled at the most, describes Cameron as a "sitting duck" while trying to persuade her into going back with him to Aaron's hosue to train her powers. Yeah, she agreed. So she was, what, a swimming duck? Something to ask the author :). I have honestly never read anything like this. If I could change anything, I might make it a little longer, but I LOVE the cliff hanger at the end. With that steep of an ending, there has to be a sequel. So many ends were left untied. This novel definitely gets 5 wings!!


Leanne's Review: Lori Brighton outdid herself. This novel was short (170 pages) was amazing!!!!! I read it through GoogleDocs and could not stop. This book was completly amazing. It is the best one I have read in a while. It had everything you would want in a book, but it was very short. There was a lot going on. You never know what will happen next. Cam is just trying to find a place in the world. She is diffrent than others in more ways than one, but the most dominate is that she is a mind reader. So is her grandmother. She doesn't think anyone else is, because her grandmother has shielded her from all of that. I personally loved this book. You couldn't just skip a few pages like on other books; instead of focusing on a bunch of unnessasary details, it just gets straight to what's happening. The time in it jumps around a lot, but it isn't that hard to keep up. I would reccomend this to everyone. It is a light read between books and very interesting. I would rate this 5 pins.

(From both of us; these are Leanne's "pins." Cute, huh?!)

Our Favorite Quote!!!! :

"The guard grabbed my left arm and jerked me up the steps. My heart plummeted. Maddox might be some sort of secret agent, but unless he was Harry Freaking Potter, there was no way he could get us out of this situation."

Teaser Tuesday (28th Dec, '10)

This meme is hosted weekly by MizB @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, even if you don't have a blog (you can post back in MizB's comments).

*Grab your current read.

*Open to a random page.

*Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page. You can share more if you want!

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!!! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give away too much information. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

*Share the title and autor as well, so that Teaser participants may add to their TBR list/s if they enjoy your teasers!

*Leave a link in the comment section of MizB's blog so that others can check out your teasers! You may leave your teasers here with the book title and author if you do not have a blog. (MizB's Blog)

This week's teasers are coming in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (GoodReads, Amazon):

"I wonder if they called him down to Principal Prinicpal's office and put this on his Permanent Record. He has stopped working on his canvas, the painting we all thought was going to be this awesome, earth-shattering piece of art that would be auctioned for a million dollars. The art room is cold, Mr. Freeman's face a shade of gray-purple. If he wasn't so depressed, I'd ask him what the name of that color is. He just sits on his stool, a blue broken cricket husk."
~From page 91~

Well, that's all for this week's teasers. I hope you enjoyed them! Happy 2011, everyone!
-- Zakiya LadyWings

What's your status? (26 Dec, '10)

The LinkyTool for this post will be kept open until tomorrow at midnight (Central Standard Time)!



<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this ever week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to enter your links to your WYS posts in the Linky Tool below. (The Linky Tools will always be left open on Sundays for those of you who can't post on Saturdays.)

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Things You Don't Wanna Miss:

~My "Things You Don't Wanna Miss" post :)

~My Christmas Post! :)

~Giveaway @ My Co-Blog!

Reviews this week:

~Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, by Allan Richard Shickman

~Night World: Volume 1, by L.J. Smith

Memes this week:

~Music/ Movie Monday

~Teaser Tuesday

~Warm-Up Wednesday

~Thursday Interpretation

Now, for my status! (Please keep in mind that you do not have to use this exact format. Whatever works for you is what works for me.)

Finished This Week:

• Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country (Zan-Gah, #2) by Allan Richard Shickman. Finished on 23/12/2010. This sequel was awesome!! I really enjoyed continuing the series. Anyone know when the third book comes out? LOL!
• Night World: Volume 1 (Night World, #1-3) by L.J. Smith. Finished on 23/12/2010. I reread this omnibus, and remember why I love this series! I'll probably be rereading Volume 2 soon! :D

Currently Reading:

• The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton. On page 9. Thank you to Lori for asking me to read this! It looks like it will be a wonderful book! My BFF already said it was super-amazing! :D. I hope she's right!
• Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. On page 1. My brother's teacher, who has noticed my love of reading, let me borrow this one because she thinks I will enjoy it. I am excited to read it, as it looks interesting :).
• Evermore by Alyson Noel (Kindle Edition). Have read 18%. Haven't been reading this one like I said I would. Waiting for someone to tell me if they want to BuddyRead or not. If they don't reply by next Wedn, I'm just going to finish reading it..
• Remember Me (series omnibus) by Christopher Pike. On page 633. The Last Story (the third and final story in the omnibus) is really good! I like it so far; about halfway through it :D.

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:

• Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride, #3; The Fugitives, #3) by James Patterson.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:

• Choker by Elizabeth Woods AND
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Don't Forget to post the link to your WYS post in the Linky Tool below!

For example:

Name: Butterfly Feet Walking on Books
URL: http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/whats-your-status-2010

Night World: Volume 1 by L.J. Smith

Night World: Volume 1 (Night World, #1-3)
By L.J. Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2008
729 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 23/12/2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Action

Synopsis: In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of the Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.
~back of book~

~First Line: "It was on the first day of summer vacation that Poppy found ou tshe was going to die."
~Last Line: "She held Eric and felt his breathing and was at peace with the night."

Review: This was my second time reading this omnibus, and I rediscovered why I love this series so much! There were magnificent characters, spectacular plots, and a good amount of action -- not too much, not too little. Since the book's covers contain three books, I will give a mini-review of each novel.

Secret Vampire: The first stories in omnibuses seem to always end up being my favorites; it was no different when I reread this series starter. The heroine, Poppy, finds out that she has cancer and there's no cure. The hero, James, has a startling secret -- he's a vampire. The only way Poppy will survive is if she's turned; will she give up her life, family, and friends? *My favorite character in SV: Phillip, because he's the kind of older brother I would have liked to have.*

Daughters of Darkness: The sequel novel revolves around "three renegade vampires and a secret vampire killer." When Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade move in with their aunt, they discover that someone has murdered her -- and knew she was a vampire. Mary-Lynnette, the heroine of DoD, gets caught in the midst of everything when her curiousity gets the better of her logic. Then there's Ash, the hero. How can he and Mary-Lynnette ever be soulmates when they basically can't even stand each other? *My favorite character in DoD: Ash, because he always has some sort of smart-allicky comment, and whenever he was alone with M-L, you could tell that he really did care; he just didn't show it in public.*

Spellbinder: Thea and Blaise, witches you've been raised together since early youth, have only one chance left. They've been expelled from their high school after being there for only one month -- again. Now they are living with Grandma Harman, and if they mess up again -- rather, if Blaise messes up again -- they will be shipped to the Convent, the dark and gloomy home of their Aunt Ursula (the name even creeps me out). Blaise is up to no good as usual with the human boys at their new school. Thea, our heroine, is trying to keep her in line. Then she meets Eric, our gorgeous, totally popular, every-girl-wants-to-be-with-him hero. Blaise wants him to be her new boytoy, and Thea must take a stad against her "sister." Who will win the guy in a fight between witches?

Overall, this omnibus was absolutely fabulous, and I can't wait to reread the next three Night World books! :D



Quotes from the Book:

" 'Are you nuts? Look, Phil, I was born in San Francisco. I'm not some bug-eyed monster from Alpha Centauri. I eat Wheaties for breakfast.' " ~Secret Vampire

"Jade put down the suitcase and cat carrier and pulled at the gate. To her surprise, itmoved easily.
'See, it may not look good, but it still works--' She didn't get to finish the sentence properly. The gate fell on her." ~Daughters of Darkness

" 'I wash my hands of you two and I don't want to know what's going on. Besides, I've got worries of my own. I have to decide between a Maserati and a Karmann Ghia.' " ~Spellbinder

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!! :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of my fluttering followers!

It has certainly been one exciting 7-month period for me. I started blogging in June with the ladies over @ For the L♥ve of Reading, and then in July I started the blog you're reading :). Big "THANK YOU" to Black Disaster Fairy (Elyssa) for getting me interested in the book blogosphere; I'd probably still be sitting on the couch looking bored otherwise. LOL.

I would also like to thank Bonnie Lenz, who represents Allan Richard Shickman (Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure), Kurt Frenier (Reunion of the Untouchables), Lori Brighton (The Mind Readers), and Peggy Frank, who represents Clive Riddle (Dorris Bridge) for making this half a year even more enjoyable by asking me to review their books.


Last but definitely not least in any circumstances, I would like to thank my colourfully-winged followers for supporting me so much throughout my first 7 months of experiencing the world of book blogging. I've definitely had some ups and downs, but I can say that you all were the reason I kept blogging anyway. I hate disappointing people, so I always made sure I had stuff up for you guys :D. Thanks again for stickin' with me!


My plans for today? To sit around and be lazy. Enjoy all the books I get and the ones I already have. Be thankful that I don't have any type of practice or homework. Enjoy my family. Basically what everyone does for Christmas, I guess. And none of us can forget about staying up all night next Saturday to be the first ones to see the new year! I think that is what I love about Xmas break: They let us out for New Year's Day as well..





Well, I can't really think of much else to say, so I hope y'all have an awesome rest-of-the-holiday break!! :D

Happy Holidays to everyone,
Zakiya, the very thankful, relaxed, walking butterfly

For those of you who participate in WHAT'S YOUR STATUS, I will post that tomorrow! :)

Giveaway at My Co-Blog!

Remember when I told you the girls and I were hosting a giveaway? Well the post went up today!!

The prize is a SIGNED copy for Sinful by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber and a Sinful postcard!!

You can enter the giveaway whether you are a follower of our blog or not. However, the contest is for the US only (sorry, internationals). All entries must be in by Midnight on January 11th, 2011 (Mountain Standard Time).

~Click here to read the interview with Sara and Staci!
~Click here to see the details on the giveaway!

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop will be back on January 7th! :D

Happy Holidays to every who celebrates!

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country (Zan-Gah, #2)
By Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher: Earthshaker Books, 2009
151 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 23/12/2010
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Action, Adventure

~First Line of Book: "When Lissa-Na died, Dael wept real tears."
~Last Line of Book: "He only knew that the demons who had long possessed his twin had departed; that healing and regenration were still possible because there is a secret place in every soul that has never yet been wounded."

Again, thank you to Bonnie Lenz & Mr. Shickman for sending me these books. They were awesome! :D

Review: The sequel to Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure was amazing! The characters developed even more, and there were even some that made debuts. There was also more action, especially since we had another major battle.

Besides the predominant adventure that was made when Zan's people, the Ba-Coro, moved to the Beautiful Country, there were a few more travels that got to read about. My favorite was definitely when Zan, Rydl, Dael, and some of Dael's followers went looking for tar -- and found a volcano! It was really cool, but Dael started to creep me out a little.

I would definitely say read this novel! It really was an ah-mazing sequel, and I hope that you all get the chance to read this wonderful series :D. I can't wait until the third and fourth books are released!

(4.5 Wings)

Quotes from the Book:

"He did not realize that Pax, who happened to be busy nearby, had overheard most of what was said -- had heard her husband praise Lissa-na and confess that he loved her. That was bad luck, and there was more to come."

"All three [mountains] were capped with snow, except that the central one, open at the top, sent up a column of rolling smoke. Bursts of fire and showers of hot sparks exploded from its ragged peak, followed moments later by loud growling noises. At each eruption the ground shook. The mountain's pure shape rose upward in even, symmetrical arcs that were both simple and sublime, while the fountain of fire at the apex challenged and polluted the sky." (It's a volcano! Cool, huh?)

"These desert people were unfamiliar with the wolf and afraid of it, but that did not slow them down and they ran with all their might."

"He had that strange aura of the other world shining from his still-pale face, and looked exactly like what he was -- a corpse that had returned to life."

Thursday Interpretation #3

Thursday Interpretations is a "meme," which means that you may participate in this on your blog, but I won't be advertising it nor adding a Linky for links to your post/s.

Anyway, Thursday Interpretation will be a weekly post where I post a motivational quote (and sometimes a book quote) and tell you my feelings about it. You are more than welcome to post a comment telling how you feel about the quote.

*Remember that these are only my opinions. They are not influenced by anyone else.*

This week's motivational, quote:

"If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; if he betrays you twice, it is your fault."

My Thoughts: All this quote is saying is that if you have a friend that, for instance, goes behind your back and tells everyone a secret you entrusted them with, it is their fault. But, if you tell them another secret, and they betray you again by telling people, it is your fault. Why would you even trust them with anymore of your secrets if you know thay go and tell others? This quote was really just simple logic.

Warm-Up Wednesday #2

Warm-Up Wednesday is a "meme," just like Music/ Movie Monday and Thursday Interpretation. In this weekly post, I will be using warm-ups that my R/LA (Reading/ Lanuage Arts) teacher gives us everyday. It probably will not be everyweek, though, because right now I don't have very many of them. All of the war-ups I will be posting on here have to do with making a choice or decision. Our choices/ answers have to be in paragraph form.

This week's question:

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?

My answer:

The best Christmas gift I've ever had? I don't really think I've had a Christmas present that stood out more than the others. Really, the best Christmas present you can get is the one that is given to you.* Not everyone is fortunate enough to get Christmas presents every year, so if you do, that is the best Christmas present you've ever had. I suppose in that sense, I have had several "bestest Christmas presents ever."

* That part wasn't quoted from anyone or anything, but I wouldn't say I haven't read or heard it somewhere before.

Happy Holidays and New Year,
Zakiya! :D

Things you Don't Wanna Miss! :D

I thought I would develop a post for my lovely followers to see what they really don't wanna miss! Here 'ya go!:

1.) Elyssa, Jen, and I have started a new blog! It's only a couple of weeks old, but we would really appreciate it if you'd stop by! UnRead Brainds Eat Bloody Words.

2.) One of my buddies from GoodReads has started her own YA book blog. Please make her feel welcome in the book blogosphere! You can visit her at YA Booklover Blog.

3.) My wonderful, steampunkery friend Mad Scientist from Steampunkery & Book Reviews is hosting 2 intriguing 2011 challenges. They are the Reading Bucket List Challenge and the Morbid Romantica Challenge. You can click on the titles to find out more information :).

4.) I have a new page on my blog called My Little Dictionary. I will be posting all sorts of words that I do not know the meaning to; they will be from books I am currently reading.

5.) I am the most wonderfulest (my opinion) Christmas post set up for you all, and I really hope y'all like it. It only took about an hour to think of and type up, but I really like it. It will be posted this Saturday, so please come back and take a look at it! :D

6.) My co-bloggers at For the L♥ve of Reading and I are hosting a giveaway. We will have the post about it up really soon so keep a look out here or there to be the first to know about it! C:

7.) I'm doing a major REDO project on my Quote Gallery, and it's starting to look better already!! I took off the five or six motivational quotes I had and will do those over after I get all my book quotes done. You can see that I started all over. It will definitely take a few weeks, but soon I will be completely caught up! :D

8.) I have made a Facebook page for this blog, and I would really appreciate it if you all who have a FB acct would "like" it. The page is here. I have also made a Twitter account for this blog, and all you Twitter users, I would really appreciate it if you would follow me. That page is here.

9.) Next Wednesday, December 29th, there will be a special "10 Best Books I Forgot To Read This Year" post from the writers at My Dog Ate My Blog. This post will be for those students who had a huge academic load and didn't have time during the year to read for fun. I would say "Like me!" but then I'd be fibbing :).

10.) 2010 is coming to an end and that means that it's time to see how far I've gotten in my 2010 Reading Challenges! If you've looked lately, there no longer is a "2010 Reading Challenges" page. That's because I don't want anyone to be able to know the results before I display them :). I will be posting that on this blog on December 29th. Same day as the special post. Be smart and kill 2 birds with one stone! c(:

11.) I know that some of you look forward to my 30 + Change posts every month, and I really am sorry that I didn't post November's. However, I have already scheduled for a joint post: On December 30th, what I bought for November and December will all be on one post. Be on the lookout for that!

12.) Now this one is just funny. My friend (that's unfortunately moviing after the holidays) made up this little person. Look --> :+< Isn't it adorable?! LOL :).

Teaser Tuesday (21st Dec, '10)

This meme is hosted weekly by MizB @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, even if you don't have a blog (you can post back in MizB's comments).

*Grab your current read.

*Open to a random page.

*Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page. You can share more if you want!

*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!!! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give away too much information. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

*Share the title and autor as well, so that Teaser participants may add to their TBR list/s if they enjoy your teasers!

*Leave a link in the comment section of MizB's blog so that others can check out your teasers! You may leave your teasers here with the book title and author if you do not have a blog. (MizB's Blog)

This week's teasers come from page 41 in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman (GoodReads, Amazon)

"When Rydl [pronounced like "riddle"] was nine years old, Styg's ["stig"] brutalities sent him running. By sheer accident, Zan-Gah in his wanderings became the father and brother Rydl so much needed. . . . Released from his father's persecutions, his mind became active and his heart glad."





That is it for this week, but be sure to come back next week because there will be more teasing teasers! :D

Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah & Kwanzaa and Happy New Year!,
Zakiya, the walking butterfly :)

Music/ Movie Monday #2

Music/ Movie Monday is a "meme"* that I will try to post ever week or biweekly. In these posts, I will provide you with what song, artist, CD, etc. I am currently into the most. Also, I will be informing you on the latest movie/s I have seen and absolutely loved (or not-loved).

* Meme is quoted because I will not be providing a Linky for you to ad you liks to, nor will I be advertising these posts. However, if you would like to participate and leave a link or your movie and music info in a comment, I have no problem with that.

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Music

These past two weeks, I have been obsessed over the song "Show Me A Good Time" by Drake. To listen to it, click here. Just to forewarn you, though, there is some profanity in it. So listen at your own will. Anyway, this song is one that someone actually sent me on my phone, and I looked it up and immediately loved it :). It's now my favorite song!

Song Rating: 5.0

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Movies



The last movies I have watched were Final Destination and Final Destination 2. Anyone who knows me will be able to tell you that I LOVE horrow movies. It was no different with these two. I have to say that the first one was definitely better, but the second one was a wonderful sequel. I would give Final Destination 4 Wings, and Final Destination 2 would receive 4-1/2 Wings. This averages to a 4.25 Wing rating :). By the way, the photos above are just movie posters; they are not the actual DVD covers.

Check back next week for the post about Final Destination 3 and The Final Destination!

Happy Reading,
Zakiya, the walking butterfly

What's your status? (18/12/2010)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/books_stacked-1-1.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /><br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this ever week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to enter your links to your WYS posts in the Linky Tool below. (The Linky Tools will always be left open on Sundays for those of you who can't post on Saturdays.)

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Reviews this week:

~None, unfortunately :(.

Memes this week:

~In My Mailbox

~Warm-Up Wednesday

~Thursday Interpretation

~Book Blogger Hop

Now, for my status! (Please keep in mind that you do not have to use this exact format. Whatever works for you is what works for me.)

Finished This Week:

• Soon to be another book!

Currently Reading:

• Night World Volume 1 by L.J. Smith. On page 286. In the middle of the second story, Daughters of Darkness. I am rereading this actually, and I'm also rediscovering why I love this series so much! :D
• Evermore by Alyson Noel (Kindle Edition). Have read 18%. Have been so focused on Night World that I haven't been able to read this one. I will definitely be trying to finish it, though, in the next week or so.
• Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman. On page 96. HAven't read this in a while. I'm relaly getting disappointed with myself. Luckily, we are on Xmas break until the 3rd of January, so I should get a lot of books read :).
• Remember Me (series omnibus) by Christopher Pike. On page 381. This is definitely on my "Finish over Christmas Break" list! :P

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:

• I'm not really sure what I'm going to read next. I am probably going to just finish some of the ones I'm stuck in the middle of for right now.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:

• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White OR
• Kiss My Book by Jamie Michaels

Don't Forget to post the link to your WYS post in the Linky Tool below!

For example:

Name: Butterfly Feet Walking on Books
URL: http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/whats-your-status-2010

Book Blogger Hop (17 Dec, '10)

As always, this meme is being hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy-for-Books.

This week's question comes from Alex over @ Geek on the Brink:

"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

My Answer:

Hmm, that's sort of a hard one. I think I'm going to go with the plot. Sure, you want good characters, but you really need a good plot that carries the reader throughout the book. Keeps them wanting to continue the novel. If you have good characters but no plot, it just sorta defeats the whole purpose of writing the book. The plot's definitely more important, rather than the characters (my opinion!).

Happy Reading, and Merry Christmas!

Thursday Interpretation #2

Thursday Interpretations is a "meme," which means that you may participate in this on your blog, but I won't be advertising it nor adding a Linky for links to your post/s.

Anyway, Thursday Interpretation will be a weekly post where I post a motivational quote (and sometimes a book quote) and tell you my feelings about it. You are more than welcome to post a comment telling how you feel about the quote.

*Remember that these are only my opinions. They are not influenced by anyone else.*

This week's book, and somewhat motivational, quote:

"Ignorance is the worst doctor, while rest and sleep are the best nurses." ~Life of Pi by Yann Martel (GoodReads page)

My Thoughts:

To me, this quote means that if you are ill, and you just say "Oh, well, it's nothing" or "Nothing's wrong with me," you could be letting something get worse, like what starts out as a cold. But let's say this cold turned into pneumonia because you weren't treating yourself properly and covering your body from chilly weather. What then? You were probably better off letting yourself rest and sleep and stop going anywhere you didn't have to while you had that cold.

**I'm not really sure that this is a good example, but, hey, I'm not a doctor...**

What do you think this quote is trying to tell us?

Warm-Up Wednesday #1

Warm-Up Wednesday is a "meme," just like Music/ Movie Monday and Thursday Interpretation. In this weekly post, I will be using warm-ups that my R/LA (Reading/ Lanuage Arts) teacher gives us everyday. It probably will not be everyweek, though, because right now I don't have very many of them. All of the war-ups I will be posting on here have to do with making a choice or decision. Our choices/ answers have to be in paragraph form.

This Week's Warm-Up:

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

My answer:

If I could be any animal, I would be a sloth. They are very slow, but they get to sleep almost all day. They live up in trees, which would be avery pretty view. Also, sloths move very slowly -- a great vacation from the fast-moving human world. If I could be any animal, I would unquestionably be a sloth.

What animal would you be?

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted every week by The Story Siren. To find out how to participate and the "official" details, check out the IMM page.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

This is will the last time The Story Siren hosts In My Mailbox until the New Year!

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The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton (PDF File)
Notes: Lori contacted me asking me to review her book, and I am gladly going to read and review her novel! Right after I finish one of these books. :)

Well, that's all for me this week. I will have to keep up with what I get over the holidays so that I can tell you in the New Year :D.

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays,
Zakiya, the Walking Butterfly

What's your status? (11/12/2010)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/ReadingStatuslogo-2.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /><br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this ever week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to enter your links to your WYS posts in the Linky Tool below. (The Linky Tools will always be left open on Sundays for those of you who can't post on Saturdays.)

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Reviews this week:

~Reunion of the Untouchables by Kurt Frenier

~Guest Review #3 - Leanne

~Radiance by Alyson Noel

Memes this week:

~In My Mailbox

~Music/ Movie Monday

~Thursday Interpretation

Now, for my status! (Please keep in mind that you do not have to use this exact format. Whatever works for you is what works for me.)

Finished This Week:

• Soon to be another book!

Currently Reading:

• Evermore by Alyson Noel (Kindle Edition). Have read 18%. I am so glad that I bought this on my Kindle! It has an awesome plot so far :).
• Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman. On page 96. Working on finishing this one before this Friday, but not sure if that shall work out or not.
• Remember Me (series omnibus) by Christopher Pike. On page 381. Haven't read this series in the last week, unfortunately.

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:

• Not really sure what I'm going to read next. Probably will go with Wicked (Witch & Curse) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:

• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White on my Kindle.

Don't Forget to post the link to your WYS post in the Linky Tool below!

For example:

Name: Butterfly Feet Walking on Books
URL: http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/whats-your-status-2010

Thursday Interpretation #1

Thursday Interpretations, like Music/ Movie Monday, is a "meme," which means that you may participate in this on your blog, but I won't be advertising it nor adding a Linky for links to your post/s.

Anyway, Thursday Interpretation will be a weekly post where I post a motivational quote (and sometimes a book quote) and tell you my feelings about it. You are more than welcome to post a comment telling how you feel about the quote.

*Remember that these are only my opinions. They are not influenced by anyone else.*

This week's motivational quote:

"Willingness opens the door to knowledge, direction, and achievement."

My Thoughts: I got this quote from a fortune cookie about a year ago. I really like this quote. What it's basically trying to get across to you is that if you are willing to put your all into something, you will gain knowledge, a sense of which direction you should move in, and, eventually, you shall reach achievement. There is nothing you can't do if you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it!

Want to share your feelings on this quotation? You can post at your blog, or if you don't want to blog or don't have one, you can leave a comment. If you post your opinion at your blog and would like me to see it, please provide a link in your comment.

Be sure to visit next Thursday for more quote interpretations. Happy Reading,

Zakiya :D

Guest Review #3 - Leanne

Finally got another Guest Review coming to you! I have been really busy lately, so I wasn't able to get it together until now. This week, my beautifully-winged classmate Leanne :D. She has a book blog over @ Tales of the Mockingjay, and her life blog is @ Another Day In My 8th Grade Paradise.

Anyway, Leanne wants to tell you all a little bit about herself:

I love to dance and read books. I am also some one who lives life to the fullest, so I intend to go to college. I don't know where yet. So, I like writing reviews and things, but my life's hectic. Well, and I read reallly fast;) By the way, my name's Leanne.

Well, now that we know about her, let's enjoy her review of A Match Made In High School.

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I finished the book A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker. It is a pretty interesting book. I would probably say it is an average Young Adult (YA) novel. It has a lot of "dirty" jokes in it, which I personally find hilarious. But, this book would definitely be rated 13+. It is about a girl who has to take a marriage-ed class. She is paired up with an obnoxious jock who helps her through out the way, compliments her, torments her, and, ultimately, is a good friend, you might say. She has ups and downs with every other charachter in this story. This novel also is good because it has love, secrecy, heartbreak, rude people, good friends, and understandable concepts. There aren't many stories like this out there, but for Kristin Walker's first book, I'd say she did a pretty good job! I would recomend it to people who like YA books who don't mind cursing, dirty jokes, and the real, true way teenagers think. I would rate it 4 wings.

Music/ Movie Monday #1

Well, this is a day late, but I took the time to write it out yesterday sooo....

Music/ Movie Monday is a "meme"* that I will try to post ever week or biweeklt. In these posts, I will provide you with what song, artist, CD, etc. I am currently into the most. Also, I will be informing you on the latest movie/s I have seen and absolutely loved (or not-loved).

* Meme is quoted because I will not be providing a Linky for you to ad you liks to, nor will I be advertising these posts. However, if you would like to participate and leave a link or your movie and music info in a comment, I have no problem with that.

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Music

This week, I am currently stuck all over Nicki Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday. Yes, the original versions of these songs have all sorts of words in them, but my mom got me the Edited Version, so no worries :).

Anyways, the Young Money diva has definitely made an awesome debut. In just about every song you hear on the radio nowadays (if you listen to R&B), there's a Nicki verse in it. Nicki can definitely sing, I have to give her that. Her mission?: To show younger girls that they can reach their dreams no matter how many times they are told they can't or won't.

CD Rating: 4-1/2 wings!

Learn more about Ms. Minaj here!


List of tracks on Pink Friday:
1. I'm The Best
2. Roman's Revenge ft Eminem
3. Did It On 'Em
4. Right Thru Me
5. Fly ft Rihanna
6. Save Me
7. Moment 4 Life ft Drake
8. Check It Out ft will.i.am
9. Blazin' ft Kanye West
10. Here I Am
11. Dear Old Nicki
12. Your Love
13. Last Chance ft Natasha Bedingfield

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Movies

The latest movies I have watched are The Ring and The Ring Two. The best three words I cam use to describe this duo is "OH MY GAWSH!!!!" I absolutely loved them. They honestly didn't get really good until the end, but I still enjoyed the,. (Thank you to one of my 8th grade buddies for recommending them to me!)

The movies really were ah-mazing. I give The Ring a rating of 4 Wings, and The Ring Two I will rate 5 Wings. For the duo rating, it averages to a 4-1/2 :).

Plot/ summary of The Ring
Plot/ summary of The Ring Two

Come back next Monday to check for a new post!

Happy Reading,
Zakiya, the walking butterfly :)!

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Radiance: A Riley Bloom Novel
By Alyson Noel
Publisher: Square Fish, 2010
178 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 20/ 11/ 2010
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Adventure

~First Line of Book: "Most people think that death is the end."
~Last Line of Book: "Occasionally gazing down at the earth plane as I soared through the clouds, knowing that just like all of the people rushing around right below me, I too had somewhere important to be."

Review: This was the first time that I had ever read a novel by Alyson Noel, and from how I enjoyed this one, I am sure I will enjoy others as well.

Radiance was about a girl named Riley Bloom who has recently died and crossed the bridge to the perfect afterlife. She and Bodhi, the dorky-looking ghost who is now her guide, go on a crazy visit to the earth plane to rid a mansion of a "Radiant Boy" and, eventually, that same boy's mother.

This novel had some awesome characters. Riley and bodhi, the main two, were definitely my favorites. The plot was really awesome. I liked how the place between the afterlife and the earth plane was called "Summerland." From what Noel described, it was a very pretty Summerland indeed. I can't wait to get my hands on Shimmer, the sure-to-be-epic sequel :).



Quotes from the Book:

"That's what they call it, 'Here.'
And if you're dumb enough to ask what time it is, they'll say,'Now.' "

"And now that I was settled it was time for my first day of school (yes, we have school Here -- it's not all cloud lounging and harp playing, you know)."

"I couldn't say I saw all that much. Ot at least nothing important anyway. Nothing that could be considered heart stopping (and no, my heart doesn't really beat anymore, it's just a figure of speech.)."

" 'Based on your accumulated history and your strong attachment to the earth plane, you will train as a Catcher. Any questions?'
Train as a what? A question that was soon followed by a gazillion others just like it.
'A Soul Catcher,' Samson said. 'A catcher of souls.' As if that made any more sense."

"The reasoning of some ghosts was beyond me. Some of them just didn't make the slightest bit of sense."

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted every week by The Story Siren. To find out how to participate and the "official" details, check out the IMM page.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

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This week I bought a couple of novels on my Kindle..



~Evermore by Alyson Noel (GoodReads, Amazon)
~Blue Moon by Alyson Noel (GoodReads, Amazon)

That's all for this week.

Happy Reading,
Zakiya, TWB