With more than a few YA novels on my "to read" list, I chose to begin with Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, by Jody Gehrman. It was a good decision.
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, the first in the Audrey's Guides series, is a terrific book about a 17-year-old girl who discovers that she's a witch right after her mother disappears. She struggles to adjust to this knowledge, follow the rules, and keep her experiences secret from almost everyone--all while trying to help bring her mother home safe and sound.
Along with a fun story, the author has created lifelike characters and relationships that would translate well to the big or small screen (presuming good casting decisions). She's also included some recipes; although I haven't tried it yet, Bridget's flourless chocolate cake recipe looks fantastic.
Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is an enjoyable novel suitable for fans of YA and/or paranormal stories. I will definitely be on the lookout for future books about Audrey's adventures in witchcraft--and Bridget's recipes.
Crossposted from Goodreads.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author, which did not influence my review.
If you haven't been keeping up with the news from the television networks, you may still be wondering whether your favorite shows will be back for a new season.
Some shows ended their run and got a proper finale, while others ended on a cliffhanger that left fans in suspense, never knowing what would have happened if the network had decided differently. Still others were yanked from the air early on.
If you still don't know the status of your favorites, check out this list of canceled and renewed scripted shows from TV by the Numbers. TV Guide's scorecard includes the status of both scripted and reality shows.
When I first saw the previews for ABC Family's Bunheads, I thought it could be interesting but wasn't sure about the dance aspect. I considered checking it out anyway since it was a new show from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Then I found out that Kelly Bishop would be playing the mother-in-law. That was the deciding factor for me; I had to see this show. After all, she had portrayed one of my all-time favorite characters, Emily Gilmore, and I knew she would also be great in the role of Fanny Flowers.
Bunheads premiered last night at 9:00 pm EDT. Since the episode will be repeated several times, I don't want to give away anything terribly crucial, so any spoilers here will be minor.
Bunheads stars Sutton Foster as Michelle, a Las Vegas showgirl who's been putting off an ardent admirer named Hubbell (Alan Ruck) for quite some time. After a bad experience at an audition, she gives in and goes out to dinner with him. She gets pretty drunk while he goes on about how he just wants to take care of her. Michelle eventually wakes up to find herself in the passenger seat of Hubbell's car--wearing a wedding ring.
Hubbell takes Michelle to their new home in Paradise, on the coast. However, he has neglected to mention one crucial detail: although he owns the house, his mother lives there, and he's allowed her to decorate every room but his bedroom.
After Hubbell breaks the news of his marriage to his outraged mother, Michelle finds out that her new mother-in-law operates a ballet studio on the property. Could this mean they have something in common other than Hubbell?
Like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, Paradise is a very small town with very quirky characters. The writing for Bunheads is good, as is the casting and pacing. I definitely plan to watch this show again, and I hope it does well in the ratings.
Bunheads airs Monday nights at 9:00 pm Eastern. Full episodes are also available on the official website and will probably be available On Demand.
I saw this video yesterday and knew I had to share it here. As a fan of both Guns N' Roses and Finnish cello rockers Apocalyptica, I was intrigued with the history and idea behind this new cello version of the classic "Welcome to the Jungle."
In a nutshell, classically trained cellists and former rivals Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser decided to team up as 2CELLOS.
Their debut album was released last year and includes a few more songs I'll have to check out, such as "The Resistance" (Muse), "Where the Streets Have No Name" (U2), and "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails).
More of their videos are available on Youtube, but since I've only seen "Welcome to the Jungle" so far, that's the one I'll include here. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think.
I found another reading challenge to tell you about. It lasts all year, and you can sign up anytime.
The Book Vixen is hosting the 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge. Lasting from January 1 through December 31, the idea is to read more books than you read last year.
Of course, it's good to have some idea of how many books you read last year. When you figure out how many more you'd like to read this year, you can choose from the five challenge levels. It's very flexible, though; you can change levels whenever you want, depending on how you're doing with the challenge.
To sign up and get all the details you need, check out the official sign-up post.
I realize this is short notice, but I found out about a read-a-thon and wanted to include a heads-up in case anyone wants to participate.
This is actually the fourth Bout of Books read-a-thon; it starts May 14 and lasts seven days. Participants make their own goals and have the opportunity to enter to win a fantastic giveaway! The idea is simply to read more that week than you normally do. You'll need to sign up on the host blog and then be sure to post your updates somewhere. See Bout of Books for all the details.
I don't think I'll be participating this time (I'm in the middle of a few books and would prefer to start a read-a-thon from scratch), but I'll definitely think about doing it in the future. I'd love to know if any of my readers sign up, so please leave a comment if you do!
After completing the Blogging From A to Z Challenge last week, I took some downtime, but now it's time for a reflections post. My main wrap-up post is at Ellie's Blank Book, but I also have a few thoughts to include here.
1. For this blog, I had everything all figured out before the challenge started. Even though I didn't write the posts in advance, I knew exactly what my topics would be. Well, that didn't last long. I changed my mind several times over the course of the challenge. My Z post is one of the few I was adamant about from the beginning.
2. I started doing research several weeks ahead of time by watching videos. Some were new to me, while I had first seen the others many years ago.
3. The challenge has made me more determined than ever to come up with a regular (and feasible) blogging schedule.
4. I'm behind on return visits and comments, but I'll be working on that now that the challenge is over.
The challenge was fun, and I hope to participate again in the future.
